Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad
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Does anyone know what the rules are for phoning 0800/0808 numbers from an EU country? I assumed that with the EU ruling they would be free as they are in the UK but I have been charged normal rates (three PAYG @3p/minute). I have tried to get an answer from three via their webchat but they give conflicting information and are unable to point me to the appropriate text/document on the website. Instead the guy just gave me a £5 credit to my account. A good result, but I still want to see the correct information written down
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The only times I tried calling +44 80xxxx from outside UK (long ago and from non-UK network) it didn't work at all.Evolution, not revolution0
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There is an alternative for those with BT landlines.
We have BT Smart Talk installed on our mobiles. This allows calls to be made as if from our home phone. Some calls are included in our BT package, and 080+ calls are not chargeable anyway.
We made an 0800 call when we were in Switzerland using BT Smart Talk. No charge.
[Disclaimer: I can't believe I am posting something positive about BT. We do not make normal calls with BT because of their high prices, preferring via 18185 or our mobiles. But it seems fair to point out something we have found useful.]0 -
Hi experts, please let me know if I'm posting this in the wrong place but I was just hoping to get some quick advice.
I recently went on a trip to USA for work. I'm with EE, and was connecting to wifi on my phone and calling my husband at home - for some reason I stupidly thought that calling via wifi was free so I was using my own phone to call him - I really thought it was like a skype of what's app-type concept when you called over wiif so there wouldn't be a cost to me for doing this. - I'm an even bigger idiot because I could have used my work phone for those calls if I had known they were charged, but, so convinced was I that I would not be charged extra. I used my personal phone over wifi instead.
When I got home the bill was £350.00. A lot of these calls are just a few seconds long so it seems like it has charged me £1.00 a time for calls that have not even connected.
Although I know I have been really, really silly in thinking wifi calling was free on my handset, what surprised me is that I had no warning or communication that I was going so massively over my normal bill (25.00) - in which case I would have stopped making the calls immediately if I knew what they were costing me. - By comparison, if I was spending unusually large sums on a credit card abroad, the bank would get in touch with me to confirm it was me.
My question is, with the EU caps on roaming at 50 euros, do you think there is a chance for me to ask for the bill to be reduced even thought it is the USA? (as it really is a lot of money for me). - and if I do, what roughly should I reasonably ask for it to be reduced to? And if they refuse or will only give me a very minor reduction, should I then go to the ombudsmen/ofcom then to ask them to look at it? - Any help appreciated, as I said I know I have been silly and the calls were me, but I just had no idea these calls were charging and I naively thought the network would contact me if I was spending a lot.0 -
Think yourself lucky - have you seen this? https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2017/10/holidaymaker-sailing-greek-islands-charged-8000-after-her-mobile-used-turkish-network-for-40-minutesHi experts, please let me know if I'm posting this in the wrong place but I was just hoping to get some quick advice.
I recently went on a trip to USA for work. I'm with EE, and was connecting to wifi on my phone and calling my husband at home - for some reason I stupidly thought that calling via wifi was free so I was using my own phone to call him - I really thought it was like a skype of what's app-type concept when you called over wiif so there wouldn't be a cost to me for doing this. - I'm an even bigger idiot because I could have used my work phone for those calls if I had known they were charged, but, so convinced was I that I would not be charged extra. I used my personal phone over wifi instead.
When I got home the bill was £350.00. A lot of these calls are just a few seconds long so it seems like it has charged me £1.00 a time for calls that have not even connected.
Although I know I have been really, really silly in thinking wifi calling was free on my handset, what surprised me is that I had no warning or communication that I was going so massively over my normal bill (25.00) - in which case I would have stopped making the calls immediately if I knew what they were costing me. - By comparison, if I was spending unusually large sums on a credit card abroad, the bank would get in touch with me to confirm it was me.
