topic Re: Roaming for dummies in Roaming

Roaming for dummies

Buckland12 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 13:54:12 GMT

Hi,

Apologies if this is answered elsewhere - guessing it is but I can't find it!

I'm going to the EU and can roam for £2.50 per day. Could someone tell me when that daily charge will be applied?

My intention is to keep mobile data off, unless I really need to contact the UK, or I particularly need to pick up a message.

If I keep data off, don't call or text and just use WiFi to pick up/send WhatsApps, will I be charged a daily rate if I receive SMS? If I divert all calls to voicemail, will incoming calls incur the charge?

Suffice to say, in bit much if a traveller!

Thanks

Re: Roaming for dummies

bristolian — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 14:39:30 GMT

The daily charge is for the use of all your UK allowances on EU-based networks. That manes making or receiving calls, sending text messages or using mobile data. Once you do any of these on a particular day, the £2.47 charge is applied and you can continue to do so.

WiFi is just a connection between a mobile device and broadband router, it has nothing to do with any mobile network.

Re: Roaming for dummies

XRaySpeX — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 16:43:08 GMT

The moment you use any bit of your UK allowances, be it calls, texts or data.

Receiving texts is free worldwide.

Receiving calls is free in EU.

Re: Roaming for dummies

Buckland12 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 19:17:30 GMT

So. Using data, sending texts and making calls from EU would mean the charge is applied - that was what I thought.

Receiving texts is free but @bristolian says receiving calls costs but @XRaySpeX says it doesn't.

Hmmm - not sure what to think now! 🤔

Re: Roaming for dummies

bristolian — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 19:24:34 GMT

Receiving calls abroad always incurs roaming charges.

Within the EU, incoming calls trigger the £2.47 daily charge and are subsequently covered by the same daily charge.

Re: Roaming for dummies

XRaySpeX — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 20:12:12 GMT

A good point & not at all clear in all the EE bumph.

The Roam Like Home charges of £2.50 / day or £10 / week allow you to use your UK minutes, texts and data allowances in the EU just like at home. In the UK when you have a PAYG pack you have allowances for making calls, sending texts & using data. But you have no allowance at all for receiving calls; they are free to receive.

It is perfectly true that receiving calls abroad always incurs roaming charges when outside the EU. That is well documented but not for within the EU.

I should also point out that even if you have no pack or add-ons & therefore nil allowances you can receive any calls free in UK..

Therefore as no allowance is allocated to them I extrapolate that receiving calls are also free in the EU. @bristolian obviously doesn't.

EE documentation throughout only talks of "using your minutes allowance" & being charged per minute but doesn't distinguish between making & receiving calls. However the bottom line there is no allowance for receiving calls anywhere & the minutes spent listening to them!

Re: Roaming for dummies

bristolian — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 20:33:21 GMT

@XRaySpeX wrote:

Therefore as no allowance is allocated to them I extrapolate that receiving calls are also free in the EU. @bristolian obviously doesn't.

That may be an interpretation , I stand by my previous post.

Within the EU, incoming calls trigger the £2.47 daily charge and are subsequently covered by the same daily charge.

Re: Roaming for dummies

XRaySpeX — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 20:08:53 GMT

That may be your interpretation, @bristolian , but you have no documentary evidence to back it up.

Re: Roaming for dummies

Michael_D — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 07:27:10 GMT

Hi @Buckland12.

Welcome to the community.

I can see if I can get a definite answer to this for you to clear it up before you travel. Do you have a pay as you go SIM or pay monthly contract plan with EE?

Michael

Re: Roaming for dummies

Buckland12 — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 08:40:22 GMT

Thanks @Michael_D . That would be really helpful....I wasn't wanting to cause an argument between @bristolian and @XRaySpeX !

I have a pay monthly contract

Re: Roaming for dummies

Michael_D — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 09:17:52 GMT

Thanks @Buckland12.

It is a bit of a tricky one, but if you have the calls diverted to your voicemail, it would still be classed as an incoming call and trigger the £2.47 daily charge, as @bristolian mentioned.

Do you need to have calls going to voicemail while you are away? If you don't, one option would be to switch off the voicemail, which would stop messages being left. You'd still be able to answer calls if you needed to, but if they aren't answered or the phone is off/on airplane mode, then it wouldn't charge.

Michael

Re: Roaming for dummies

Buckland12 — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 09:49:28 GMT

Thanks @Michael_D . No reason to keep voicemail on - I just had it in my head that the voicemail would pick the call up 'from the UK' so would t be classed as o overseas.

I'll switch voicemail off and decide whether any calls need answering!

Thanks for clearing this up

Re: Roaming for dummies

Michael_D — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 09:58:07 GMT

My pleasure @Buckland12. You can switch it off by texting VM OFF to 150, and then if you need it back on when you get home, just text VM ON to 150.

I hope you have a fantastic time away.

Michael

Re: Roaming for dummies

bristolian — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 10:20:34 GMT

@Michael_D wrote:

if you have the calls diverted to your voicemail, it would still be classed as an incoming call and trigger the £2.47 daily charge, as @bristolian mentioned.

This would not apply to an unconditional "divert all calls" to VM, where the divert is handled in the UK and the call is thus never sent abroad in the first place.

There's a grey area with conditional "divert on not reachable"