No signal in Thailand

[James4023]

Hi I’am a pay as you go monthly customer and have no signal I need to get my OTP numbers for banking reasons..I have data roaming on and used in U.K. for last year although I don’t notify EE before I left the U.K. and reading posts here I didn’t need to notify anyway as a PAYG customer..

I have tried different Thai networks but nothing will give me any signal to let me contact 150 or the phone abroad number..

Iam using iPhone XS 

any advice please 🙏 

[bristolian]

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@James4023 wrote:

Hi I’am a pay as you go monthly customer and have no signal

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PAYG & pay-monthly are two different concepts, PAYG refers to pre-payment topping up where you cannot spend what you don't have. Pay-monthly is generally taken to mean a monthly billed contract where excess charges are invoiced in arrears.

If you're on PAYG, roaming is auto-enabled once your phone is first used in the UK. If you're pay-monthly, it needs to be manually enabled by texting ROAMING to 150 before leaving the UK. Can you confirm which you are?

Data roaming is irrelevant, and is just a phone setting allowing use of mobile data whilst roaming. It still needs roaming enabling at account-level, neither do text messages use data.

[XRaySpeX]

@James4023 : If all you want is to receive texts with OTPs from your bank, they are free to receive everywhere & you don't need any data, switched on or not.

When did you last use it for a chargeable action? EE PAYG SIMs are deactivated after 6 months of non-chargeable use. You then have a further 3 months to call EE to reactivate it before it is lost completely.

You needed to make a chargeable action like making a chargeable call or text, topping up or buying a Pack or Add-on, not just using your mins, texts or data from your pack.

[James4023]

Thank you both for your replies 

Iam an ex pay monthly contract customer after my contract expired I switched to pay as you go and pay monthly via direct debit, payment has just been taken in the last week..

I have had a family member call Customer service and was advised to try Wi-Fi calling to contact them on 150 I have this enabled and still I can’t connect I have tried txting 150 and just get message send failed..

It  is only the OTP numbers I am requiring  as I have a Thai sim also and from what I had read thought I needed to get my roaming activated.. 

could it be a setting on my iPhone that could be the problem? I’am really running out of ideas..

thanks again 

[XRaySpeX]

1. You don't pay for PAYG with DD. You very well may have a direct card payment set up.
2. You don't pay monthly on PAYG but 30-daily.
3. It takes 30 days to cancel a contract & before it is moved to PAYG. Had that change taken place while abroad you can't now use it at all while abroad. To be used abroad EE PAYG SIMs need 1st activating on EE's home UK network. If it wasn't you can't now use it until you return to UK.

[bristolian]

When, specifically, did you request the transfer from pay-monthly to PAYG? Once you give notice and the 30day period runs out, the SIM is converted to a PAYG one - at that point it is deemed a new SIM and needs to be first activated on EE's UK network before it will work abroad.

WiFi-calling is not supported abroad, to make or receive calls, send or receive text messages or use mobile data - all needs a mobile network connection which can only be achieved by roaming. Hence your efforts to text or call will be futile without a Thai network connection.

[James4023]

I switched about a year ago from contract to payg, I still have the same sim nothing has changed apart from my billing as it was cheaper I now have a £15 a month deal. 
I was never asked to activate anything it was done  automatically via EE..
I have been using in the U.K. fine up until 1st January when I arrived in Thailand I changed sim ..now I just need the OTP number but am receiving nothing so tried to contact CS but no signal 

why am I being told to call via Wi-Fi if it’s not a service, if calling customer service is not the issue how do you propose I may be able to get my OTP numbers? 
Thanks 

[bristolian]

The most likely cause seems to be hibernation - the reply at 12.37pm today has the pertinent info.

Your only recourse will be to contact CS to check your phone's hibernation status. You can either contact +44 7953 966150 from another working phone, or +44 800 0798586 using a web-calling app such as Skype over WiFi.

[XRaySpeX]

To me, there are only 2 reasons for a PAYG SIM not to receive free texts while abroad:

1. It's gone into hibernation thro' lack of use.
2. It's never been used in UK while it's PAYG for making a call or text.

You don't need PAYG credit, an active pack nor data enabled.

[James4023 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the help guys, managed to contact them on another phone turns out I was on a 30 day rolling contract that’s where the confusion came from..I needed to buy a travel data pack and now have signal and OTP so I’am a very happy man..I hope this post helps someone else who may find themselves in my situation, I can relax now.

 Thanks again..