My question is, with the EU caps on roaming at 50 euros, do you think there is a chance for me to ask for the bill to be reduced even thought it is the USA? (as it really is a lot of money for me). - and if I do, what roughly should I reasonably ask for it to be reduced to? And if they refuse or will only give me a very minor reduction, should I then go to the ombudsmen/ofcom then to ask them to look at it? - Any help appreciated, as I said I know I have been silly and the calls were me, but I just had no idea these calls were charging and I naively thought the network would contact me if I was spending a lot.
There is a worldwide cap on data roaming at EUR 50 but it doesn't apply to calls AIUI.
Get a PAYG phone, they can be just as good or better value than contracts if used sensibly with bundles etc, and you have zero risk of running up a huge bill. You really need to understand what you're doing with contracts otherwise this sort of thing can happen, and it does, regularly.
Is both your SIM and phone PIN protected? If not that's another risk of a massive bill if your contract phone gets stolen.0 -
Hi experts, please let me know if I'm posting this in the wrong place but I was just hoping to get some quick advice.
I recently went on a trip to USA for work. I'm with EE, and was connecting to wifi on my phone and calling my husband at home - for some reason I stupidly thought that calling via wifi was free so I was using my own phone to call him - I really thought it was like a skype of what's app-type concept when you called over wiif so there wouldn't be a cost to me for doing this. - I'm an even bigger idiot because I could have used my work phone for those calls if I had known they were charged, but, so convinced was I that I would not be charged extra. I used my personal phone over wifi instead.
When I got home the bill was £350.00. A lot of these calls are just a few seconds long so it seems like it has charged me £1.00 a time for calls that have not even connected.
Although I know I have been really, really silly in thinking wifi calling was free on my handset, what surprised me is that I had no warning or communication that I was going so massively over my normal bill (25.00) - in which case I would have stopped making the calls immediately if I knew what they were costing me. - By comparison, if I was spending unusually large sums on a credit card abroad, the bank would get in touch with me to confirm it was me.
My question is, with the EU caps on roaming at 50 euros, do you think there is a chance for me to ask for the bill to be reduced even thought it is the USA? (as it really is a lot of money for me). - and if I do, what roughly should I reasonably ask for it to be reduced to? And if they refuse or will only give me a very minor reduction, should I then go to the ombudsmen/ofcom then to ask them to look at it? - Any help appreciated, as I said I know I have been silly and the calls were me, but I just had no idea these calls were charging and I naively thought the network would contact me if I was spending a lot.
I'm assuming that it initially used your bundle minutes, then started charging per minute after they were fully used up.
You might try discussing with them that you didn't realise it would come from your bundle, and could they on a goodwill basis rebill it as if you'd asked to upgrade the bundle just for that month.
In future, look into other applications that will make calls via wifi. Some will load a VoIP account and charge you at that provider's rates, from under a penny a minute, while others are like peer-to-peer clients, so would need the person at the other end using the same app.0 -
Hi all,
My husband and I are going to France for nearly 6 months. We are both currently on Giffgaff pay as you go which suits us really well. I know that we will only be able to use our monthly allowance for so long before giffgaff deems it as unreasonable (60 days) and starts charging us.
Could we buy sim cards for another pay as you go provider - e.g. Tesco, port our numbers across to the new sims and then pay as you go with the new provider? Or would we have to be using the sim cards with the new provider in the UK first?
Just trying to be creative...
Thank you0 -
Hi all,
My husband and I are going to France for nearly 6 months. We are both currently on Giffgaff pay as you go which suits us really well. I know that we will only be able to use our monthly allowance for so long before giffgaff deems it as unreasonable (60 days) and starts charging us.
Could we buy sim cards for another pay as you go provider - e.g. Tesco, port our numbers across to the new sims and then pay as you go with the new provider? Or would we have to be using the sim cards with the new provider in the UK first?
Just trying to be creative...
Thank you
I think your sims have to on the UK network for the port to go through?
Also, you have to enable roaming before you travel on a lot of payg sims, so the new one's wouldn't work over there.
And, (and could be wrong), I don't think you can start a UK sim by having it roaming...
(Apart from that, good idea ) 0
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