From next month, mobile phone firms will be capped on how much they can charge customers who use data services – for example to read emails or browse the web – while travelling on the Continent.
　　Under the new rules, networks will also have to text customers if they approach a £41 download limit.
　　But in the few weeks before that, the rates remain punitively high. And even after the new rules kick in, they will apply only to EU countries, leaving holidaymakers in other destinations risking huge bills, frequently of hundreds of pounds.
　　Fiona Chow, 33, of Wandsworth, south-west London, was hit with a £187 bill after a holiday in South Africa earlier this year.
　　Fiona, who works in marketing for an online ticket seller, says: ‘It was a real bolt from the blue. I had made sure I did not use the phone for any calls to limit charges. I only used my iPhone to occasionally check on my emails, log on to Facebook once and use a travel app a few times to find restaurants. Because I could not work out how much data was being used, there was no way of knowing what the final bill would be until I got home. I had no idea that just a few seconds on the map application could cost several pounds.’
　　Ernest Doku, technology expert at uswitch.com, says that if you are abroad and want to use a smart phone or tablet, you should turn off the data roaming facility. This is usually easy to find in the ‘settings’ menu.
　　Doku says: ‘Mobile phones can automatically download data, depending on your settings and software. To be on the safe side it is best to simply turn this facility off. If you want to download you can always visit a cafe or hotel offering free wi-fi access. You won’t need to turn the data roaming back on. You simply sign into the local service.’
　　快讯：下个月开始，欧盟国家将会限定移动电话公司对漫游的收费。社交网络也会在用户用满41英镑的数据后发讯息提醒。不过这项优惠对于出门在外的度假者不适用，不过一些手机人士建议出门在外关闭数据开关，用wifi上网可以有效节约流量，避免吃哑巴亏。