I thought the advert ‘roaming is getting better with EE’ was misleading

I have received a text message from EE stating that it is “shaking up its roaming products”, with a link to a page announcing that “roaming is getting better with EE”.

The “better” offer appears to be a daily £2.59 charge for roaming in European countries – seemingly replacing the free calls and texts previously included in my plan.

I was aware that, since Brexit, telecoms operators have reintroduced roaming charges on new contracts, but was surprised to find them applied to an existing account.

No price reduction has been offered for this downgrade. Is this a reasonable change? Is “roaming is getting better with EE” misleading?

AS, Warlingham

In 2017, mobile networks in EU countries were banned from charging customers extra to use their phones in other member countries. However, the Brexit deal did not include continued protection for consumers, and the charges have returned for many UK travellers.

You received a series of messages from EE including one stating that your “World Select Talk & Text” (WST&T) add-on had been removed and that “out-of-bundle” rates (charges incurred when you exceed your call, text or data allowances) would apply for the included countries.

You were also directed to a webpage that outlined rates for different zones. The EU one set out a daily charge of £2.59 – or £15 for seven days.

Phone providers are allowed to change the terms of a contract, but they must give you at least one month’s notice and the right to exit the contract without penalty if the change does not benefit you.

EE, which is part of BT, did update its roaming plans at the end of last year, but these changes did not affect the EU. It said: “We have updated our country classification zones to be clearer. Also, our roaming passes now include calls, texts and data together within the pass, when they were usually separate add-ons before.”

Also, the WST&T add-on only covered a handful of countries including the US, Canada and Australia, and not the EU.

You were understandably confused by these alerts. However, the upshot of all this is that your EU roaming has not been affected by the changes – you still have the luxury of free roaming there on what is a low-cost plan, thanks to your loyalty discount.

If you are going abroad, you need to check your contract, because nearly a quarter of us have been caught out by unexpected roaming charges in the last two years, according to Uswitch. Look at the fees for your destination and see whether your provider has a “fair usage policy”. This means it can cap your roaming data allowance below what you would receive at home to avoid overuse, even if you are on an unlimited plan.

We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at [email protected] or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.