Best deals for roaming?

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rjb
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by rjb »

I'm not up with mobile use as I live in a mobile not spot so don't bother carrying one. I have an ancient Nokia 100 basic phone which I have thought about pressing into service for emergency use only. It takes a full size SIM. Is it compatible with modern systems. Will it work on 2, 3, 4, 5, G. BTW I don't know what that means as you can probably tell. It is an unlocked phone I believe so could I pop any network SIM in to use it and as it will have very infrequent use what PAYG network should I use. My previous experience was finding myself cut off due to infrequent use, so don't want a repeat experience. Any ideas for a mobile numpty. UK only as I don't intend going far now. :?
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Jdsk
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by Jdsk »

I'm not sure what your future needs are...

... are you only interested in emergency 'phone use?

... or also in some of the other things that a smartphone can do?

Thanks

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by Jdsk »

If that's the 2011 Nokia 100 it's 2G.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_100

In the UK 2G service will probably be removed between now and 2033. 3G switch off might be earlier than 2G.
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2 ... -2033.html

Ofcom statement in 2020:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/ ... utdown.pdf

Jonathan
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Sweep
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by Sweep »

rjb wrote: 23 Mar 2022, 8:38am I'm not up with mobile use as I live in a mobile not spot so don't bother carrying one. I have an ancient Nokia 100 basic phone which I have thought about pressing into service for emergency use only. It takes a full size SIM. Is it compatible with modern systems. Will it work on 2, 3, 4, 5, G. BTW I don't know what that means as you can probably tell. It is an unlocked phone I believe so could I pop any network SIM in to use it and as it will have very infrequent use what PAYG network should I use. My previous experience was finding myself cut off due to infrequent use, so don't want a repeat experience. Any ideas for a mobile numpty. UK only as I don't intend going far now. :?
slightly offtopic as UK only, but for what you need I'd check out Asda Mobile.
Last time I checked on PAYG you only need to make a call/send a text very rarely (120/180 days?) to keep the number and credit live - no enforced periodic top-ups. You can also get as many calls and texts as you want for £4 a month - can buy as need or keep rolling - no commitment to that package beyond each month's payment. Your phone should work. I use an old Samsung 2G phone on Asda.
Sweep
simonhill
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by simonhill »

Hmmmm, roaming?

Here is a potential worry:

Just bought a ticket for bike and me on Spanish rail, only €17. Payment declined, then got a text from bank, is this you? Replied yes, then they said wait 10 mins and do it again. It worked.

Nonetheless having to hold/refresh the booking for 10 mins a pain and could be terminal. I think this was the new security measures for retailer payment brought in a few days ago. Another pita and another reason why a smartphone is becoming essential for travel.
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MrsHJ
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by MrsHJ »

simonhill wrote: 23 Mar 2022, 9:49am Hmmmm, roaming?

Johnathan, I don't see how that link about ATMs will affect roaming??

Here is a potential worry:

Just bought a ticket for bike and me on Spanish rail, only €17. Payment declined, then got a text from bank, is this you? Replied yes, then they said wait 10 mins and do it again. It worked.

Nonetheless having to hold/refresh the booking for 10 mins a pain and could be terminal. I think this was the new security measures for retailer payment brought in a few days ago. Another pita and another reason why a smartphone is becoming essential for travel.
There was stuff in the papers a few days ago about this. Expect a lot more checks on cards due to fraud. I can approve on my app or with a text code from the bank.

NB i did have fraud on a brand new credit card about a month ago.
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mjr
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by mjr »

MrsHJ wrote: 23 Mar 2022, 10:38am NB i did have fraud on a brand new credit card about a month ago.
Yep. Underpaid workers at the distributors are far more profitable targets than trying to con or skim individual customers but it's cheaper for the banks to make customers jump through more and more hoops and pay for international roaming and sit around for 10 minutes during a transaction than it is to pay workers properly and secure the card distribution.
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Jdsk
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by Jdsk »

"Timeline of SIM Card Registration Laws":
https://www.privacyinternational.org/lo ... ation-laws

lists the requirements by country.

