Travellers are being warned a simple mistake in not selecting one phone mode could end up costing them. The warning comes as a viral video showed a traveller on a cruise returned home to find a £1,050 phone bill. The hefty charge was due to using their phone all week during their holiday, with their son streaming vidoes and despite being connected to WiFi on the ship, their airplane mode wasn’t on resulting in roaming charges.

Experts at eSIM travel company Airalo, have warned people heading abroad that even when using free WiFi networks, mobile devices can continue to use data roaming in the background, leading to significant charges.

Experts have said that there are a few things you should stick to to avoid an unexpectly large bill. They note that you should turn on ‘airplane mode’ when connecting to WiFi as this ensures that your device doesn’t use mobile data in the background.

In fact, data usage can be tricky to keep an eye on as smart phones will use data even when you are not actively using your phone. This will happen to most people as your phone will continuously check for updates or notifications, as well as run app updates in the background.

All of this uses data, and that can drive up your bill without you even using the device. In addition to this, they add that downloading an eSIM for travel and disabling your primary SIM can significantly reduce roaming charges.

Airalo experts stress: “Background data usage can add up quickly, even when you’re connected to WiFi. Using an eSIM and taking precautions like activating airplane mode can prevent these charges and make roaming more affordable.”