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Virgin Media O2 phone customers will not have to pay roaming charges this year, even after other carriers announced an extra fee. Two of the biggest networks in the UK, EE, and Vodafone, announced the reintroduction of roaming charges for customers travelling to Europe in January.

Three plans to reintroduce its roaming charges in May. Customers on the O2 and Virgin Mobile networks will maintain their inclusive roaming in the bloc, so they can travel and use data, calls, and text the same way they would in the UK.

A competitive market

Speaking about the changes (or lack thereof), Gareth Turpin of Virgin Media O2 said the company is starting 2022 by giving customers certainty that there won’t be a reintroduction of the roaming fees in Europe for those on O2 and Virgin Mobile deals.

Turpin added that unlike other major mobile networks looking to bring back roaming fees, Virgin Media O2 won’t be doing anything of the sort. He added that many Brits could be planning trips abroad, which had led the company to want to cover them without having to worry them with extra roaming charges.

A significant bump

The firm said that a family of four going on holiday abroad for two weeks would have an extra 100 pounds on their bill, based on rate analyses of the competitors.

The return of roaming fees follows the UK’s exit from the European Union. The bloc had removed the charges for people travelling the EU in 2017.

Customers who joined EE after July 7 2021 face an extra £2 charge daily for data use, calls, or sending texts in EU countries. The same fee applies to Vodafone customers who joined the network/upgraded or renewed their contract after August 11, 2021. Three will raise prices by the same amount on May 23, applicable for customers who joined the network or upgraded after October 1, 2021.