Those headed to this popular European beach destination this summer need to be careful as social media users warn of an unexpected phone charge which could set you back hundreds of pounds
Brits heading to Corfu have been warned to be the lookout this summer for a hidden network charge – which could hit them before they’ve even left the airport. Worse still, it could even cost them hundreds. Instead of unwinding, tourists have been left confused after receiving a ‘Welcome to Albania’ text message upon arrival at their island destination – despite Corfu being a part of Greece.
As reported by the Daily Mail, an employee from MailOnline recently holidayed at the popular holiday destination. He shared a text he received upon landing, which came from a service named ‘Rate Advice.’
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It reads: “Welcome to Albania! Calls, texts and data in Albania are chargeable and do not come out of your standard allowances or UK data add-ons. Roam Beyond data add-ons for this destination are available in the iD Mobile app for as little as GBP5.00.
“If you haven’t already purchased a Roam Beyond data add-on, it will cost GBP1.50 per MB. Minutes and texts are not included , and will cost GBP0.60 per text to roam. To protect you from excessive charges, a GBP45.00 roaming data cap is in place.”
The issue arises from Corfu’s proximity to Albania. Despite being located in Greece, it lies relatively close (30 miles) to Ksamil, a small beachside village in the Albanian Riviera.
Due to its location, the strength of Albanian mobile phone signals from the coast can cause phones to connect to them automatically. This can occur even when the user is in a completely different country.
Aside from causing confusion, this mix-up can end up costing tourists – which is why unfortunate holidaymakers jumped on social media over the summer to warn others of unexpected charges.
Steve Moore, from Chesterfield, came on to the popular Facebook group, We Love Sidari, to complain about his experience. He wrote: “I arrived Sunday, usual welcome text to Corfu charges just the same as UK – 2 days later message welcome to Albania this is your charges.”
He continued: “Wow what a rip off, phoned company and after 45 mins of conversation was told the network must of changed to a different mast. You need to keep an eye on it otherwise it will cost you a lot.”
A second Facebook user also chimed in, pointing out that appears to happen in specific parts of the island. “Only if you go to the east of the island,” they wrote. “I did that mistake while on a quad. Using google maps. £128 to drive up road lol.” A third added, ‘We got caught out £298 bill when we got home.’
So, how do you avoid these charges? Travellers are urged to either contact their provider regarding the situation, switch off ‘roaming’ or manually select a Greek network in their phone’s settings – rather than relying on automatic network selection.
As one Facebook commenter advised: “All you do is let your phone set it’s paired Greek network automatically when you arrive on the island at the airport. Once it’s selected the correct Greek network, go into your settings and turn OFF ‘automatically select network’.”
They added: “This means your phone will not hunt for or connect to anything else other than your correct Greek network.” Although, they warned users to remember to switch it back once they return to the UK.
To avoid these charges, Georgia Brivida, from the international SIM provider Sim Local, has urged Brits to switch off the ‘autoplay’ feature on their phones before boarding their next flight.
She revealed that the setting could quietly drain data and lead to a significant phone bill, in many cases without users even noticing. She explained: “Autoplay is a feature that automatically plays videos as you scroll through apps like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, often without you even tapping play.”
