The pay-as-you-go rates for all Asda mobile customers, both in the UK and when roaming in Europe have been automatically updated from today.

Typically, customers with bundle deals can use their data allowance for free in certain destinations so if you get 25GB a month, you’ll be able to use your data abroad as normal, subject to Fair Usage Policies (FUP).

Asda Mobile – which runs off the Vodafone network – has slashed the amount of data roaming customers can use (regardless of bundle allowance) from 25GB to 5GB as part of its FUP.

This places a cap on the amount of mobile data customers can use while on holiday before incurring a fee, regardless of their plan at home.

Following the change, anything customers use above 5GB will be charged at 10p per MB (up from 4p per MB).

Under the government’s roaming rules, there’s a £45 a month cap on data which means you can’t continue to use mobile data services when roaming unless you actively chose to continue spending. Customers should receive alerts when at 80% and 100% data usage. However, it excludes calls and texts.

From today, Asda Mobile has also increased the price of making calls to UK mobile and landline numbers from 4p a minute to 15p a minute.

Meanwhile, the cost of sending a text message (up to 160 characters) has also increased from 4p to 10p.

Mobile roaming back on bills

Following Brexit, Three, EE, Sky and Vodafone brought in mobile roaming charges while Virgin Media O2 has committed to free EU roaming.

Virgin Media O2’s recent data reveals the reintroduced European roaming charges could have cost UK travellers up to £8.9m a week across some of the most popular destinations this summer.

It said holidaymakers to Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Portugal could have faced extra costs of up to £64 million in just nine weeks over July and August.

For a family of four on a two-week holiday, this could mean a bill of £100 or more when using their mobiles each day.

Meanwhile, just last week, the government announced its intention to cap charges for using data and making calls and texts in Norway and Iceland. It is expected to come into force early next year.