Three "Feel At Home" changes

[Yngmar]

Just got this via SMS to the 4G dongle: https://www.threemicrosites.co.uk/euregulation/nonessentialplan

The important bit (for us) is how Feel at home works:

[..]if you spend a majority of your time abroad and consume more abroad than at home over the 120 days, we have the right to add a small surcharge to your usage. This surcharge will be capped at a maximum of 0.73p/MB. [..] we’ll send you an alert 2 weeks before the surcharge is applied.

The surcharge is £7.48 per GB data, but at least there is a fair warning.

The other important bit is that only the first 12GB of your allowance are included:

You’ll also have a Fair Use Policy of 12 GB of data. Any use over this amount, but within your data allowance, will be charged at the following rates:

EU destinations: 0.73p/MB

So if you have a 20GB allowance you pay £59.80 for the remaining 8 GB (after using up the "Feel at Home" 12 GB) if used abroad. Not sure if there is a warning for that one.

 

[colind3782]

I think you're misunderstanding the decimal point. Surely 0.73 of a p per meg works out to £7.47 per GB

 

[[3889]]

Are you on PAYG or a contract? I've not been contacted over this (12 month contract). The 12 Gb limit abroad has always been in place, but hitherto without the option to pay extra to exceed it.

 

[Hadenough]

I think you're misunderstanding the decimal point. Surely 0.73 of a p per meg works out to £7.47 per GB

?? 1 GB = 1000 MB. so 0.73 X 1000 = 730 doesn't it? Then again I did fail maths O level.

 

[Richard10002]

?? 1 GB = 1000 MB. so 0.73 X 1000 = 730 doesn't it? Then again I did fail maths O level.

730p = £7.30 per Gb, £58+/- for 8Gb, and so on.

 

[Jeannius]

?? 1 GB = 1000 MB. so 0.73 X 1000 = 730 doesn't it? Then again I did fail maths O level.

Colind is correct

1GB is actually 1024MB so 1024 x 0.73p (p for Pence) equals 747 Pence which is of course £7.47

 

[Hadenough]

Colind is correct

1GB is actually 1024MB so 1024 x 0.73p (p for Pence) equals 747 Pence which is of course £7.47

Thank you (we are just about to go to France with a 3PYG) and as you may have realised maths is not my best subject.

 

[Yngmar]

I think you're misunderstanding the decimal point. Surely 0.73 of a p per meg works out to £7.47 per GB

Oops, you're right. I've fixed the numbers in my post.

Are you on PAYG or a contract? I've not been contacted over this (12 month contract). The 12 Gb limit abroad has always been in place, but hitherto without the option to pay extra to exceed it.

It's a monthly contract for 20 GB per month. Didn't know about the 12 GB limit - must've managed to not reach it last time due to sufficient outdoor activity

 

[nortada]

Following the changes to roaming on 14th June will Feel at Home still exist?

My understanding is that within the EU, you will be able to use your full 3 UK allocation (20 GB a month for £15?) every month.

Because of the confusion over FAH, last winter in Portugal we used a mobile NOS MIFI on a 6 month contract - 30GB (but we used a lot more than 30 GB per month and they never cut you off or charge more) for €25 for 30 days. We pay cash once a month so no risk of any extra changes, a month to pay - all very relaxed (typically Portuguese).

Point is, when we go back to Portugal in the Autumn we may dump 3 and go with NOS for the whole year (roaming in reverse).

Good idea? What do others think?

 

[Sandyman]

We use NOS on the same contract. Didnt even realise there was a limit. We (wife ) uses well over 30 Gb a month

 

[nortada]

We use NOS on the same contract. Didnt even realise there was a limit. We (wife ) uses well over 30 Gb a month

As you will know with NOS it is impossible to monitor usage.

We only found out after about 3 months when we asked. The response was 30GB but we will never cut you off or surcharge you. If you are using too much we will just slow down your data stream - never happened.

 

[Sandyman]

As you will know with NOS it is impossible to monitor usage.

