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

[Aries51]

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

[XRaySpeX]

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

[Aries51]

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?

[Ali_A]

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

[Aries51]

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.

[Ali_A]

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

[Aries51]

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

[Aries51]

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.

[Michael_D]

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