Roaming charges are back

[Sailfree]

Whilst I understand there is an element of hyperbole there, the first UK mobile call was made in 1985. The prefix for mobile numbers was also changed c. 2000, from 04 to 07x, so I doubt its exactly the same number

IIRC it was Vodafone mobile that the company supplied in 1987 and started 083******. The battery was the size of 2 bricks with a telephone attached! The number stayed the same but as with all mobile numbers it latter had an 7 added to front so it became 0783 ******. Not sure the date that the "7" was added.

So that's approx 34yrs having the same number with the minor addition of a "7" in front as did all mobiles at that time.

 

[Sailfree]

I don't know about 3 but EE told me that I either sign a new contract or they would shift me to new terms and pricing on a rolling 30 day tariff. I doubt 3 will be vastly different.

I hope not.

But you can understand the need to go back to roaming charges as with EU insistence of no roaming charges - they were all going bust - or have i got that wrong surely the mobile companies are not just going back to being able to rip us off again!!

I have not checked but I assume a Portuguese mobile is free calls to other EU countries so perhaps its worth investigating whether any Portuguese mobiles has calls to UK as free in addition to the EU. - Has anyone enquired? Mind you that wont help the charges for UK people phoning a Portuguese mobile!

 

[shan]

I hope not.

But you can understand the need to go back to roaming charges as with EU insistence of no roaming charges - they were all going bust - or have i got that wrong surely the mobile companies are not just going back to being able to rip us off again!!

I have not checked but I assume a Portuguese mobile is free calls to other EU countries so perhaps its worth investigating whether any Portuguese mobiles has calls to UK as free in addition to the EU. - Has anyone enquired? Mind you that wont help the charges for UK people phoning a Portuguese mobile!

I have a MEO sim for a private number and Portugal to the UK is not a free call - it's charged per minute, in addition to the €13 monthly fee. I didn't actually ask about calls to the rest of the EU. I mainly use WhatsApp for calls anyway.

 

[webcraft]

My experience of mobile phone companies of all breeds is that 'customer service' is an oxymoron. Expecting anything from them other than naked self-interest is a huge mistake.

- W

A few months on and back in Portugal, EE's customer service has been outstanding.

- W

 

[Sailfree]

A few months on and back in Portugal, EE's customer service has been outstanding.

- W

Looking up the EE website its a bit like 3. Roaming charges any to new contracts.

 

[webcraft]

Looking up the EE website its a bit like 3. Roaming charges any to new contracts.

Yes. We were fortunate to take out a contract just in time.

Doesn't alter the fact that their customer service is wonderful, especially compared to Vodafone.

- W

 

[Sailfree]

Yes. We were fortunate to take out a contract just in time.

Doesn't alter the fact that their customer service is wonderful, especially compared to Vodafone.

- W

All my UK experience leads me to believe every mobile provider service is better than Vodafone. They have a very mercenary approach to every problem.

I just hope Vodafone.pt is better as it was the only 500mb provider in our location with fibre to the router in the house. However the fibre cable hangs down a 10m electric post unsecured and flapping in the wind - it will inevitably destroy itself. 4 months of complaining has not produced any results.

 

[Caladh]

All my UK experience leads me to believe every mobile provider service is better than Vodafone. They have a very mercenary approach to every problem.

I just hope Vodafone.pt is better as it was the only 500mb provider in our location with fibre to the router in the house. However the fibre cable hangs down a 10m electric post unsecured and flapping in the wind - it will inevitably destroy itself. 4 months of complaining has not produced any results.

I think you’ll find that Vodafone pt has not much to do with Vodaphone U.K. other than in name.

 

[roblpm]

OK so not really sailing related. But I will be spending a few months a year in Colombia and am definitely travelling to the USA and Mexico next year as well. I get 12gb a month in Colombia and USA on my unlimited business plan with 3 at the moment. (Not mexico so local sim is already essential there). I need to change network though sooner or later as 3 doesn't work in my new flat which is a bit of a problem working from home!! Though it does mean I don't get interrupted buy phone calls!

