Abolition of roaming charges in EU this year?

searchlight123

i thought i had read that by june of this year (2017), any call, text and data allowances that you have in the UK can be used at no extra cost within the EU.

firstly, can anyone confirm if that is the case, and secondly, if it is, what date exactly in june does it come into effect?
i'm with EE if it makes any difference?

Ian011

A Google search for [EU roaming June 2017] reveals the date is 15 June 2017.

unforeseen

I understood that calls and text would be at the same rate as in the UK. However there is nothing about the calls and texts being within your package allowance. That is the providers' call whether to include them or whether you have to pay for them.

Frozen_up_north

Voda moved first. When I asked Three Sales via a call on their 0800 number, first he said that as we were leaving the EU nothing would change, I pointed out that we weren't leaving until March 2019. He then changed his reply to claiming they would do nothing until instructed by OFCOM.

The next two months will be interesting. Already EE and Vodafone offer contracts that include local calls from your U.K. bundle while roaming in the EU. Three's feel at home means you can call home from your UK call bundle and use your data too, but doesn't include local calls to the visited country (in the EU that's about 4p/min). I'm glad I only have to give Three 30 days notice to quit.

pewe

There seems to have been little discussion (generally - not just on this forum) about the impending roaming changes due in June and I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on how the changes will affect PAYG customers.

For example, 3 still state that although their roaming charges in the EU are quite low (4.9p per minute) they will block all calls for sims used for more that 2 full months in a 12 month period. I wonder if the new rules will affect this.

Others, such as EE charge significantly higher for roaming calls, and still refuse to reveal if the new proposed changes will result in alterations to their charges or if they will consider (or be allowed to implement) rules for customers similar to those in place with 3 mobile -ie restricting usage abroad.

Has anyone any thoughts or information on points such as these?

Ian011

In the first instance, it would be useful to review what the EU Roaming Regulations require and what they permit:

- https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming
- https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming-tariffs
- http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-4396_en.htm
- http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/telecoms-internet/mobile-roaming-costs/index_en.htm

Darned EU, meddling in our business, making our phone calls cheaper... Oh, wait!

In leaving the EU there is every chance these arrangements will no longer apply at some point in the future.

Frozen_up_north

On the contract front, Vodafone have already moved to include EU roaming without any obvious limitations on all new contracts, including (AFAIK) calls to numbers in the country you are visiting from your bundle - i.e. no extra cost.

For some time, O2 PAYG (plain vanilla, no roaming bundle purchase) has had free to receive and 4p/min calls while roaming in the EU.

A friend in Spain uses an O2 PAYG SIM in a dual SIM phone, they are in Spain for several months at a time, it's great for their UK friends as they call the O2 number from their included mins, free all round!

No idea about the rest, they appear to be sitting on the fence...

The next poke in the eye for the networks is the new legislation requiring them to cap contracts to avoid bill shock. The next couple of months will be interesting.

This is sent while roaming in Spain using a Three contract SIM (feel at home). Data speed seems better than last year, but still badly throttled when using a VPN.

dazzaofdagenham

Had a text from Vodafone recently indicating the changes and looks like no change of plan or contract required.

We shall see



Ooooo this is my 1000th post......

Frozen_up_north

pewe wrote: »

3 still state that although their roaming charges in the EU are quite low (4.9p per minute) they will block all calls for sims used for more that 2 full months in a 12 month period. I wonder if the new rules will affect this.

We visit Spain a lot and Three seem a bit vague on their T&Cs, I asked specifically about our use and was told that provided we used the phone in the U.K. between overseas trips the "clock" would be reset, so it might not be 60 days in 365, just a limit of 60 consecutive days.

Let's hope for better clarity in all T&Cs

mobilejunkie

Ian011 wrote: »

In the first instance, it would be useful to review what the EU Roaming Regulations require and what they permit:

- https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming
- https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming-tariffs
- http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-4396_en.htm
- http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/telecoms-internet/mobile-roaming-costs/index_en.htm

Darned EU, meddling in our business, making our phone calls cheaper... Oh, wait!

In leaving the EU there is every chance these arrangements will no longer apply at some point in the future.

It'll make little difference overall; the networks will compensate by increasing costs somewhere else. State and state wannabees usually do more harm than good, since their starting point is always their own esteem rather than considering the real needs of customers.

Harald

mobilejunkie wrote: »

It'll make little difference overall; the networks will compensate by increasing costs somewhere else. State and state wannabees usually do more harm than good, since their starting point is always their own esteem rather than considering the real needs of customers.

It's what they said, but in real world they will never pay full price, only difference between what users used abroad and what they earned on visitors. In some cases they can even profit.
Obviously they will never admit it.