Jonathan
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Cowsham
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by Cowsham »

Just changed my monthly price plan with 3 but noticed in the terms and conditions that plans started before 1/10/21 won't pay the new roaming charges coming in today. New contracts pay £5 per day in eu or rest of world on top of the normal charge.

Don't know if it's just for NI customers but we thankfully do not pay the new roaming charges for republic of Ireland or isle of man --- Phew! ( thought it was back to getting a Manx Telecom payg sim each time I'm over )
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mjr
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by mjr »

Cowsham wrote: 23 Apr 2022, 11:12pm Just changed my monthly price plan with 3 but noticed in the terms and conditions that plans started before 1/10/21 won't pay the new roaming charges coming in today. New contracts pay £5 per day in eu or rest of world on top of the normal charge.
Someone I know has just been told by 3 that her current (no EU roaming charge) plan is being discontinued. That's how they're gradually going to get everyone to pay.
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Psamathe
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by Psamathe »

When I re-negotiated my EE contract earlier this year I negotiated EU (and loads of other countries) roaming as well as a price reduction.

My brother didn't bother and is currently in EU for a month. To get roaming added cost him £10 per month (though that is based on the "contract month" which is unlikely to correspond to a month away so it's actually two "contract months" for EE). It's costing him £10 per month (so his month away will cost £20 and it's full roaming (with "Fair Use" clauses that don't affect him). To set it up he just had to send a text to a number with some set word. To end it he just has to send a text to the same number with some specified stop text word(s). No hanging in a queue on a phone being told how importat your call is to them. Just send a text and done.

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MrsHJ
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by MrsHJ »

I reckon that a tenner a month when on holiday (and hopefully a lower price contract overall) is fine at my usage level.

A fiver a day- not so ok, could quickly add up especially if travelling as a family with teens!

I rolled over my three contract into a 24 month one last September so I’ve got roaming included for another 16 months or so and will have some time to decide but I won’t be staying with 3 at their new roaming prices. It’s crazy as that’s why I joined them in the first place.
glucas
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by glucas »

Not trying to spread good news or lighten the prevailing gloom, but I was rather surprised to find that were no roaming fees charged by my provider, Tesco Mobile. I have a sim card only deal for just £7 a month, that provides 300 minutes, 5000 texts and 8gb data. I used some of this allowance last month in France and was not charged any extra. Tesco have a list of what they call "home" countries, which I think are all in those in the EU, and maybe some European countries that are not in the EU. The charges in these countries are covered by your UK allowance. If you go over that, I think the charges are as what they would be if you went over the UK allowance.

Tesco Mobile is essentially O2. I don't know how long this "home countries" arrangement will continue for, but cynically I guess, they may eventually start charging.
simonhill
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by simonhill »

Unless things have changed, the £10 a month on EE is only for top end contracts. Lesser contracts have to pay £2 per day.

Also beware what are being offered as "EU roaming". Some of the cheapies I've looked at said you get the data (good) but you only get 'free' phone calls back to the UK. Not a lot of use if you need to ring an EU number (hotel, campsite, station, etc, etc).
Psamathe
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Re: Best deals for roaming?

Post by Psamathe »

simonhill wrote: 8 May 2022, 8:23pm Unless things have changed, the £10 a month on EE is only for top end contracts. Lesser contracts have to pay £2 per day.

Also beware what are being offered as "EU roaming". Some of the cheapies I've looked at said you get the data (good) but you only get 'free' phone calls back to the UK. Not a lot of use if you need to ring an EU number (hotel, campsite, station, etc, etc).
Their website does not say that. Includes EU roaming countries as well as USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand.

I did a quick scan and couldn't see it limited to "high end contracts". On some higher end contracts you can chose "Smart Benefits" (that are part of the contract and don't need the £10 per month), one of which is roaming (or negotiate!).
https://ee.co.uk/help/help-new/offers-a ... broad-pass

Also my quick scan of their web page mentions pro-rata so I may have been wrong previously about 1 month away needing 2 month worth of passes if your time away does not correspond to you contract "billing month" - double check but maybe start and end pro-rata'd.

Ian
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