Very expensive doorstops...

[Ching1980]

My husband and I are currently abroad - outside the EU - and both our EE mobiles have been turned into very expensive doorstops!!!

We did everything we could find - which wasn't much information! - to set up our phones for 'Roaming' abroad before leaving the UK but neither of us received the text we were expecting when we arrived abroad, inviting us to buy Roaming passes for Data/calls/texts.

• The only way we can use our phones for Internet are on hotel/airport/public WiFi...

None of the text codes we found in Help articles are being Sent - BALANCE, DATAROAMING etc.

My husband purchased a local (Globe) SIM, but can't use it to call or text outside the country we are in - at least he has data, but it expires after a maximum 7 days whether or not used!

Very unhappy with EE!!!

[bristolian]

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.

Have you used your phone abroad previously, did you receive a welcome text message on first arrival abroad? These are good evidence of roaming being enabled if so. In these cases, manually cycling through all available local networks often resolves issues - toggling flight mode can have the same effect.

If not...On PAYG, roaming 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 over WiFi.

[XRaySpeX]

@Ching1980 : Often just rebooting the phone is the simple remedy. Also try selecting a network manually rather than auto.

Are you on contract or PAYG? Had you used that SIM for making calls or texts in UK before leaving to go abroad?

If you are on contract, did you activate roaming on your EE a/c before leaving 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. 

As you never received a Welcome text upon arrival indicates that you were not set up for roaming when you arrived.

Otherwise if you are on contract you need to call CS to get your roaming activated. Try calling CS on the Freephone no. in my sig. using a web-calling app over WiFi. 

The text DATAROAMING has never been an advised text by EE. Data roaming is just a setting on your phone to allow it to use data abroad when your roaming is enabled by EE.

[Ching1980]

Thanks for your reply @XRaySpeX -

I will answer the things I KNOW first...

I am on monthly PAYG - it doesn't make sense to me either! - I thought you only had 2 options... PAYG or Monthly contract?!
My monthly 'charge' is automatically debited from my 'credit' each month, so I need to check my credit is enough each month before it is debited!
My husband is on a monthly contract for calls, texts and data - he owns his phone - which is paid by Direct Debit.

When we dig deep into our respective phone Settings (mine is a Galaxy A35, hubby is A56) they are different...!
Settings>About phone (A35) - my UK SIM shows 'Globe|EE';
Status information>SIM card status>Network: Globe|EE
Mobile network state: Disconnected
Service state: In service
...
Mobile voice & data type: Both 4G
Roaming: Roaming

Settings>About phone (A56 5G) - (Dual SIM): SIM1: EE - Emergency calls only
Mobile network state: Unknown
Service state: Out of service
...
Roaming: Not Roaming

SIM2: Globe
Network: GLOBE
Mobile network state: Disconnected
Service state: In service
...
Mobile voice & data network type: Both 'LTE'
Roaming: Not Roaming
===

The odd thing is, we went to Italy (in EU) in October and had no problems using our phones there - we got the Welcome texts etc - but nothing here!
DATAROAMING is on the list of Help texts received from EE (150)...!

[XRaySpeX]

You do have only 2 options, PAYG or monthly contract. There is no monthly PAYG; it's 30-daily PAYG!

Your phone settings don't come into this at all, except to tell you you're not connected.. 

You had the EU roaming ability enabled but probably not Global roaming. 

How long have you, being on PAYG, been there, wherever it is?

[bristolian · Accepted solution]

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@Ching1980 wrote:
Thanks for your reply @XRaySpeX -

When we dig deep into our respective phone Settings (mine is a Galaxy A35, hubby is A56) they are different...!

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Roaming is an account-level setting which enables your SIM to connect to foreign networks. Aside from a "data roaming" option which many phones have, enabling the use of data whilst already roaming, your phone settings are irrelevant except for confirming what you already know - whether the phone is connected to a local network or not.

You've not answered "On PAYG, roaming 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?" but it sounds like you didn't.

I agree that you likely have EU-only roaming enabled, thus when outside the EU then roaming is effectively not enabled. Your symptoms, i.e. an ability to connect to local networks, naturally follow.

As per previous post, 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 over WiFi.