European roaming charges will be a thing of the past from July 15th next year. Until then however, users are reminded to be cautious when it comes to their consumption abroad. Nobody likes coming home to a huge phone bill. 

The European Union started to tackle the issue of roaming rates around 2007 and since that time, the charges have been slashed by 80%. Rates were brought right down in April of this year for those travelling within Europe. At present here's what you pay within the EU. 

€0.05 per minute	Calls
€0.02	SMS
€0.05 per MB	Data

As of July 15th 2017, roaming charges will be no more. This means that from that date on, users will be able to use their calls, texts and data abroad - just as they would at home. At the time of this announcement the European Consumer Centre, Ireland said:

"As part of its Connected Continent drive, the EU is working to develop a telecoms single market. Ending roaming charges has been a priority for some time, as it seeks to remove barriers to mobile phone use abroad. It is hoped that not only will this alleviate a burden on consumers, but also provide greater accessibility for businesses and start-ups to sell online to consumers travelling abroad."

Reduce:

If you want to ensure you don't receive a hefty phone bill upon your return, it's possible to take a number of precautions, without having to reduce your usage. 

Firstly, opt into any roaming deals on offer from your network. If you are unsure how to do this, get in touch with your provider and they will advise you on how to do this. 

If you're heading outside of Europe, it's working buying a local SIM card and using that for data. This will reduce the cost of your bill significantly. 

If you use streaming services or are a fan of Google Maps, make the information (music, movies or maps) you want available offline, before you set off.

Finally, keep an eye out for Wifi everywhere you go. Our technological advancements have seen Wifi hotspots appear in even the most remote of areas.