Vodafone scraps roaming costs - for three months

Vodafone has announced it is scrapping its roaming charges in 35 countries this summer, meaning users will be able to call and text from foreign climes for the same price as in the UK.

This means if you're visiting the likes of Australia, Cyprus or Iceland you can call and text back to the UK without the added panic of receiving a huge bill on your return.

Well, that's assuming that you're not downloading 30 episodes of 24, as mobile internet is still not included so a massive bill is still possible if you really want to have one thudding onto your doormat.

However, you will be able to user unlimited minutes for free as you would at home on your normal price plan, and extra texts and calls (for instance, those on PAYG) will cost the same as usual.

Get your Passport

Users will need to sign up to Vodafone Passport in order to use the service, which runs from 1 June to the end of August, enabling the cheap calls and texts.

Vodafone is also extending the same offer to businesses, so those on the Anytime or Your Plan tariffs and not already on Vodafone's roaming scheme can opt in as well, which will likely mean significant cost savings.

While it would have been nice to see this deal extended for all time (admittedly, a long shot) it still shows how unnecessary exorbitant roaming charges are, as it's unlikely that Vodafone would be doing such a thing if it were to lose masses in revenue this summer.

It backs up the decision by the EU to cap calling and texting costs when travelling abroad, which will see the cost of a standard text cut to 10p over the next three years, although it doesn't fall into line with the data charge cap as yet.