Consumer advocates warn of high roaming costs outside the EU

The Verbraucherzentrale Niedersachsen is warning travelers about high mobile roaming costs when traveling outside the European Union. To avoid unexpected bills, travelers should carefully verify their smartphone settings to ensure that data and calling functions are correctly assigned to the intended SIM card or eSIM.

In one reported case, a traveler visiting Australia replaced her German SIM card with a local one but failed to notice her device was still using an active German eSIM for data. This resulted in a mobile bill exceeding 900 euros. Because the eSIM provider had contractually promised to send a warning SMS once costs reached 150 euros—a warning that was never sent—the consumer may be entitled to claim damages and avoid paying the full amount.

While the EU provides a 'cost airbag' for providers to warn users when they reach 80 percent of a set limit (typically 50 euros net), this mechanism is not always reliable as it depends on real-time data tracking in the respective country.