Vodafoney roaming removal - some questions

[webcraft]

Webby I haven't read all this thread so maybe it's been said.

You dont need to do anything except only use your UK Vodafone account in emergency..your whatsapp/skype etc will all continue to work over free wifi. WhatsApp will work on free wifi even if your sim has expired..

You need decent WiFi though.

Marina WiFi is always a joke.

And coastal cruising 4G is handy for Marine Traffic among other things.

- W

 

[Star-Lord]

Sorry to hear of your problem i can think of a few ways around it.

1. Ask Vodafone how much they will charge for calls temporarily as you are stuck in Portugal due to Covid restrictions. Copy it to your MP pointing out how unreasonable Vodafone are being in the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic.

2. Get a Portuguese sim allowing overseas calls and accept the cost. Tell you business contact your new number.

3. Get a relative in UK to take out a new mobile contract in UK with unlimited minutes (take the oportunity to get a dual SIM phone) get them to blitz it for 1 week with UK calls then post it to you in Portugal.

4. When back in UK get a PAC code to transfer your main mobile number to the new provider.

For those not currently in Webbys situation note Vodafone attitude. I had 2 UK mobiles. 1 with Three and 1 with Vodafone. Previous experience of poor customer attitude of Vodafone I cancelled that one and kept Three.

On UK visits I blitz the unlimited minutes with UK calls. In Portugal I use Whats App for nearly all UK calls. So far got away with this. This increases any average of calls over any long period to be predominately UK.

If this becomes a bigger problem I might get a second SIM and post it to son in UK and get my grandchildren to blitz the minutes for say 2 months then post it back to Portugal and send other one back. I think cheap SIM contracts are about £10pm.

IIRC Fair Use code is the average of calls over any 4 month period. I suspect some mobile providers will be more resonable than others hopefully posts like yours will get responses from people getting free roaming.

For these reasons I alway buy a phone outright and get an unlimited minutes SIM only contract for shortest period so if I end up with a bad provider/problems I can cut my minimal losses.

One other point- check who others use where you intend to be. I stupidly came off a hired motorcycle when backpacking through Vietnam. I was in the outback! My Three mobile had no service yet my Vodafone worked.

Hope this helps

Unlimited sims have a cap on abroad - they are only unlimited in UK. Portugal has amazing deals for sims and data only.

 

[Star-Lord]

I hope this resolves

I took 3 years ago a Voda contract for unlimited phone, text and 100gb data for £20 a month which they said included unlimited roaming

Before signing I had them give me in writing assurance that no amount of time sailing abroad in the roam free countries would result in limits or denial of services etc

I guess it depends which plan you have but so far (all pre-Bexit admittedly but they gave the written confirmation knowing it was coming ) they have been good to their word.

My theory is if you have had the same contract a year before Brexit, or more, you should be OK. Mine is a couple of years old by now and the plan I got is no longer available - it is probably twice the price of a new deal but I get almost unlimited data (only ever run out once) and as I have noted previously unlimited plans are for UK use only there is a cap using them abroad.

 

[webcraft]

My WhatsApp account is linked to my phone number is it not?

How can people call me on WhatsApp if I have a data only SIM in my phone?

- W

 

[Star-Lord]

My WhatsApp account is linked to my phone number is it not?

How can people call me on WhatsApp if I have a data only SIM in my phone?

- W

You use data only sim in a dongle! Or in another mobile and tether that to your phone / computer . Data only when I was there was unlimited for 1 euro a day... I thought that was cheap but if you just want a few GB a month it will be a lot cheaper.

 

[Star-Lord]

Vodafone allow you to use up to 25GB of your unlimited data allowance whilst roaming in Europe. For all other monthly plan allocations, ie: 48GB, 72GB, 100GB etc, you are able to use the full amount of data whilst roaming in the EU.

 

[Graham376]

My WhatsApp account is linked to my phone number is it not?
How can people call me on WhatsApp if I have a data only SIM in my phone?
- W

If you have 4G mifi (Meo €1/day unlimited), set the phone to use data when connected to your wi-fi. You can then use WhatsApp for video, speech or messaging on the phone.

 

[[3889]]

If you have someone in the UK who will post a SIM to you buy one of these:
30GB data SIM plan for only £10 p/m (Unlimited calls & texts)

£10 / month up front, no contract so no need to renew each month if you don't want to. You can port your Voda number here (I did this in Spain so can't see a problem). Gives unlimited calls and txts in EU and 20Gb (not 30) of data in EU with no need to use it in UK at all.
Better still, if you use the link below both you and I get a free month once you sign up. What's not to like?

https://i.smarty.co.uk/oYUY2B

 

[webcraft]

If you have 4G mifi (Meo €1/day unlimited), set the phone to use data when connected to your wi-fi. You can then use WhatsApp for video, speech or messaging on the phone.

Yeah, we havea Meo MiFi router. We don't always get a lot of bandwidth though, it's a bit variable, and the on board battery doesn't last very long, but we can charge it from the 12v when coastal cruising.

Hopefully it will pick up a 4g signal a mile or do offshore. And hopefully. We will find out soon when we finally escape Cascais!

