New roaming charges in Europe

[boatmike]

I currently use Virgin in the UK but it's about as much use as a chocolate teapot abroad regardless of charges. No connection in Jersey last week and none while on hols in India. Wife has Vodafone and I note the new much reduced roaming charges have been adopted from April so am considering a SIM only monthly deal from them. However recent surveys say customer satisfaction with VF is pretty low. Frankly apart from texts I don't use the phone much anyway and have a PC which I usually use for e-mails etc. so is it really worth the hassle of having overseas SIMs anymore in my case? If not VF who should I try for a good UK based deal for SIM only low usage that will automatically work abroad with good coverage and reasonable cost?

 

[GrahamM376]

You need to weigh up the options as charges will still vary considerably. My understanding is that roaming within EC is capped at home rate + up to 5p. Our PAYG UK Vodafone home rate is 30p/min whereas our Portuguese PAYG Vodafone is 26 cents for 1st call or text per day + 6 cents/min thereafter. If making more than one call or text in a day, it's cheaper to use the Portuguese mobile while roaming in the UK.

 

[NornaBiron]

My understanding is that roaming within EC is capped at home rate + up to 5p. Our PAYG UK Vodafone home rate is 30p/min.

Wow, that's expensive. My UK PAYG Vodafone is currently 16 pence per minute to make calls and 4 pence per minute to receive (I'm in Greece). It is more expensive to use it in the UK!

 

[GrahamM376]

Wow, that's expensive. My UK PAYG Vodafone is currently 16 pence per minute to make calls and 4 pence per minute to receive (I'm in Greece). It is more expensive to use it in the UK!

Doesn't bother me too much as I only use around £20 per year in UK mobile, Voda charges here - https://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/costs/call-charges/

 

[nortada]

Connect 3 with their 'Feels Like Home' scheme claim to be the freiendiest overseas provider but don't think this scheme is available in Portugal��

 

[Koeketiene]

Connect 3 with their 'Feels Like Home' scheme claim to be the freiendiest overseas provider but don't think this scheme is available in Portugal��

Correct

3 Feel At Home destinations: http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Feel_At_Home

 

[Mistroma]

Connect 3 with their 'Feels Like Home' scheme claim to be the freiendiest overseas provider but don't think this scheme is available in Portugal��

At least that's a ray of light.

Three is the cheapest viable option for us in UK but is rubbish when abroad because of the "Feel at Home" scheme. Some people will say that it's fine and that you won't be disconnected. Not my experience at all. We were disconnected without warning after a stay in Spain and you cannot persuade them to reverse the decision by escalating the issue.

If you visit a "Feel at Home" country then it kicks in even if you don't activate anything and simply pay for all calls at normal roaming rates using credit. Chances of getting away with it for a little over 2 months seem fairly good. But if it kicks in then you will have a problem with a dead phone. It's also monitored in a 12 month rolling window and you'll need to wait at least that long to guarantee that Three won't simply cut you off again.

Three enabled roaming again a few months after we returned to the UK "as a goodwill gesture". It took a lot of complaining and was good news as we were going to spend a week in France before the 12month ban had expired. Unfortunately, Three turned off roaming again after a week or so and we had not even left the UK. Their system keeps applying the rule and seemed to extend our usage abroad until we'd returned home. Reasonable as I suppose that we were abroad. However, we had no Three service for that period as roaming was disabled and the phone was turned off.

Three would be fine if we only spent 2 months outside the UK or if we went to Portugal. Hopping between Spain, France and Italy means we are always in a "Feel at Home" destination.

 

[Cspirit]

You could look at EE. I have a contract which enables me to use my UK unlimited minutes and text anywhere in Europe including back to the UK

 

[RobbieW]

You could look at EE. I have a contract which enables me to use my UK unlimited minutes and text anywhere in Europe including back to the UK

Hmm, most folk when they are away are far more interested in data than voice/text (well I am anyway)

 

[Forty_Two]

You could look at EE. I have a contract which enables me to use my UK unlimited minutes and text anywhere in Europe including back to the UK

I have that on a 2014 contract which works well. However the new contracts have a new condition that you must use the phone in the UK every 30 days. What happens if you dont do this i dont know.

