Benefit from lower mobile roaming charges
This page offers you all the information you need regarding the use of mobile services, whether it's making or receiving calls or using data roaming services such as access to the Internet and related services from your mobile phone or other device whilst travelling in any other EU country.
The EU roaming regulation introduced the 'Eurotariff', the 'EuroSMS' tariff and the ‘Euro Data’ tariff, which cap the maximum charges that any mobile service provider can charge for calls, SMSs and data as indicated in the table below.
Remember, that when receiving a call when you are in another EU destination, you will pay for a portion of this call. Incoming SMSs are free of charge.
Eurotariff Rates as from 1st July 2014 (denominated in € cents) | ||||
| Outgoing SMS | Making Calls | Receiving Calls | Data usage (per Megabyte) |
Excluding VAT and duty tax (on a per minute basis) | 6c | 19c | 5c | 20c |
Including VAT and duty tax (on a per minute / per megabyte basis) | 7c3 | 23c1 | 6c1 | 24c3 |
Before travelling, it is important to check whether you are on the Eurotariff plan. If you are not, ensure that your alternative tariff plan gives you a better deal than that offered by the Eurotariff.
The new rules have required mobile service providers to charge on a per second basis for all voice calls, made or received, to ensure that subscribers only pay for what is consumed. However, it is important to note that local service providers may charge a flat rate for the first 30 seconds BUT per second billing has to be applied thereafter.
The Regulation also lays down rules aimed at increasing price transparency and improving the provision of information on charges to users of roaming services.
Whenever you enter another Member State, your service provider will automatically inform you on the roaming charges (including VAT) that apply to making and receiving calls, sending SMSs and data services according to your subscribed tariff plan by means of a personalised messaging service. This service is free of charge.
You can also check the tariffs you will incur while visiting another country by visiting your service provider’s international roaming web page. Alternatively you can call your service provider and enquire with one of his customer care representatives. In Malta, all service providers offer international roaming services to their subscribers. Links to the service provider’s website are being provided hereunder:
Go Mobile
Melita Mobile Ltd
Redtouch fone
Vodafone Malta Ltd
Simplymobile
Valletta Mobile
The roaming regulation also provides you with the facility to receive information about your data usage (data downloaded and uploaded), including the use of Internet related services from your mobile or device. This information is usually provided either in terms of volume of data (such as megabytes), or in the amount of Euros spent.
In this respect, if you are able to access data services from your device, you will automatically have a data roaming limit cap close to, but not exceeding €50 [excluding VAT], that is not exceeding €60.77 (including VAT and duty tax) per month. These caps have been established by the Roaming Regulations.
Your mobile service provider is required to alert you as soon as you reach 80% of this limit. As soon as this limit is reached, your data service will be stopped unless you ask your service provider to extend the limit. Service providers may offer alternative data roaming limit caps in addition to those specified by the roaming regulations mentioned above and you can agree to opt for such limit caps if these are offered by your service provider. Should you wish not to benefit from this automatic cut-off, you can opt-out, at any time, free of charge, by contacting your mobile service provider;
As in the case of voice and SMS services, your service provider is obliged to provide you with all the data tariff information necessary, either in the form of an SMS message, an email or pop-up window.
For more information on roaming please visit MCA's Roaming FAQs