Roaming charges across the European Union will be capped from this weekend, ahead of a full ban in June next year.

The scrapping of additional costs of using a mobile phone on the Continent is the result of years of negotiations between the European Commission (EC) and telecom operators and could save British holidaymakers dozens of pounds.

Previously, Britons abroad could be stung by bills of hundreds, even thousands, of pounds after downloading films, streaming music or other data during European trips.

How much will it cost from this weekend?

From Saturday, the cap on charges will be:

For outgoing voice calls – the domestic price plus €0.05, down from €0.19

For incoming voice calls – the domestic price plus €0.01, down from €0.05

For outgoing texts – the domestic price plus €0.02, down from €0.06

For data per megabyte – the domestic price plus €0.05, down from €0.20.

It's worth remembering that some countries in Europe are not in the EU, therefore do not qualify for the roaming cap. It does, however, apply to three non-EU members of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), but not Switzerland.

What next?

From June 15 2017, roaming fees will be abolished altogether within the EU.

The EC has been battling roaming charges for years Credit: Getty

Why does this matter?

Data roaming is your tablet or phone’s use of a mobile network it does not own to send and receive data. It is how mobile users are able to surf the internet, download emails and music, refresh social media, and upload pictures to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook while abroad.

The Citizens’ Advice Bureau, the charity that offers free advice on topics from consumer issues to tax and healthcare, has previously highlighted the risk to holidaymakers from roaming charges. It said consumers have been faced with significant bills – one man said he was charged £12,000 for his daughter’s use of a mobile phone in Egypt. It has called for an industry-wide cap on charges around the world, something the EU cap is potentially a step towards.

The EU had previously introduced a €50 (£39) cap on data charges, in operation unless the user removed it.

Any downside?

Critics of the ban suggest that the loss of revenue from mobile phone companies could push prices up in general, including for non-travellers.

Concerns have also been raised about whether the Continent’s mobile infrastructure will be able to cope with hundreds of thousands using more of their phones.

Another downside is the increased number of selfies on social media Credit: Fotolia/AP

“Networks will ultimately need to invest more cost-effective infrastructure in the short term to support the increased use that the abolition of roaming charges will trigger,” said Joe Marsella, chief technology officer at Ciena, a telecommunications company.

Do charges vary from operator to operator?

Broadly speaking the charges, now outside the EU, are similar from operator to operator. It is the way providers offer add-ons and special travel tariffs that differ - see below for the best offerings, or this guide to the best providers for travellers.

How could you maximise your new-found data freedom?

1. Instagram everything. Like, everything.

2. Find your way round more than 30 cities with CityMapper - vote for the next city to be mapped here.

3. Learn a new language with duolingo.

4. Be inspired by Telgraph Travel's Trip of a Lifetime series.

5. Get yourself a date with a local on Tinder.

How can I avoid data charges outside the EU?

Turn off roaming

The easiest way to avoid passive or active data download while abroad is to turn off data roaming. Mobile models vary, but the below screenshots show how to do this on an iPhone 5.

Go to Settings > Cellular > and switch the “Data Roaming” and “Cellular Data” options from green (on) to white (off). This will prevent any apps from downloading data without you knowing, and will prevent you from being charged to access the Internet or social media sites.

Restrict your internet usage to Wi-Fi

You can still perform all the functions you use data for at home – surfing the Internet, video, photo and music upload and download, for example – via Wi-Fi. You can also phone people via apps such as Whatsapp or FaceTime. Connection speeds can be ropey in remote areas or where thick walls, high user numbers or poor positioning of the router mean the signal is weak, but bearing in mind this may be preferable to paying for expensive data usage. Most of Telegraph Travel's recommended hotels have free Wi-Fi for guests, and it is also increasingly common in cafes and restaurants throughout the world.

Think carefully, however, before transferring highly sensitive data using a Wi-Fi connection, such as banking details or your location. If possible, always try to use a Wi-Fi connection that is secured by a password.

Switzerland is not in the EU and therefore not included in the cap Credit: Getty

Buy a data bundle

These are packages, sometimes called “add-ons”, that offer a set limit of data – 100MB, 2GB, etc – to be used abroad within a specified timeframe. On some plans, such as EE, users will be notified once the allowance paid for expires or is used up (whichever comes first) and they will not be able to access the internet until another bundle is purchased.

On other providers, customers may still have to keep an eye on data usage (a mobile network provider app will typically have usage trackers) to avoid being charged standard roaming rates once the bundle has been used up. Avoid downloading films, video and music while abroad, which will use up your data in a flash.

EE has an interactive tool that allows customers to see how much data will cost them depending on where they will be travelling. For a search for the UAE for T-Mobile customers, for example, it shows that it costs £1.50/minute to make calls, and provides a range of data add-on options. See more at ee.co.uk/help/add-ons-benefits-and-plans/call-or-going-abroad/roaming and explore.ee.co.uk/roaming.

Vodafone WorldTraveller’s add-on system allows users to take the minutes, texts and data from their UK contract to 30 countries, including India, the USA, South Africa and New Zealand for £5 extra a day. Be warned that you will be charged the usual high roaming charges if you exceed your standard UK allowance.

O2 also has an interactive tool, but it is less user-friendly than the EE version, and add-on options are less numerous. It says that its “Data Abroad Bolt On” allows users 200MB of data a month for £120 – less than the £1,200 if one were to use data at the standard tariff of £6/MB outside of Europe, but still a lot of money.

O2’s TuGo app (o2.co.uk/apps/tu-go) also allows you to call and text from your O2 number over WiFi, anywhere in the world.

Use apps that don’t use data

Before you leave the UK, download apps that you can use abroad that do not require an Internet connection and therefore do not need data to function.

The Telegraph Travel Guides app contains guides to 43 destinations including Venice, Paris, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Hong Kong. It lets users navigate maps and explore sights, restaurants, shops and hotels by GPS, without using data, when used offline.

Currency converter XE.com needs an internet connection for the latest rates, but it caches exchange rates too, meaning that it can still be used to get a rough idea of how much something will cost without using data.

Google Maps can also be saved as offline versions while you still have access to the internet, for usage when you don’t. Full instructions can be found on the Google Support website.

Non-EU rules to roaming charges to places like South Africa Credit: Fotolia/AP

Alternatives to Google include CoPilot for driving navigation and CityMaps2Go, which combines detailed maps with travel tips for cities including New York and Paris.

When you download a map for later offline usage, switch your phone to “aeroplane mode” and check it opens correctly to test that it will work once you have data roaming switched off.

See more advice on the best travel apps that don't use data roaming.

Switch to Three

Three's Feel at Home service allows its customers to use data, call and text functions just as they do at home as part of their normal contract plan in 19 countries, including Australia, France, Italy, the USA, New Zealand and Indonesia. Excluded are numbers that start with 070, 084, 087, 09 and 118 directory services.

Use a local SIM card

If you are travelling for anything more than a few days and know you will be making lots of calls and texts, and using lots of data, it is worth investing in a local SIM card, so you are charged at local rates rather than roaming rates.

Donald Strachan, who has written extensively on travel technology for Telegraph Travel, has offered advice on the best local SIMs in European countries such as France, Italy and Spain, and the best local SIMs for travelling with iPads and MiFi (a portable device allowing several users to share a 3G or 4G internet connection.

Turn off your voicemail

Although call charges are capped within the EU, checking your voicemail can be charged at extortionate rates in other areas of the world. Speak to your mobile provider and check details of your specific handset to work out how to turn off your voicemail while travelling.