It basically seems that I am doomed. O2 for example is 4.99 a day! £150 a month!

When changing network should I just give up? Assume the first thing I do when I land in USA - Mexico - Colombia is get a local sim. Actually depending on how often I go I can just use whichever sim I need. I have carried a 2nd phone before with the local sim so I can use it as a wifi hotspot and carry on using my Whatsapp number.

Grrrrr. Anyone found any solution at all?

 

[st599]

OK so not really sailing related. But I will be spending a few months a year in Colombia and am definitely travelling to the USA and Mexico next year as well. I get 12gb a month in Colombia and USA on my unlimited business plan with 3 at the moment. (Not mexico so local sim is already essential there). I need to change network though sooner or later as 3 doesn't work in my new flat which is a bit of a problem working from home!! Though it does mean I don't get interrupted buy phone calls!

It basically seems that I am doomed. O2 for example is 4.99 a day! £150 a month!

When changing network should I just give up? Assume the first thing I do when I land in USA - Mexico - Colombia is get a local sim. Actually depending on how often I go I can just use whichever sim I need. I have carried a 2nd phone before with the local sim so I can use it as a wifi hotspot and carry on using my Whatsapp number.

Grrrrr. Anyone found any solution at all?

What are the SIM card registration rules in those countries? Can you just buy one, or do you have to register biometric ID with the locals to make it work?

 

[roblpm]

What are the SIM card registration rules in those countries? Can you just buy one, or do you have to register biometric ID with the locals to make it work?

Hmmmm. Good point! No idea!

Well I do know about Mexico as I did that at Christmas. Just walk in and buy one and charge it up! I will research Colombia and USA. My partner is Colombian though so she could do the registration for me if necessary. I will research usa and report back. I am a US citizen but don't live there so no address.

 

[roblpm]

I note that no-one has popped up with a better suggestion! ?

I think roaming is basically dead? Well apart from maybe a weeks holiday where you pay £10- £35 or so for the privilege of not getting a local sim.

 

[Koeketiene]

I think roaming is basically dead?

Not quite.
On my French mobile, I get free unlimited calls and 25Gb of data in:

DOM : Guadeloupe (La Désirade, Les Saintes, Marie Galante) Martinique, Guyane Française, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion

Antilles françaises : Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin (côté français)

Europe : Allemagne, Autriche, Belgique, Bulgarie, Chypre, Croatie, Danemark, Espagne, Estonie, Finlande, Gibraltar, Grèce, Hongrie, Irlande, Islande, Italie, Lettonie, Liechtenstein, Lituanie, Luxembourg, Macédoine du Nord, Malte, Norvège, Pays-Bas, Pologne, Portugal, République Tchèque, Roumanie, Royaume-Uni, Slovaquie, Slovénie et Suède

Destinations hors Europe : Guernsey, Jersey, Biélorussie, Ile de Man, Monténégro, Russie, Serbie, Suisse et Ukraine

Afrique : Afrique du Sud, Algérie, Tunisie

Amérique : Argentine, Brésil, Canada, Etats-Unis, Mexique

Asie : Arménie, Bangladesh, Chine (Hors Taïwan, Hong-Kong, Macao), Géorgie, Inde, Israël, Malaisie, Kazakhstan, Ouzbékistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thaïlande, Turquie.

Océanie : Australie, Nouvelle-Zélande

And all for the princely sum of €19.95 pcm

 

[roblpm]

Not quite.
On my French mobile, I get free unlimited calls and 25Gb of data in:



And all for the princely sum of €19.95 pcm

OK... Let me try again.... ?

I think roaming is basically dead on UK contracts... ?

