The EU just saved you a packet on your holiday phone bill

It's a quandary that's struck us all: you're back from a sweaty week in the latest must-visit European sun trap, your skin a cancerous shade of tangerine; Instagram account filled with an unlikely quantity of sunset-and-cocktail shots.

Then, with the soft ping of an email, the last remnants of your beatific holiday state are sent scattering like the sand you managed to bring back in your shoes - it's your phone bill, a whopping £289.47. It cost how much for an extra 2GB of data? PER DAY?!

Today, thanks to a ruling from the European Commission, an end date has been set on mobile roaming charges. 

From 15 June 2017 you'll be able to use your mobile phone throughout the 28 member countries of the EU without fear of any hidden roaming charges. Every call, text and byte of data you download will be charged at the same rate as your domestic tariff.  

There's a fair usage rule, to stop people from buying a SIM card from a foreign country where they can get a cheaper deal than any domestic provider, but otherwise it's a simple fix that'll ensure you don't ruin your holiday afterglow.

The EU is predicting that there won't be any knock-on effects from the elimination of roaming charges: mobile phone operators aren't going to raise their tariffs to recoup lost revenue, but rather will find that more travellers start using their phones while abroad, outweighing the charges that had been capped by the EU back in 2007. 

So until 15 June 2017, best keep your social network tan bragging to a minimum; after that, though, let the social deluge begin.