England fans offered money-saving advice ahead of World Cup

Wednesday, June 2nd 2010

England fans heading to South Africa to support the team in their bid for World Cup glory have been advised to be aware of mobile phone charges.

Consumer Focus has warned supporters tariffs in the country are likely to be significantly higher than at home.

For example, on some networks, it could cost up to £80 to upload ten photographs to Facebook, while call charges may be as high as £1.50 per minute.

People taking a holiday in the European Union this summer will be protected by regulations that prevent firms charging more than 37p per minute.

But those in South Africa will be liable to large prices, especially when using data roaming services, such as the internet.

Nick Hutton, telecommunications expert at Consumer Focus, said: "England fans need to be on the ball to make sure they don't get caught out by hundreds of pounds of hidden mobile phone costs at the World Cup."

The World Cup kicks off next Friday (June 11th), before England take on the USA the following day.