 

[Sailfree]

Not quite.
On my French mobile, I get free unlimited calls and 25Gb of data in:



And all for the princely sum of €19.95 pcm

Is it subject to a fair use policy? Eg if you bought a house in Spain or Portugal and lived there 10monghs of the year do you think you would retain free roaming.

We have been in Portugal for 5yrs now. We tend to always use Whats App for calls made from Portugal but still receive calls from UK FOC in the free roaming. During UK visits we blitz mobile phone use with UK calls.

We are with 3 - just not sure how long this will last! Current info is providing we don't change our contract!

Its being contactable from UK by family in an emergency that important. Also as mentioned before I have had some UK mobile number for some 35yrs!

 

[Koeketiene]

Is it subject to a fair use policy? Eg if you bought a house in Spain or Portugal and lived there 10monghs of the year do you think you would retain free roaming.

There's no limit on time spent abroad in the T&C.
The 25Gb/month of data abroad is less than I would have in France (150Gb/month).

We have been in Portugal for 5yrs now. We tend to always use Whats App for calls made from Portugal but still receive calls from UK FOC in the free roaming. During UK visits we blitz mobile phone use with UK calls.

I also retain a UK mobile number - mainly for identification purposes (bank, etc...).
It's a giffgaff pay as you go sim on which I put a tenner when needed.
To remain 'valid' the only requirement is that I make at least ONE phone call every three months.
So, once in a while, I use to to call my daughter just long enough to tell her I will be calling on WhatsApp.

 

[Sailfree]

On 3 shop yesterday to sort SWMBO phone. She could not get google maps in UK.

FYI it was due to the slowing of data transfer using "data roaming" with a VPN!

I hate Apple but in fairness the guy in the Apple shop finally sorted it by turning off the VPN while 3 shop did soft and hard phone resets and fitted a new SIM but had no further idea!

3 shop advise that even existing contracts will have free roaming cancelled next March and a £2 per day charge for use in EU wiĺl apply. Beware any spending limits on your 3 account are effective in UK but not when abroad.

3 shop advise putting phone in Airplane mode once leaving UK and switching Airplane mode off and data roaming on for only any day you need to make any UK calls. Then make your calls plus automatically any of your phone apps will update and if you have not been logging into any local WiFi your e mails and messages will come through. At end of day don't forget to switch back to airplane mode. Warning- if you don't there is a risk of Apps automatically receiving updates from UK and the £2 per day charge will apply.

With 3 you will only be charged the £2 per day for the days you use roaming and data while abroad. Any call from UK to a UK phone in the EU will be charged extra.

Warning - 3 shop was full of enthusiastic, helpful, young people but dont think my questions were in the normal run of questions asked!

Be helpful if others confirm this info for cost of 3 roaming and others add the costs info for other networks.

Many mobile companies list countries outside the EU where roaming is still free.

Let's hope one company at some stage list the EU or at least some countries in the EU in the list of their free roaming countries.

A lot of UK holidaymakers are inevitably going to be caught out with very expensive mobile bills.

Final Warning - always put phone in Airplane mode when on Ferries to EU or cruise ships as charges are horrendous. SWMBO once got off ship and phoned me away from ship - but it wasn't far enough. Her phone logged onto the ships network and phone then connected by satellite!

Future phone purchases will now be dual SIM.

 

[doug748]

Further to my earlier post ASDA has now shifted to the Vodaphone network.

PAYG bundles can be used in most of Europe as at home, according to this:

"Roaming with Asda mobile
With Asda mobile, you can use your selected bundle in 36 European destinations the same as you would at home in the UK!...................... "

Of course this may not suit heavy users but that is a different matter.


.

 

[colind3782]

O2 still do roaming, capped at 25gb

 

[AndersG]

I've been using dual SIM phones for years.
I have a Tesco lite for incoming phone calls only and a SIM used for data as the other SIM. In England the data SIM is Giffgaff and when in the EU whatever SIM has most data. I don't care about outgoing phone calls since we use Skype and Facebook messenger.