Roaming . The word suggests travelling with a worry-free , devil-may-care attitude . But in the world of mobile phones , where roaming means using your device abroad , that approach is unwise . Making calls , downloading emails and browsing the internet when in another country can result in very large bills . So how can you keep roaming costs down ? The best option is to be with mobile operator Three . Its customers can call and text UK numbers and use data in some countries at no extra cost to their UK price plans . Three is the only operator to offer this arrangement , which it calls Feel At Home . Three 's Feel at Home covers 18 destinations in Europe , Australia , the United States , Asia and the Middle East . In September 2013 , when Three introduced Feel At Home , it covered seven destinations . I said then that to be a game-changer it needed to expand the service to more countries – and it has . With Spain and New Zealand added earlier this month , it now applies in 18 countries . In Europe , the deal also covers France , Italy , Austria , Switzerland , Ireland , Denmark , Norway , Sweden and Finland . Elsewhere , it covers Australia , the United States , Hong Kong , Macau , Indonesia , Sri Lanka and Israel . Given that Spain , France , Italy and the US are among the most popular destinations for Britons , Three claims that about two-thirds of its customers ’ overseas trips are now covered by Feel At Home . A word of warning . Three publicises Feel At Home by saying that it enables you to ‘ use your phone abroad at no extra cost ’ . But to call or text non-UK numbers – imagine you are in Spain and you phone a restaurant in Barcelona – you will be charged extra , at roaming rates . However , these are much lower than other operators ’ standard rates in some countries – for example , 15.6p per minute to call local numbers in the US , Australia and New Zealand . There are some other caveats , too – one being you can ’ t ‘ tether ’ ( use your phone to connect another device to the internet ) . Check all details on three.co.uk/feelathome . Nonetheless , if you ’ re travelling to a Feel At Home country , using Three is the most preferable option . When travelling , operators ’ bundles/ add-ons usually offer better value than their standard rates . Take roaming in New Zealand . On their standard rates for pay-monthly customers , rival operators charge up to £1.50 a minute for making and receiving calls , 35p to 50p for sending a text , and up to £8 per megabyte of data usage . In EU countries , roaming charges are much lower as they are capped . On operators ’ standard rates , you ’ ll pay about 18p or 19p per minute to make a call , 5p per minute to receive a call , 5p to 6p to send a text and 20p per megabyte of data . If you ’ re not with Three and are heading to a Feel At Home destination , operators ’ bundles/ add-ons usually offer better value than their standard rates – though it depends on your usage levels . To give one example , Vodafone lets you use your UK ’ s plan allowance for calls , texts and data for £3 a day in Europe , and £5 a day in some countries further afield . However , you will need to actively sign up to get this deal . If you have an unlocked handset , you might consider investing in a local , country-specific SIM card : see 0044.co.uk , uk2abroad.com or dataroam.co.uk for details . Otherwise , stick to using free wi-fi in , for example , hotels and cafes , which will also enable you to chat for free if you have a Skype or Viber account . Stick to using free wi-fi in , for example , hotels and cafes , which will enable you to chat for free if you have Skype .
making calls and using the internet abroad results in very large bills . With Three 's Feel At service lets customers use their phones at no extra cost . It covers 15 countries including 4 in Europe .