Tethering on unlimited data plan

[katashaha]

I got the unlimited plan on ee in order to use on my laptop and iPad as the phone is too small to view videos or do anything else, however I have now found out that I can only tether 100.5 gb which comes out of the gifting so the tethering is counted as gifting even though I am not giving it to anybody else and only use it on my own devices, so I think it is very disingenuous of ee to sell unlimited plan when I could have paid less for a 100gb plan which is really all I can use, since I never use the data on the phone.

[BrendonH]

No you are getting a little confused.

Tethering doesn't stop working after 100GB.

You can only gift the first 100GB of the unlimited plan.

So if you use 80GB before you gift you can then only gift 20GB.

You are tethering so once you hit 100GB it won't stop working you can carry on as normal.

[katashaha]

I see, then they misinformed me because I called them yesterday and asked why it is telling me I have 40 GB left when I never gift anyway and they told me that the tethering stops at 100.5 GB otherwise it is not fair and people could just get the unlimited plan and have everybody tether to it.  So not sure what is right anymore!  That response was from EE themselves on the phone!

[James_B]

Hi @katashaha,

Welcome to the EE Community. 🙂

@BrendonH is correct, your giftable allowance does not affect your ability to tether other devices to your phone's hotspot.

James

[FlinnD]

I had an pay monthly unlimited sim only contract which I put in a portable Wi-Fi device so it could be easily shared by the whole household instead of tying up my mobile phone. At the time I understood the 1gb limit which I believe is now 600gb (see legal bit below). After 3 months I received a text warning of 80% of shared data used, I called customer services because I had not gifted any data that month. I was explicitly told that tethered data comes out on the 120gb of giftable data otherwise everyone would be putting a sim in a Wi-Fi device. After she put me on hold she said she confirmed it with the tech department. I told her this is not explained on the website and she even went to the legal bit page I directed her to. She agreed it was wrong on the webpage and let me cancel the 24 month contract there and then even after 3 months due to misinformation.

So who is right?

F.D.

....
The legal bit

Unlimited Plans: Uncapped and Unlimited data - If you're outside the UK you'll be subject to the data fair use policy cap (given in your roaming plan). Personal, non-commercial use only. If you regularly tether 12 or more devices, we will consider this non-personal use and have the right to move you to a more suitable plan. We will consider usage above 600GB/month to be non-personal use and have the right to apply traffic management controls to deprioritise your mobile traffic during busy periods or to move you to a business plan. If you are on a Smart Handset or Smart SIM plan you can choose from 3 smart benefits (Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, BT Sport or the Roam Further Pass). 5G Handset customers can gift up to 120GB all other unlimited customers can gift up to 100GB. Data usage on an unlimited plan will decrement from giftable allowance. Any data boost allowance will be added to the giftable allowance.
...

[James_B]

Hi @FlinnD,

Welcome to the EE Community. 🙂

The 120GB limit is for data gifting only, it doesn't stop you being able to tether after you have used the giftable allowance.

James

[kanelbulle]

I've been through something similar and it turns out your gifting allowance
is 120, and tethering DOES come out of your gifting allowance...but it
doesn't stop there. It is stupid, and it is weird, but if you just gift the
whole 120GB at the beginning of the month, you can still tether up to your
limit.

[chistery]

That's how it's meant to work @kanelbulle. Any data use, whether tethering or not will come out of your initial 120GB gifting allowance and once you've used that, you can continue using data or tether, just not gift. The advice as always is gift at the start of the billing period, and then you can tether or use phone data up to your FUP limit.

[katashaha]

I have just spoken to EE who say that you are not telling the truth.  They say that if you have unlimited data you can only tether (hotspot) 100 GB and that if you want to do more than that you will have to pay extra for it.  So this is not really an unlimited plan.  My children are on unlimited plan on 3 and they can hotspot as much as they want with no limit.  You should not advertise something that is not true.

[katashaha]

I spoke to EE now who told me that after the 100gb giftable  is used I cannot hotspot anymore and have to pay extra for hot spotting! I have an unlimited plan and got it to use on my laptop more as I can’t see very well in small phone.