Vodafone gets in first to abolish roaming charges for new and upgrading customers
VODAFONE is to scrap the roaming charges that customers pay for using their mobile phone abroad, making it the first UK operator to do so.
Vodafone is to scrap the roaming charges, making it the first UK operator to do so
The move, which applies to new and upgrading customers, applies to 40 different countries from mid-June and coincides with a EU ruling ending the practice.
Sixty more 'roam-further' destinations further afield will also be available for £5 a day.
The company says it is responding to customer demand for more simplicity and comes amid other improvements to its service including a reduction in the time customers have to wait to get a new phone with flexible upgrades after six months and monthly plans with bigger data allowances so users can stream more frequently.
Customers have to wait to get a new phone with flexible upgrades after six months
Customers have told us they want us and the rest of the industry to change
Small businesses will also be offered new products to increase efficiency and safety, while a new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, TOBi, is being introduced to speed up online queries.
The company also announced recently its plan to hire thousands more call centre staff.
Vodafone UK chief Nick Jeffery said: “Customers have told us they want us and the rest of the industry to change. They want life to be simpler and for us to remove the things that make life stressful so they can live their lives, uninterrupted by these concerns.
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“Our new programme will do that over the next few years and will prove our commitment to letting our customers talk, text or stream for a great price, wherever in the world they may be.”