Best UK mobile sim to use In Spain

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Chelle1969
Chelle1969 Posts: 2 Newbie
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My father is retired and living in Spain and has 2 mobile phones. 1 is his Spanish phone on Vodafone the other is his UK phone on 02. He used to have the 02 bolt on favourite country Spain costing £4.99 a month. This doesn’t appear to be working anymore and when he calls anyone in the UK for a 30 minute call!! He doesn’t use the internet or sends texts. He receives calls from the UK and makes calls to the UK. These calls probably amount to no more than 500 minutes a month. Can anyone recommend another network provider that’s better value than 02.
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  • eDicky
    eDicky Posts: 6,574 Forumite
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    Since June last year the same tariff that he is on in UK will apply in European countries, no extra roaming charges, so that's probably why there is no longer that 'bolt on'. This 'Roam like at Home' applies to any UK network.

    He should be able to receive calls on the O2 number for free, and calls to UK or other European numbers at 3p/min, 2p/sms, unless he is still on the original 'Classic' PAYG tariff at 5p/min/sms. Switching to the new cheaper tariff is done by sending an SMS to O2, I don't have exact detail to hand.

    But this 'free' roaming is intended for occasional travel and is subject to fair usage policy whereby O2 are likely to cut service or revert to charging after a few months of use in Spain.
    Evolution, not revolution
  • Frozen_up_north
    Frozen_up_north Posts: 2,420 Forumite
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    I have friends in Spain who also use a dual SIM phone, with an O2 PAYG (UK) SIM. It is the basic 3p/2p/1p O2 PAYG (was 5p). We call their UK number out of our unlimited minutes, so it is free all round.

    As the last poster mentioned, roaming is for occasional holiday and business trips abroad, not for permanent use. If O2 wake up one day, their freeloading Spanish users will be cut off.
  • Anthorn
    Anthorn Posts: 4,362 Forumite
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    Chelle1969 wrote: »
    My father is retired and living in Spain and has 2 mobile phones. 1 is his Spanish phone on Vodafone the other is his UK phone on 02. He used to have the 02 bolt on favourite country Spain costing £4.99 a month. This doesn’t appear to be working anymore and when he calls anyone in the UK for a 30 minute call!! He doesn’t use the internet or sends texts. He receives calls from the UK and makes calls to the UK. These calls probably amount to no more than 500 minutes a month. Can anyone recommend another network provider that’s better value than 02.

    Short answer:

    Similar situation for myself when living temporarily in France and the solution was net-to-net which we know as Skype: It's free.

    Slightly longer answer:

    The solution is VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).

    The first service that comes to mind is Skype because if everyone who makes and receives calls to and from each other has Skype then calls are free. For other net-to-phone and phone-to-net calls a telephone number can be had and rates are cheap.

    The second service which comes to mind is Vonage. More expensive than Skype but has the illusion of a landline and works like a landline. The benefit is that if you move you take the adapter with you.

    For both of the above you need an internet connection. Ok if you already have an internet connection but (a lot) more expensive than a phone if you get an internet connection just to use V.O.I.P.
  • ballyblack
    ballyblack Posts: 5,065 Forumite
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    As the last poster mentioned, roaming is for occasional holiday and business trips abroad, not for permanent use. If O2 wake up one day, their freeloading Spanish users will be cut off.

    yes 'fair use policy' is in the contract for roaming

    But has anybody any experience of being cut off? or those on a monthly contract being billed for roaming in Spain, if they dont get to visit Uk regulary?
  • Chelle1969
    Chelle1969 Posts: 2 Newbie
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    Unfortunately my dad isn’t clued up on the internet
  • jadex
    jadex Posts: 753 Forumite
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    ballyblack wrote: »
    yes 'fair use policy' is in the contract for roaming

    But has anybody any experience of being cut off? or those on a monthly contract being billed for roaming in Spain, if they dont get to visit Uk regulary?
    not so explicitly cut off but charged for usage (as in the old days);
  • Frozen_up_north
    Frozen_up_north Posts: 2,420 Forumite
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    jadex wrote: »
    not so explicitly cut off but charged for usage (as in the old days);

    Was that O2, PAYG? Just curious.
  • Anthorn
    Anthorn Posts: 4,362 Forumite
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    Chelle1969 wrote: »
    Unfortunately my dad isn’t clued up on the internet

    Vonage Mobile app (not the same as the Vonage Extensions app) works like Skype but you have to buy credit. Free Vonage to Vonage and cheap Vonage rates for the rest.

    As I have Vonage VOIP I don't use the Mobile app but if I didn't have Vonage VOIP I would prefer Vonage Mobile over Skype.
  • fortyfoot_2
    fortyfoot_2 Posts: 2 Newbie
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    Avoid EE, recently while in Tenerife I was locked into the Spanish service provider called Yoigo. Rubbish service from them. While at the airport there was no service from them.

    Fortyfoot
  • Frozen_up_north
    Frozen_up_north Posts: 2,420 Forumite
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    I am with Three, my phone has latched onto Yoigo in mainland Spain. On Three the phone has auto selected other networks too. I doubt it’s just an EE/Yoigo issue.

    Since June, when EU roaming opened up, the data throughput on 3 has improved significantly. Was the EE/Yoigo problem prior to then?
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