Using three payg abroad without an addon?

mnbvcxz · 16 May 2017 at 2:46PM

If you have a three payg 321 phone and go to the USA and do not buy an addon will the phone still work?

Three strongly suggest you need an addon to qualify for their feel at home service.

But I wonder if you don't will you just be unable to make calls or will the exceeding your addon rates just apply. Or some totally different rates?

Does anyone know and have practical experience?

All I can get out of three is that I should spend money on an addon. But I don't want to spend £10 a phone per relative enable roaming if they are only going to send the occasional text while there.

Thank you

eDicky · 16 May 2017 at 2:59PM

Check Three's normal roaming rates, which will apply if FAH is not active.

mrcamp · 16 May 2017 at 3:03PM

Here - txts will be 1.3p without an add-on/allowance. http://www.three.co.uk/support/roaming/united-states#payg

mnbvcxz · 16 May 2017 at 3:37PM

Thankyou that is what I assumed at first. I thought I would just buy the £5 500mb data addon and pay per call and txt.

But their twitter support is insisting that unless I buy at least the £10 add on calls and txt that it just won't work.

I did look for rates outside feel at home but all they quote is the rates for the addon and then after using up the addon. There is no mention of rates if you never have the addon in the first place...

Grrr. Half of me thinks they are conning me into buying a uneeded addon (which for several relatives making only occasional txts will add up to several pounds a text). But on the other hand I don't want to send people off and then find their phones are disabled because I did not pay up.

mnbvcxz · 16 May 2017 at 4:07PM

Well panic over I think. After badgering their twitter support with how expensive this was going to be they reversed themselves and said I could just use the out of allowance rates without buying an addon first....

They gave me a handy link to page nine of their payg price guide which says
http://www.three.co.uk/termspdf/PAYG_Price_Guide_080517.pdf

"If you use up all of your Add-on’s allowances when in a Feel At Home destination or don’t have an Add-on, you’ll be charged for
additional use at the ‘out of allowance’ rates below:"

Which is rather different than how they put in on their main roaming charges information page.

Well thanks for the thoughts.

mnbvcxz · 16 May 2017 at 4:11PM

"If you don't have an add-on, you'll need to get one so that you have an allowance to enjoy Feel At Home with. You won't be able to use your phone otherwise. >LG"

Their reply an hour or so ago that they have now completely reversed. Oh well grumpy me.

Roger1 · 17 May 2017 at 10:27AM

mnbvcxz wrote: »

"If you don't have an add-on, you'll need to get one so that you have an allowance to enjoy Feel At Home with. You won't be able to use your phone otherwise. >LG"

Their reply an hour or so ago that they have now completely reversed. Oh well grumpy me.

Rubbish, of course, and one reason why I don't use Twitter.

The link you mentioned - which seems to have been updated to take into account June's changes - shows you can make calls from EU countries to the UK and other EU countries for 3.9p per minute. They're in FAH Zone 1.

Calls between FAH Zone 2 countries cost 3.3p per minute. Cheaper than Zone 1 presumably because of VAT not being charged.

FAH calls cost 3p per minute with an add-on. So it's a question of maths. Will your FAH calls @ 0.3p or 0.9p extra per minute exceed the cost of an add-on, which expires whether or not you use it? If so, get the add-on. If not, don't bother, and 'save' the cost of an add-on.

As a PAYG customer, I've called the UK from Switzerland without an add-on and been happy with the 3.3p/minute fee.

Roger1 · 17 May 2017 at 12:06PM

Text from 3 just received, leading to https://www.threemicrosites.co.uk/euregulation/payg

Using three payg abroad without an addon?

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