- W

 

[billskip]

My WhatsApp account is linked to my phone number is it not?

How can people call me on WhatsApp if I have a data only SIM in my phone?

- W

Your WhatsApp is linked to a (your) phone number and will remain linked to that number even if you change phones sim cards or both you will still be able to use WhatsApp, but it will retain and display your original number until you change it through WhatsApp

WhatsApp works on data (internet) not on your phone

 

[Sailfree]

Unlimited sims have a cap on abroad - they are only unlimited in UK. Portugal haķs amazing deals for sims and data only.

But aren't they limited to Portugal only calls.

Are they free to receive UK Calls?

Three make a charge to phone from UK to a Portuguese number even with an unlimited minutes SIM.

 

[Sailfree]

If you have someone in the UK who will post a SIM to you buy one of these:
30GB data SIM plan for only £10 p/m (Unlimited calls & texts)

£10 / month up front, no contract so no need to renew each month if you don't want to. You can port your Voda number here (I did this in Spain so can't see a problem). Gives unlimited calls and txts in EU and 20Gb (not 30) of data in EU with no need to use it in UK at all.
Better still, if you use the link below both you and I get a free month once you sign up. What's not to like?

https://i.smarty.co.uk/oYUY2B

Looks good are you using it?

 

[[3889]]

Looks good are you using it?

Have been for a year. I have two sims so on the couple of occasions I've needed more than 20Gb in a month I just stick a tenner on the 2nd sim in my spare phone and hotspot it's 20Gb data allowance.

 

[Graham376]

Yeah, we havea Meo MiFi router. We don't always get a lot of bandwidth though, it's a bit variable, and the on board battery doesn't last very long, but we can charge it from the 12v when coastal cruising.
Hopefully it will pick up a 4g signal a mile or do offshore. And hopefully. We will find out soon when we finally escape Cascais!
- W

Each provider varies from area to area, Meo giving me 19.5 Mbps down, 6.93 up now in Faro, Vodafone about the same but limited to 30GB/month. If you bought router from Meo, it's unlocked so try a NOS or Voda sim in it. Ours stays plugged in to 12v 24/7 on boat or, on 220v in apartment via usb plug.

 

[Caladh]

Vodafone have just confirmed they will remove my free roaming in 15 days time, in spite of the fact that I have told them I am trapped in Portugal by the pandemic and it is my only way to keep in touch with family.

So what are my options with the existing phone? If I keep mobile data off and only use WiFi presumably WhatsApp and Messenger calls will still function, and UK numbers will still be able to voice call me in an emergency. I need to keep the existing number really as it is the one my business clients have. I guess a Skype contract will allow cheap voice calls to the UK.

But what if I put a local data-only SIM in my phone? How would WhatsApp work when my phone no longer has a number associated with it?

Wish I had a dual-SIM phone, that would be the best solution I imagine. All thoughts welcome, I know a lot of you will have faced similar issues.


- W

I can’t see that Vodafone have removed roaming from their services?

 

[webcraft]

I can’t see that Vodafone have removed roaming from their services?

Small print. Max 60 days outside the UK.


- W

 

[Koeketiene]

Vodafone have just confirmed they will remove my free roaming in 15 days time, in spite of the fact that I have told them I am trapped in Portugal by the pandemic and it is my only way to keep in touch with family.

So what are my options with the existing phone? If I keep mobile data off and only use WiFi presumably WhatsApp and Messenger calls will still function, and UK numbers will still be able to voice call me in an emergency. I need to keep the existing number really as it is the one my business clients have. I guess a Skype contract will allow cheap voice calls to the UK.

But what if I put a local data-only SIM in my phone? How would WhatsApp work when my phone no longer has a number associated with it?

Wish I had a dual-SIM phone, that would be the best solution I imagine. All thoughts welcome, I know a lot of you will have faced similar issues.


- W

Ran into the same problem a couple of months back.
I do need to keep my UK number for various reasons.

This is how I 'solved' my problem:
- Changed my UK provider to GiffGaff Pay&Go. Put £15 on it in January - still got £14.35 left. Just need the phone to be able to receive txt msgs.
- Got a local French SIM for all my calls/data. Paying €19.99 pcm for 100Gb of data and unlimited voice calls to the whole of the EU and many other countries (landlines only).

 

[nortada]

Small print. Max 60 days outside the UK.- W

Understood but do they always enforce it

 

[webcraft]

Understood but do they always enforce it

Well, they are with me, and the fact that I am currently unable to travel back to the UK bothers them not one bit.

- W

 

[nortada]

Well, they are with me, and the fact that I am currently unable to travel back to the UK bothers them not one bit.- W

Sorry to here this. Last April, we had a similar problem with 3, who correctly identified we had been out of the U.K. for 5 months. They reminded us of their ‘Fair Usage Abroad Policy’ and advised that if we didn’t use our phones in the U.K. within the next 2 weeks the they may start charging overseas rates.

Got on to them explaining we were locked down in Portugal and their response was, sorry to hear that, we will not surcharge you.

A year later, still stuck in Portugal and they have been true to their word.