Bill shock is the industry term for a mobile bill that's far higher than expected — typically £100s above the normal monthly fee. Most cases trace back to a few common causes.
Top causes
- Roaming charges: using data abroad on a non-inclusive plan
- Premium-rate numbers: 09xx, 087x and certain SMS shortcodes can cost £1+ per minute
- Data overage: exceeding your monthly data cap with auto-charge enabled
- Tethering caps: some plans charge extra for tethered data
- International calls: calling foreign numbers from the UK
How to avoid it
- Confirm what roaming is included before travelling
- Turn off data roaming if you're unsure
- Set a monthly spend cap with your carrier (Ofcom requires UK carriers to offer this)
- Avoid premium-rate numbers when possible
Fuse approach
Fuse includes roaming in 130+ countries on Pulse and Surge plans, so the most common bill-shock trigger is removed. There are no overage charges — once you hit your data cap, data simply stops until next month.