topic Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly) in Roaming

Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Aries51 — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 15:37:18 GMT

My voice- and text-only phone is on an old PAYG contract which has up-front credit which I top up, but no monthly charge.

When last in Spain I couldn't call the Spanish breakdown service because "international calls while roaming" are barred.

I had a text on arrival in Spain from EE telling me the charges (10p/minute) so why didn't it work when I needed it? EE Customer Services tell me I now need an "EU minutes" add-on, which I have to buy before I leave the UK. I need to be sure it will work! Can someone with authority confirm that the EU minutes add-on is the only thing I need? If not, what DO I need?

Thanks for reading

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Northerner — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:55:31 GMT

Hi @Aries51

Cost and applicable add-ons can be found here:

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

Thanks

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

XRaySpeX — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:55:39 GMT

No. You should be able to make EU calls from your credit w/out having a roaming add-on when you have no pack. If you don't have an active pack, you will be paying standard rates for calls & texts & need to buy a PAYG add-on for data. But it's 70p/min to make calls, not 10p you've been told. See https://ee.co.uk/help/mobile/roaming/roaming-costs/countries/spain > PAYG.

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Aries51 — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 17:08:58 GMT

@XRaySpeX wrote:
No. You should be able to make EU calls from your credit w/out having a roaming add-on when you have no pack.

The point is that I could NOT make EU calls. I had about £25 credit and, according to my phone, call barring for" international calls while roaming" is active. The phone says I can't change it without a "call barring password", it doesn't have anywhere to set such a password, Factory Reset doesn't set it (to 0000 or 1234) and EE Customer Services tell me that there is no such thing anyway - the barring is purely based on the way PAYG works after Brexit. I don't want to buy (assuming I can) the add-on, go to Spain and then find I still cannot make calls, so I really want an official written assurance that it will work, or someone's actual experience that it does.

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Michael_D — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 10:33:38 GMT

Hi @Aries51

You should be able to use any credit when abroad on a pay as you go SIM, and just pay the standard roaming rates. There is the option to buy an add-on if you have a pack, so that you can use those allowances when in the EU, but that is not a requirement.

With a pay as you go SIM, roaming and international calling services should be automatically enabled as soon as the SIM is used in the UK, meaning you shouldn't need to do anything else.

When you were away in the past, were any other calls working or did you just try the one?

Michael

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Aries51 — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 11:57:46 GMT

I agree I should be able to use PAYG without anything else being needed. I don't make calls when abroad very often - they are usually only in emergencies (as this time when we broke down) and I have never been let down in the past.

This time, I tried two Spanish landline numbers (two different breakdown numbers) and one Spanish mobile number. In each case the call was dialled by the phone which then said "Call ended" without connecting. I checked I could call UK and send texts to Spain, all of which I could, and incoming calls and texts were successfully received. It was just "international" calls while in Spain.

The phone security section has "Call Barring" "International calls when roaming" activated. I have never set this, the phone requires a call barring password to cancel the barring, but the phone does not a method for setting any such password. A Factory Reset doesn't change the situation, which leads me to believe that the setting is on the SIM card or by EE itself - both out of my control. Customer Services (150) said there is no such thing as a call barring password, and that I needed to buy the add-on - which I find highly improbable.

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Michael_D — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:01:42 GMT

@Aries51 That part in the phone settings won't have been something that was set by EE.

Which model of phone is it?

Michael

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Aries51 — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

LG KG275 - about 15 years old but it does what I need (until now ...?). LG have no information about it at all. I worked out the Factory Reset code and did a reset twice, but although it deleted what was on the phone, it made no difference to the call barring settings - hence my suspicion that they are stored elsewhere.

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Michael_D — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 14:45:34 GMT

As our team have mentioned, the call barring settings aren't something we'd have any control over @Aries51

With a pay as you go SIM, it is just that roaming is active after the SIM has been used in the UK.

If you could text Spanish numbers and call back to the UK, it isn't something we could block.

