Cheap data roaming: Article discussion

NFH

ukflippy wrote: »

T-mobile's 2G actually seems faster than the 2G I get at home, meaning it's fine for maps, email, twitter, facebook - just no good for youtube!

They charge $10 for the SIM, but that's waived as long as you put $30 credit on the account.

That's good to hear about the 2G speed, as it's my main concern about using T-Mobile USA. However, they will apparently be rolling out proper 3G later this year in order to attract high-spending iPhone customers.

They charge only $0.99 for a SIM if you order it online at http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phone/T-Mobile-Prepaid-SIM-Activation-Kit

buglawton

I find the MSE main article that links to this topic thread a bit confusing - this one:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-data-roaming

It does not say whether the roaming deals listed are available to pay as you go customer as simple add-ons, or restricted to contract customer only, or if they can only be obtained if other minimum monthly top-ups are done at the same time.

Or am I missing something obvious?

NFH

buglawton wrote: »

I find the MSE main article that links to this topic thread a bit confusing - this one:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-data-roaming

It does not say whether the roaming deals listed are available to pay as you go customer as simple add-ons, or restricted to contract customer only, or if they can only be obtained if other minimum monthly top-ups are done at the same time.

It varies. For example, the Vodafone deal is £3/day for contract customers but £2/day for PAYG customers.

buglawton

Yup and that £2 tariff is not even mentioned. I think the article needs some clarification if it is meant to be the MSE reference page on this subject.

Badger_Lady

Umm... I came here for outcry about the new data roaming charges as inflicted by the EU. I was travelling Europe when it came in and, although, I don't use 3G on my mobile abroad anyway (I have a Kindle), Orange's charges lept from £3.07 per MB to £69.66 per MB overnight.

Could you point me towards the outraged publicity, please?

Im_just_careful

orcadian wrote: »

So for laptop maybe I should buy the "Tarjeta" at Carrefour - provided it works in Three MiFi (mobile WiFi dongle)? I hope my dongle isn't locked to Three.

I very much doubt the Carrefour SIM will work in a "3" dongle unless you get it unlocked.

You might as well get the iPhone unlocked and save the £5 a day as well, instead paying around £1 for internet. Payback is 5 days as 3 charge about £20 for an unlock.

CatB_2

AFCBdave wrote: »

Just back from Hong Kong, via Helsinki, and had Data Roaming on my iPhone switched off the whole time. In fact it has been off for the whole two years that I have owned the phone.

While we were away, we sometimes used the free 20 mins WiFi in the cafes and on two days paid £2.50 per day for unlimited WiFi (lots of it in HK). On return I found 2 charges of under a pound for overseas browsing which I found surprising, but wasn't going to make a fuss over.

However, during the three hours we were in Helsinki Airport using the free WiFi provided I ran up an £18 charge for data usage of 6Mb. O2's response was that this must have been a charge for the free WiFi!

Has anyone else been charged by their UK provider for data that they accessed through free WiFi?

They also charged me £10 for a voicemail message that I didn't access until I returned to the UK saying that the charge was partly for the connection from the UK to my phone in HK and partly for the connection from my phone in HK to the O2's answering service in the UK. Is this normal?

Thanks

I was billed by O2 in similar circumstances. I was in France, had data roaming switched off on my i-phone and was using the free wi-fi at the chalet we were staying in (very definitely no change). I came home too find several changes of £2 to £8 for data roaming in the time I was away.

I was told that if the wi-fi drops out (as it occasionally did) the phone defaults to using 3G to continue your session *even when you have switched off data roaming* I was furious and after a discussion with customer service the charges were refunded to me. Sounds like something similar may have happened to you but with even higher charges outside the EU. I have no idea how O2/iPhone get away with this!

NFH

CatB wrote: »

I was told that if the wi-fi drops out (as it occasionally did) the phone defaults to using 3G to continue your session *even when you have switched off data roaming*

This is not true at all, and a myth concocted by the networks to escape refunding incorrectly billed charges.

redux

Badger_Lady wrote: »

Umm... I came here for outcry about the new data roaming charges as inflicted by the EU. I was travelling Europe when it came in and, although, I don't use 3G on my mobile abroad anyway (I have a Kindle), Orange's charges lept from £3.07 per MB to £69.66 per MB overnight.

Could you point me towards the outraged publicity, please?

The rates have decreased, not increased

I think if you look closer you'll see 60-something pence per megabyte, not pounds

ukflippy

secretmachines wrote: »

that's really interesting, thank you!
i'm off to the US for a week, in a couple of months and would love to be able to carry on using my phone as normal (for social media, check-ins, etc.) - but don't fancy the £60-odd bill I had last time!

do you have to pick up this t-mobile sim in the States, or can you get it in the UK?

I guess the pay-off is that you have to switch numbers for the time you're there.

edit - is it this one, the $2/day one?

Yep, that's the one. I doubt you'd be able to get the SIM in the UK - I just picked it up in a store in Seattle - took about 5 minutes.

I stuck my UK SIM in a spare phone while I was over there, so I could still receive phone calls on it if need be, but I gave my US phone number to those people who were most likely to call me!

Saved my life, as even in what I'd call business hotels, wi-fi wasn't available in the room - they wanted $15 per day. Shocking!