 

[Cloven]

,

Frankly apart from texts I don't use the phone much anyway and have a PC which I usually use for e-mails etc. so is it really worth the hassle of having overseas SIMs anymore in my case? If not VF who should I try for a good UK based deal for SIM only low usage that will automatically work abroad with good coverage and reasonable cost?

My usage when abroad is just like this, use the phone for text & occasional voice, not data as use wifi on computer. I have an O2 contract and have had absolutely no connection problems anywhere in Europe or on a recent holiday in the USA.

 

[lindsay]

Three are watching you on their feel at home destinations. I was cut off without warning after 2 months on their mifi, but reinstated automatically once back in the UK for a short visit. As described I was left with a dead MIFI and lost money into the bargain. Pity! You can insert a foreign SIM into their mifi, biut it takes settings adjustments which are beyond my feeble tech skills it was done once for me by a friendly tech guru but am unable to repeat

 

[KellysEye]

To avoid roaming charges we bought a local SIM card, which are cheap, in Spain, Portugal and the Caribbean.

 

[Mistroma]

Three are watching you on their feel at home destinations. I was cut off without warning after 2 months on their mifi, but reinstated automatically once back in the UK for a short visit. As described I was left with a dead MIFI and lost money into the bargain. Pity! You can insert a foreign SIM into their mifi, but it takes settings adjustments which are beyond my feeble tech skills it was done once for me by a friendly tech guru but am unable to repeat

Are you certain that roaming was re-instated on return to the UK? I believe that Three use a rolling 12month period for their ban on extended use in a "Feel at Home" destination.

My phone worked as soon as we returned to the UK but roaming remained disabled. We did get it turned on again, as a goodwill gesture, after a lot of hassle. However, it was disabled again within a week or so without us leaving the UK. Fortunately, we checked before making a short trip to France. I believe that re-instatement had triggered a second ban probably stating in August and that would mean we can't use Three in Spain until August/Sept. this year.

We were in Spain for a couple of months in 2015, back in UK for a bit and then in Spain again Then we were cut off without warning after another few months. Three mentioned that our ban was 12 months from first infringement and mentioned April/May. So our second stay took us over the limit and they said roaming would be OK again in May 2016. It think that it may well be much later.

It might be worth checking before relying on Three outside UK this year.

 

[drawp]

My wife has a Tescomobile pay monthly UK contract but I'm not sure what plan it is. As we are off to Greece on Monday I checked with them re their roaming charges in Greece. £0.16/min to make calls; £0.04/min to receive calls; £0.05 per text and £0.17 per MB for data. That seems pretty reasonable to me.

 

[lindsay]

Mistroma is correct. Three restored uk use on arrival in the uk, even got it going on the train from Gatwick without contact or discussion.. But presumably banned from further use outside Uk for rest of year. Since I only use the paygo mifi for data I just bought another Three Sim. They have a deal right now of free sim 12g for 12 months at 30gbp. I reckon if that gives me 2 months in Europe, plus UK coverage for the max 3 months I am there it is worth the cost.

Has not solved though the problem of on going coverage within Europe and I guess I will go on fiddling around with payg local sims.

 

[boatmike]

I have that on a 2014 contract which works well. However the new contracts have a new condition that you must use the phone in the UK every 30 days. What happens if you dont do this i dont know.

That seems to be an argument for PAYG. In fact it seems to me that if I have this right, any contract from the UK only gives you "free" minutes in the UK and any roaming charges are separate? If that is so and I spend a lot of time in France and Spain if I just have a PAYG SIM from Vodafone and keep it loaded up it will work out cheaper than a contract if the usage is only modest and I use WiFi for any e-mails and Internet won't it?
Also with the new Europe wide lower charges from VF from 30th April it seems having a Spanish or French PAYG SIM is no real advantage anymore..... Do I have that right????

