Free Roaming - careful!

Oldie · Brolly Dolly Joined: 05 Dec 2010 Karma :

Almost made the mistake of returning a call to a mate on holiday in Portugal today. Kinda assumed (wrongly) that if it cost him nothing to call me it would be the same calling Portugal. Not so. Vodafone want £1.50 per minute to call from the UK. Free roaming is obviously aimed at holiday makers and not cheap calls for all (yes, I know that there are several ways to call abroad cheaply).

Just mentioning for those as stupid as me who automatically assumed it worked both ways Neutral

bamt · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Dec 2013 Karma :

But if you call your mate on his UK mobile, it makes no difference to your cost where in the world he is. You'd only have potentially been caught out if you returned his call to a portuguese landline or mobile.

P. · Red Rocket Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :

Oldie · Brolly Dolly Joined: 05 Dec 2010 Karma :

The Vodafone site says £1.50 per minute. Not sure if it's different for UK mobile abroad / Portuguese numbers Confused

Anyway, I sent a Whatsapp and he called me back.

Oldie · Brolly Dolly Joined: 05 Dec 2010 Karma :

I really am stupid! Why was I sending messages?

Just called Portugal using Whatsapp video and got straight through. Bloody great, this technoworld Very Happy

bamt · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Dec 2013 Karma :

If you are in the UK, and you call a UK mobile number, it does not matter to you where in the world that mobile actually is, you will pay what you would normally pay to call a UK mobile (likely free from inclusive minutes).

The recipient of the call who is using their UK mobile abroad pays for the incoming roaming segment (or not, dependent upon /their/ contract), not the caller. That's the way it has always been for UK mobile users, that's the way it remains (otherwise you would have absolutely no clue how much any particular call would cost you unless you know the travel itinerary of everyone).

The changes to roaming charges do not affect the cost of using your mobile, in the UK, to call UK mobile numbers.

Similarly, if you had a Portuguese friend, it would cost you exactly the same to call them on their Portuguese mobile if they are in Portugal or sat next to you on a sofa in the UK. Or Outer Mongolia.

The call charges (or inclusive/exclusive from bundled minutes) are based on the number you are calling and your physical location, not the physical location of the terminating handset.

Oldie · Brolly Dolly Joined: 05 Dec 2010 Karma :

I can see the logic in that, but their website seems to suggest otherwise.

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/costs/calling-abroad-from-the-uk/

Pjay · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Jan 2016 Karma :

bamt · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Dec 2013 Karma :

But what you are missing is that /you are NOT calling abroad/! You are calling the UK, and are charged for a UK call.

The recipient of the call is diverting the call to a foreign mobile network, and they pay (or not if it is to a bundled destination country) for that segment. That is their incoming charge - you don't pay because you have no way of knowing (see https://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/public/documents/webcontent/vfcon082582.pdf for incoming charges in countries outside the inclusive roaming area).

This has not changed. If you looked at the same page before EU roaming became inclusive it would have said exactly the same thing - that is for calling foreign numbers from the UK, not UK numbers that happen to be overseas at that moment in time.

Pjay · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Jan 2016 Karma :

Bamt is correct, you dont get charged extra for a UK mobile that is overseas.
____________________
struan80 - I'll go first - satisfied tick 1

kawakid · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Karma :

Surely this is a wind up.
____________________
I've a twin and a 4.

M.C · Super Spammer Joined: 29 Sep 2015 Karma :

Im-a-Ridah · World Chat Champion Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Karma :

If you are calling from the UK you aren't roaming.

Roaming is using the cell phone towers of a different provider.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1zJpHB0qNp4/maxresdefault.jpg

brains_t · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 20 Jun 2013 Karma :

Pjay · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Jan 2016 Karma :

P. · Red Rocket Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :

waffles · World Chat Champion Joined: 04 Oct 2009 Karma :

EE allow me to use 5GB of my inclusive data abroad, they made a big thing of telling me several times when I renegotiated my contract.
____________________
Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

Pjay · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Jan 2016 Karma :

Ah right, must be a new thing.
Last year I got texts from o2 asking me if I want to pay X amount of monies for data and call roaming as soon as I landed.

It wasn't a lot, so I paid it, but it certainly wasnt included in my standard contract, and I'm always on the top one with unlimited everything and top data allowances.
____________________
struan80 - I'll go first - satisfied tick 1

brains_t · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 20 Jun 2013 Karma :

Just be careful roaming on to marine networks like DFDS Ferries. They aren't a mobile network and if you have roaming on you have asked to use any available service, allegedly.

I managed to get 3 to cancel their £35 fee, wasn't surfing 5mb probably email sync and WhatsApp videos, as their literature only refers to mobile networks. Unlikely to accept that excuse again so will be turning off roaming on ferries until l connect to land service.