Air and sea satellite roaming service charges

As was previously reported in the press, some travellers have received unexpected high charges for data usage whilst flying or crossing seas. This is due to them connecting to air and sea satellite services. This attracts different fees to the roaming charges provided by each network, as satellite roaming services are not considered to be the same as mobile networking roaming.

This can happen where the satellite network services is made available automatically via air and maritime travel companies, without authorisation required from the end user to gain access. This can also happen unknowingly if a device is not switched off or placed in flight mode, because mobile applications can still update and run while not in use.

If you are planning to use your mobile device whilst travelling by air or sea, please be sure to familiarise yourself with the charges via your network for connecting to satellite roaming services. Alternatively you can avoid connecting to these services whilst travelling by ensuring that your mobile device is placed in flight mode or switched off entirely.

For more advice ahead of travelling please contact our support team by email helpdesk@grapevine.uk.com or call 0345 123 6677 (option 1 > option 1).