We only found out after about 3 months when we asked. The response was 30GB but we will never cut you off or surcharge you. If you are using too much we will just slow down your data stream - never happened.

Ha ha this is Portugal why would you do such a thing to a valued guest ?

 

[nortada]

Ha ha this is Portugal why would you do such a thing to a valued guest ?

Totally agree but NOS doesn't know we are a 'valued guest' and the same rules apply to indigenous Portuguese.

But as you say, Portugal, who as an aside, treat Brexit with the same nonchalant attitude.

Why would we not stay good friends the English with whom we signed a treaty of friendship 744 years ago on 16th June 1373 (yes 1373 - the oldest active Treaty in the world, last invoked 1982 for the Falklands Conflict)? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Portuguese_Treaty_of_1373.

As a Portuguese friend said he didn't expect the Treaty of Rome to last a 10th of that time so will raise a glass of Port (what else) to our Portuguese allies next Friday.

 

[GrahamM376]

Point is, when we go back to Portugal in the Autumn we may dump 3 and go with NOS for the whole year (roaming in reverse).

Good idea? What do others think?

We've had a Voda pt contract (originally 3G now 4G) for many years but have avoided roaming when in Spain and bought PAYG sim there instead. Waiting to see what happens in a couple of weeks, will call in to Voda and see what they say.

 

[i_sail]

As you will know with NOS it is impossible to monitor usage.

We only found out after about 3 months when we asked. The response was 30GB but we will never cut you off or surcharge you. If you are using too much we will just slow down your data stream - never happened.

This may help

https://www.threemicrosites.co.uk/euregulation/nonessentialplan

 

[nortada]

We've had a Voda pt contract (originally 3G now 4G) for many years but have avoided roaming when in Spain and bought PAYG sim there instead. Waiting to see what happens in a couple of weeks, will call in to Voda and see what they say.

Re Voda pt used PAYG for many years - works well. Cheap and minimum hassle.

 

[nortada]

This may help

https://www.threemicrosites.co.uk/euregulation/nonessentialplan

Many thanks for this as always the devil is in the detail. By my reading it appears that 3 still intends to reduce a 20GB account to 12GB max abroad and penalise their interpretation of 'abusive use' (over a 120 day period, more use in the EU than in the U.K.). Is this legal under the new EU Roaming Directive later this month?

In practical terms this could mean that in the future other (EU?) providers will become more attractive than 3.

In our case NOS giving +30GB pm for €25 with no strings could become the preferred option so bye bye 3!

 

[GrahamM376]

................this could mean that in the future other (EU?) providers will become more attractive than 3.

In our case NOS giving +30GB pm for €25 with no strings could become the preferred option so bye bye 3!

Just been into Vodafone in Faro. Advised that as from 15th June we can use our 4G 30gb monthly allowance, roaming anywhere in EU without any surcharges. Over 30gb €0.0095/mb. This doesn't include Gib but can log on to Spanish networks there.

P.S. Don't know if other networks are the same but advantage for us with Voda is that we can suspend service for up to 3 months p.a when home
so although 12 mths contract only pay for 9.

 

[nortada]

Just been into Vodafone in Faro. Advised that as from 15th June we can use our 4G 30gb monthly allowance, roaming anywhere in EU without any surcharges. Over 30gb €0.0095/mb. This doesn't include Gib but can log on to Spanish networks there.

P.S. Don't know if other networks are the same but advantage for us with Voda is that we can suspend service for up to 3 months p.a when home
so although 12 mths contract only pay for 9.

Nice one - normally very competitive with Voda pt, I will be interested to see what NOS pt come up with.

Why would you suspend Voda when back in the UK?

Probably better than any 3 month deal you will get in the UK so just stay with Voda for the whole year?

 

[Mikedefieslife]

Since you can't tether or use your 3 mobile sim in a router, then 12gb is decent amount of use on mobile phone.

I got the message from 3 the other day about the changes. I'm keeping my sim but probably going to buy a foreign data only sim for more proper use.