 

[lindsay]

Boatmike may have a point for payg. Even in rustically delightful Porquerolles off Toulon, in france you now get free wifi hovering around the tourist info office. I reckon France has doubled its free wifi points in last 2 to 3 years, and at the most now you just give your email address to get on, and not have to frig around with getting passwords via your cellphone and giving the name of your firstborn.

 

[boatmike]

Boatmike may have a point for payg. Even in rustically delightful Porquerolles off Toulon, in france you now get free wifi hovering around the tourist info office. I reckon France has doubled its free wifi points in last 2 to 3 years, and at the most now you just give your email address to get on, and not have to frig around with getting passwords via your cellphone and giving the name of your firstborn.

That's good news of course, but I am still confused. According to the Vodafone website it costs 16p a minute currently to "roam" in say France. After the 30th April if I read it right this drops to 4p..... But it costs 30p a minute to make a call in the UK so does this mean it is currently 14p a minute cheaper to call from France than the UK dropping to 26p a minute cheaper after 30th April? This just sounds nuts!!! Could it be that you need to add the 4p to 30p making 34p after the 30th April compared to 16+30+ 46p now???? Or is it really cheaper to call from France to the UK than UK to UK? Der......help!

Update...... Just had a helpline chat with a VF advisor and it does appear that it is going to be 4p per minute to call home from France or Spain after 30th April. Furthermore there will be NO charge for receiving a call and only 1p per text! This even applies if Wife and I both have VF PAYG and call one another in France. 30p in the UK!! Incredible!! I'm voting to stay in Europe. Stuff Brexit!!

 

[boatmike]

Just for the record. Here is the text of my on line chat with VF

Nicole: Hello, you're chatting with Nicole your Vodafone online sales specialist.
Nicole: May I take your name please?
You: Its MikeI am confused about the TOTAL charges per minute to use a PAYG phone in France or Spain after the new charges come in after 30th April. I understand that the
Nicole: Hello Mike !!
Nicole: Good afternoon
Nicole: Hope you are doing well
Nicole: Are you an existing Vodafone payg customer?
You: NO
Nicole: Well, right now there is no update about the price plan after 30th April
Nicole: right now France and Spain is included in Vodafone Euro traveler
Nicole: which is £3/day and you would be able to use your inclusive minutes, texts and data in Europe zone
You: No I want to know if I buy SIM only on my existing phone NOT a contract but PAYG what the total European charges would be
Nicole: Do you want to check the prices for calling to European countries from UK or roaming rates from European zone to call back UK?
You: THe latter. Your website states 4p per minute after 30th April currently 16p.
Nicole: Ah okay
Nicole: From 30th April, we are reducing the call rates
Nicole: Before 30th, current rates will be applicable
You: Yes but this seems to indicate that after 30th April I can call home from France for 4p per minute. Is this the TOTAL charge or is it UK rates PLUS 4p????
Nicole: Total charge
You: So I can call home for 4p from France but it costs 30p per minute to make a call from the UK to the UK????
Nicole: That's correct
You: What If both my Wife and I have Vodafone and both in France and call one another?
Nicole: You will be charged 4p a minute, and for her incoming call would be free after 30th
You: So that is a lot cheaper than in the UK?
Nicole: Yes, it is
You: Seems incredible but thank you. Last question..... Are there any time limits regarding this as we will probably be up to 6 months in France and Spain this year?
Nicole: No, there is no limit about it
You: Excellent! Currently she has a contract with VF and I am with Virgin (not happy!) It would seem that we would both be better off with PAYG VF as she would otherwise be paying for UK minutes that she wont use unless she pays an additional £3 per day. Is this correct?
Nicole: Correct
You: Again Excellent. Thank you for your help.We will act accordingly!
Nicole: Please complete this short survey after you click the End chat button and score us from 0 (being the lowest) to 10 (the highest). Thank you !
Nicole: Please
Nicole: Your appreciation means a lot to me
You: No worries! Will do....
Nicole: Thank you very much