Another Phone Network adds Roaming Charges
Just seen on the BBC News that Three will join EE and Vodafone in making a daily charge to use their network in the EU when previously you were able to use your current package without charge. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-58501527 Like other networks the charge will be £2 a day. Not sure what the situation is with 02 although they do have a 25gb limit in place. It is interesting that Three have followed the others as in the years before we the abolition of roaming charges they were the one company that stood out as a "friend" to the European traveller.
David
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I think the charge generally applies to new contracts, it does with my EE one through BT. However, that involves another decision as the contract increases by at least inflation every year and of course there are cheaper and better contracts out there. Initially at least it will probably be cheaper to keep my old contract than upgrade.
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I don’t think £2 per day is too bad, tbh, especially when compared to prices charged in years gone by and it only applies on the actual days you use it. Things could have been a lot worse.
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But David you can only do that if you have a WiFi connection? Any use of your phone that goes via the network, calls, texts, data will trigger the daily charge. Whilst I would agree that £2 a day to use your UK set limits is on the surface quite reasonable compared to what it used to be, on a long holiday it has the potential to add a considerable amount to the cost of the holiday. You might be able to limit that by using site WiFi but unless things have changed a lot in the last 5 years good or cheap WiFi is far from universal so I doubt many won't be able to avoid some extra charging. I suppose one option would be to have one phone connected and use that to tether other devices and phones.
David
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ID Mobile (Car Phone Warehouse) uses Three as it’s network provider so might go the same route?
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The Wonderful world of Brexit
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The new charges would add another £240 to our 2mth trip
OH is with 3 on a contract I'm with Smarty £10 a month for 30gb no contract. However while overseas held to 12gb.
I will be looking at something else for next year as I'm not willing to pay the £10 a month for 30 and only get 12gb + pay another £60 for roaming, that would be completely stupid.
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Do you both need to connect every day, TG? Why not one of you use the data and the other tether?
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When away, would be using our data every day...£60 a month extra is 6 times what I pay for a 100gb package....no thanks.
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Oh well, your choice🤷🏻♂️
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It was nice when we had it but now we don't so very little we can do about it. Before we had free roaming I found ways around it, or at least get it as cheaply as possible and will now have to do that again.
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I wonder what percentage £60 is compared to the other costs (travel, fuel, ferries, food, insurance... you have while travelling abroad?
No thanks? It is totally your choice I would have thought?
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TG
You could be on a hiding to nothing there as not only are networks charging a daily rate they also seem to be limiting the amount of data you are allowed to use. Having said that 12GB could be enough if you are not using it for streaming. If you are using a Windows laptop you can set it up as a metered network it will reduce the amount of data used as it stops automatic updates. If you find something that gives you a better deal please report back as it could be useful to others.
David
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£2 a day will just about cover about one/two cappuccinos in Italy. So cut down on those and you'll be even.
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For various reasons OH requires access regularly, ideally daily.
as it happens, roaming is not applicable to the current contracts and, for us, it might be better to stick to this one (with small annual rises) than to find a new one but be subject to roaming charges.
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As mentioned the charges will apply to post October 1st 2021 new or upgraded contracts, so should not affect my phone.
However, as also mentioned, the cost to have the convenience is not only small on a daily basis but a tiny fraction of the cost of a trip abroad with the van.
Its a while since our last trip but site Wi-fi was never better than poor at most places but, using our Motorhome WiFi set up at least we can keep the overall cost down which, as 3 have also dropped the fair use to 12gb a month, may be handy.
By comparison, I am on a rally at Pentewan Sands and paying £20 for 14 days Wi-fi access as the mobile signal is so bad/non existent.
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Could be an option, until recently I never had a smart phone and it never bothered me, now I've got used to it
but I'm damned if I'm going to pay another £60 a month for the pleasure.Will .need to look into more when we get back from this trip.
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I would have thought it was both as one facilitates the other? It is not being out of the EU per se which is the problem it is the fact that we are now out of the Single Market so there is no requirement for UK companies to follow the rules so they are taking every opportunity to basically impose extra costs on their customers. I very much doubt they have suffered any additional costs of the UK no longer being in the EU or Single Market as many networks are Europe wide.
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perhaps or think of 30 cups of coffee a month, or thirty ice creams, or a cake a day...
Whatever it is, it is a small amount compared to to the cost of the whole holiday per month.
And really if I personally was worried about spending an extra £60 a month on my holidays, even over here, I wouldn't be be going!
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Indeed there are but if £60 a month, or £2 a day, is a major worry on the much larger cost of going abroad, (cost of ferries, fuel, food, insurance...) or is the straw that breaks the camel's back then perhaps should they be going abroad in the first place?
But some people who post on here about touring abroad don't appear to have a definite plan but go where they fancy, so I doubt that £60 matters? I may be wrong of course.
I wouldn't be going if money was so tight that an extra £60 a month on a foreign holiday, or even a UK one, would make or break the trip- what happens if there is a breakdown?
But if there are people like that to such a fixed budget then that £60 is too much then I'm afraid the simple answer is they can't go, or go and not use a phone, or go without something else?
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Might be cheaper to buy a foreign sim if the cost is that important. I blame the Brexiteers.
We’ve no plans to go abroad until COVid infections rates are right down both here and abroad but cost wouldn’t be an issue. We go on holiday be it here or abroad to enjoy ourselves and spend what we like..
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+1, it’s not a penny pinching operation C, go big or don’t go👍🏻. Hols are to luxuriate in & totally spoil yourself👏🏻👏🏻
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