Three has moved to warn customers that roaming charges will return.

In the latest post-Brexit blow for customers A flat £2 daily charge when roaming within an EU country will apply when travelling abroad.

Customers who are new or upgrading from October 1 will be affected, though the changes do not come into effect until May 23 2022.

Roaming fees across the bloc were banned by the EU in June 2017, allowing consumers to continue using their mobile plan at no additional cost, with a fair use limit.

Under the UK’s Brexit trade agreement, it said both sides should “co-operate on promoting transparent and reasonable rates” for mobile charges but a guarantee on free roaming was not carried forward.

Three warn customers over roaming charges

“Pay as you go customers and customers who have taken out a contract before 1 October 2021 are unaffected by these changes,” a spokeswoman said.

“The new charge ensures that customers are clear on what they will pay when using their phone in another country and only those who roam will pay for the service.

“It will also ensure that we can continue investing in our UK network.”

Three roaming charge ‘surprising’

Ernest Doku, mobiles expert at Uswitch.com, said the decision was “surprising” given Three’s “generous roaming allowances”.

“If you’re an existing Three customer, these charges shouldn’t affect you immediately, but make sure you check the small print if you’re due an upgrade in the coming months,” he said.

“When it comes to travelling, don’t leave it until the last minute to check the roaming charges for your destination, and use hotel and cafe Wi-Fi when on holiday where possible, but make sure any public access points are safe and secure before logging on.”