It is difficult for our tech teams to look at when you aren't abroad, and if the phone works in the UK, so it would be a case of trying it when abroad again.

If possible, I'd recommend trying the SIM in another phone if it does happen, and that will show if it is the phone or the SIM.

If it does follow the SIM, it would be a case of getting in touch with our tech guides when you are away so they can look at it further.

Michael

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Aries51 — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:37:32 GMT

Thanks for those thoughts. The only other phone I have access to is a Nokia 105 which takes a mini-SIM. The LG has an original full-size SIM. Is there any problem with getting a replacement SIM for the existing one so that it can be used in both phones? As far as I can see from the EE website, a replacement SIM would be usable as full-size, mini or nano SIM. What I don't want to do is end up with no functioning SIM card at all. I understand that a mini-SIM can be put in a full-size SIM slot with a suitable adapter.

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

XRaySpeX — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:28 GMT

You could use the push-outs & surrounds of the SIM card to make the same SIM fit either.

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Aries51 — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 16:35:31 GMT

Well, I ordered a new SIM card which arrived today. It won't work with the LG because it is EE and the original one was Orange - the LG appears to have been locked to Orange originally.

I've activated the new SIM card and put it in a brand new unused Nokia 105. I have sent and received messages and made and received calls, BUT ...

Call Barring shows that the following is barred: International calls except to home country

I've just tried (very briefly) calling an international number (Spain) while in UK, and got the ringing tone.

This DOES make it look like a SIM card problem, as the SIM card has only ever been in a brand-new unused phone, and it has what look like the same barring ("international calls when roaming") as the previous SIM in the previous phone. How can I persuade someone to sort this out?

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Ali_A — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 08:45:10 GMT

Sorry to hear you're possibly still facing an issue @Aries51

You'd need to contact Customer Service where a technical guide will be able to raise a ticket for ticket for the back-end team to investigate why you have call barring glitch and get it resolved for your line.

Ali

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Aries51 — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 08:51:26 GMT

Thanks. I wrote to Customer Service on 15 December but they have not acknowledged receipt of the letter, let alone done anything about it. I am now in the process of writing another letter, with the advice from Nokia Technical Support that it is a service provider issue.

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Ali_A — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 09:08:14 GMT

For technical support you'd need to call in to customer service directly @Aries51

You can simply call 150 from the Pay as you go line, or call from any other phone using the number found on Contact Technical Support | EE

If you're already abroad when calling, you can visit Contact us from Abroad | EE

Ali

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Aries51 — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 09:18:27 GMT

My experience of calling 150 is not impressive. They told me that I needed an add-on (see my original post) which I believe - and other posts agree - is not required and would do nothing to help, so I am writing to Customer Services with the full details

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Aries51 — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 16:50:54 GMT

Well, we have moved on in time, even if not in solutions. EE customer service again said it was a phone problem, and the phone manufacturer said it was a network provider problem. To remove the possibility of split responsibility, I got a brand new feature phone (IMO Dash Plus) and PAYG SIM card (with a new number) both from EE. The combination did NOT show any call barring. Also, the original SIM showed no call barring in the IMO phone. However, the Nokia showed call barring when roaming to "international numbers except home country" was active on both the old and new SIM cards.

The only difference I can see between the specs of the two phones is that the IMO is 4G and the Nokia is 2G.

Is this the reason why calls are being barred? If so, I need to get a replacement for the Nokia which is 4G.

Any knowledge or experience gratefully received.

Re: Need to call Spain from Spain when abroad - on PAYG (credit, not monthly)

Michael_D — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 08:31:27 GMT

Thanks for the update @Aries51

One phone being 2G and the other 4G shouldn't have any impact on the ability of calls, but if both SIM cards in the Nokia are doing the same thing, it does appear to point towards something in the phone.

In terms of recommending a phone, it is something we try to stay out of, as what we like, might not be for you.

You can see our range of pay as you go and SIM free phones on our online shop, and if you prefer a Nokia, you can have a look on their website.

Michael