MSE News: Tens of thousands of Three customers to lose 'free' roaming abroad

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MSE_ChrisMSE_Chris MSE Staff
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Tens of thousands of Three mobile users are set to lose a perk that allows them to roam at no extra cost in 71 countries. MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal that the mobile operator is 'forcing' certain customers to sign up to new plans, which means they'll lose their 'free' roaming benefit. It's a U-turn from Three, which had promised to keep inclusive roaming for those on older contracts.

Read the full story here: 
Tens of thousands of Three customers to lose 'free' roaming abroad as they're 'forced' onto new contracts - here's all you need to know

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  • edited 21 January 2022 at 12:57PM
    emmajones1976emmajones1976 Forumite
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    edited 21 January 2022 at 12:57PM
    Hardly a surprise, is it?

    The 52% are reaping what they have sown.
  • alanjones60alanjones60 Forumite
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    No £2 a day charge for payg though
  • ChrisB_LondonChrisB_London Forumite
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    Three did the same to me about a year ago, well before any of the changes to the roaming charges.  In my case it was to impose a limit on the amount of data I could use via a mobile hotspot.  Previously this was unlimited and although the new contract continued to have unlimited data, a 30GB per month limit was applied to data consumed via a hotspot. 

    I presume this is because they didn't like people using mobile hotspots at home in place of broadband.

    The options were the same - new contract of their choosing,  new contract of my choosing or leave.



  • Neil49Neil49 Forumite
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    I had that communication late last year - options were as per Chris B above. 

    I left and moved to O2. Aside from roaming I'm also getting a free coffee from Caffè Nero and a freebie from Greggs plus 1 month of Disney +.

    5GB of data plus unlimited minutes and texts for £6 per month. 
  • hadfield55hadfield55 Forumite
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    Same issue here, but they offered me my existing 30GB for £10 a month rather than £13, so I took it. I’ll try to avoid the £2 a day on principle, but another £50 a year is surely worth it for all the advantages that brexit has brought this proud nation. 
  • y3sitsm3y3sitsm3 Forumite
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    Hardly a surprise, is it?

    The 52% are reaping what they have sown.
    Nothing to do with Brexit.

    Three were offering roaming in the EU and a number of other countries long before the EU mandated it.

    So why did they suddenly get rid of it (including the countries that were outside the EU) when they were happy to foot the bill for years before?

    Probably because most people would rather have a bigger data allowance than free roaming in a country they'll visit for a couple of weeks and can buy a cheap PAYG SIM to use while they're there.
  • edited 22 January 2022 at 7:15AM
    emmajones1976emmajones1976 Forumite
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    edited 22 January 2022 at 7:15AM
    y3sitsm3 said:
    Hardly a surprise, is it?

    The 52% are reaping what they have sown.
    Nothing to do with Brexit.

    Three were offering roaming in the EU and a number of other countries long before the EU mandated it.

    So why did they suddenly get rid of it (including the countries that were outside the EU) when they were happy to foot the bill for years 
    Because Brexit means they now can for 20+ countries. They were never going to let people roam free in the US and not in France, were they?

    If you believe this is nothing to do with the B word, you are kidding yourself.
  • zagfleszagfles Forumite
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    Looks like phone usage abroad is becoming like credit card usage abroad. Most surcharge for foreign use, a few don't. Anyone with any sense will use the providers who don't surcharge when abroad.
  • ThrugelmirThrugelmir Forumite
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    y3sitsm3 said:
    Hardly a surprise, is it?

    The 52% are reaping what they have sown.
    Nothing to do with Brexit.

    Three were offering roaming in the EU and a number of other countries long before the EU mandated it.

    So why did they suddenly get rid of it (including the countries that were outside the EU) when they were happy to foot the bill for years 


    If you believe this is nothing to do with the B word, you are kidding yourself.
    Consumers will always get sucked in by what's supposedly free but recouped on some other way. Companies are in business to make profits. The media falls into the marketing spin endlessly. 
  • oldagetraveller1oldagetraveller1 Forumite
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    Hardly a surprise, is it?

    The 52% are reaping what they have sown.

    Give it a rest please!
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