Using phone abroad

[Bradley58]

I’m I Greece on holiday and need my phone for work. I have text travel to 150 and told I have data roaming set up but unable to use my phone unless on wifi. I can’t phone EE and there seems no way of contacting. First time I’ve used my phone abroad since the forced switch from BT and this service is appalling.

[Katie_B]

Hello @Bradley58. 

Welcome to the community. 

I hope you're having a great time in Greece.

I would love to see if I can help get your phone working for you.

When you arrived in Greece did you receive a welcome text?

Are you connected to a local network?

Katie

[Bradley58]

Yes, and text travel to 150. Our Cap is set at £0, but we can’t update this online or on the app as no facility and none of the numbers work.

[Katie_B]

Thanks for confirming @Bradley58. 

I have just checked the app and this can be updated by following these steps:

Manage > Scroll down to Settings > Spend Cap. 

Please ensure you have your main line selected on your account if there is multiple numbers on your account. 

Katie

[bristolian]

---

@Bradley58 wrote:

I’m I Greece on holiday and need my phone for work. I have text travel to 150 and told I have data roaming set up but unable to use my phone unless on wifi.

---

Regardless of any billing add-on, your ability to get coverage abroad (which calls, texts & mobile data rely on) is dependent on roaming being activated - which allows your phone to connect to foreign networks. Data roaming is just a phone setting for enabling use of mobile data whilst already roaming.

On PAYG, this is auto-enabled once your phone is used in the UK first.
On pay-monthly, this needs to be enabled manually - usually by texting ROAMING to 150 before leaving the UK. Did you do this?

If you are on pay-monthly and now find yourself abroad without having enabled roaming, your only recourse will be to contact CS to request it activated. You can either contact +44 7953 966150 from another working phone, or +44 800 9566000 using a web-calling app such as Skype over WiFi.

[XRaySpeX]

@Bradley58 : As you are on contract, did you activate roaming on your EE a/c before you left UK by texting ROAMING to 150? Having a roaming billing add-on doesn't of itself activate roaming on your a/c. Having roaming activated on your EE a/c, not just on your device, is crucial to using your contract SIM abroad.

Often just rebooting the phone is the simple remedy. Also try selecting a network manually rather than auto.

Otherwise you need to call CS to get your roaming activated. Try calling CS on the Freephone no. in my sig. on Skype over WiFi. It should be free.