topic Re: Roaming in St Lucia in Roaming

Roaming in St Lucia

EAB25 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:05:32 GMT

I had pretty much the same question, and the page for St Lucia doesn't actually give the costs for roaming...

https://ee.co.uk/help/mobile/roaming/roaming-costs/countries/stlucia

The EE website, however, indicated a daily charge of 'just' £6.74 a day

https://ee.co.uk/mobile/international/travel-data-pass

This would see users facing a charge of nearly £100 for their 2-week holiday, whereas an airalo or similar E-SIM will allow 2gb data for £12 in a 15-day period. So you can use whatsapp/telegram to make calls using that data or hotel wifi, and have internet whilst out and about.

So the answer to @Rhiannon2000 on costs is currently...

Data/internet
£6.54 per day (500mb cap) if you add the travel data pass to your account

Making a call
£2.52 per minute

Receiving a call
£2.52 per minute

Sending a text
82p per text

Sending a picture message
89p per picture message

Voicemail
To receive a voicemail you'll be charged at the receive a call per-minute rate above
To save a voicemail you'll be charged at the making a call per-minute rate above

My secondary question is about call forwarding.

Another post from @XRaySpeX says "Receiving SMS texts is free worldwide. Switching Roaming Data OFF and diverting calls to VM will avoid roaming charges as long as you don't listen to them."

Are you charged if the phone rings, or if you answer it? In other words, can I leave my EE SIM active (with roaming turned off) so I can receive texts, such as OTPs if buying something, but if I don't answer a call or listen to a voicemail I wouldn't be charged?

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

XRaySpeX — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:49:25 GMT

@EAB25 : There is no Travel Data Pass for St. Lucia. It is not even mentioned in the list of countries in the Help page you linked.

A call is not made & therefore not charged if the phone only rings but is not answered.

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

EAB25 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:52:14 GMT

So call diverting is not necessary, and I can look to see who is calling

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

EAB25 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:54:31 GMT

EE are sneaky and there are some things they will still charge you for even though I actually have my spend cap set to zero.

Is receiving calls while abroad one of those things?

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

bristolian — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 14:12:36 GMT

@EAB25 wrote:

EE are sneaky and there are some things they will still charge you for even though I actually have my spend cap set to zero.

Is receiving calls while abroad one of those things?

Receiving calls abroad is always chargeable, I'm not sure why you'd consider it sneaky.

Having your phone connected to a foreign network is free, as is receiving texts on said network. Sending texts, making or receiving calls, and using mobile data - will always be chargeable.

Also to add that app-based "calls" mooted in your original post only work between other users of said apps. They don't work when non-app users or landlines are involved.

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

EAB25 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 14:36:54 GMT

Receiving calls abroad is not sneaky, just extortionate. My partner's O2 contract includes roaming across Europe, US and Canada for £6.99 a month.

I meant that some things such as 0845 and 0870 numbers cost extra, and even though I have explicitly chosen to block all chargeable events outside my monthly line rental these calls are not blocked. That's naughty and shouldn't be allowed

And yes, thanks, I'm well aware I can't call a landline from whatsapp. But who has a landline?

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

bristolian — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:16:53 GMT

@EAB25 wrote:

Receiving calls abroad is not sneaky, just extortionate. My partner's O2 contract includes roaming across Europe, US and Canada

By that argument, it would surely be fair to call O2 sneaky for charging in every country other than those you mention. Different operators have different charging packages, but none alter the fundamentals of roaming charging.

@EAB25 wrote:

I'm well aware I can't call a landline from whatsapp. But who has a landline?

Most business & organisations for starters. Also many social demographics who choose not to actively use mobiles.

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

Schockwave — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 16:26:43 GMT

@EAB25 , just to add, you can get roam further to use in Europe,USA, Mexico and Canada, but if none of the other countries are included in roam further, then you will have to check what the cost are for others.

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

EAB25 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:07:31 GMT

@XRaySpeX wrote:
@EAB25 : There is no Travel Data Pass for St. Lucia. It is not even mentioned in the list of countries in the Help page you linked.

Given that it isn't mentioned, I was assuming it counts as USA

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

EAB25 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:09:26 GMT

@bristolian wrote:
@EAB25 wrote:
Receiving calls abroad is not sneaky, just extortionate. My partner's O2 contract includes roaming across Europe, US and Canada
By that argument, it would surely be fair to call O2 sneaky for charging in every country other than those you mention. Different operators have different charging packages, but none alter the fundamentals of roaming charging

No, that's not the same at all.

If you tell a company you don't want your service to allow ANY costs above your monthly tariff, there should be none. That's the point of a spend cap, and I have complained to OFCOM about it

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

ee_user14 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:20:48 GMT

Are you trying to question paying for incoming calls abroad? Or spend caps? You seem to be changing your mind now!

EE's spend cap restricts roaming charges as well.

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

XRaySpeX — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:21:11 GMT

You assumed wrong! Don't even see how you can assume it is part of US when it is a British Commonwealth country.

Re: Roaming in St Lucia

XRaySpeX — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:46:49 GMT

The OP wanted to know if a Spend Cap would restrict the charges of receiving calls abroad, not just that they are potentially chargeable. Unfortunately I can't answer that as the EE Spend Cap help page just says:

What Spend Caps can control

A Spend Cap can restrict charges for

Out-of-allowance calls, texts, and picture messages to standard UK and EU numbers,

No mention of calls from anywhere! And it's nowhere else to be found.

I would guess that EE's intention was to include them in the above restriction list but failed to word it properly.