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International Roaming and Whats it all about.

darrengf
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Welcome to the O2 Community!

If you need any advice, go ahead and create a forum post HERE

** Please read the following amendments to the article that allows for EU Roaming changes on the 15th June.

 

Roaming and what’s it about?

Roaming is when you are no longer able to Pick Up your home Network (O2-UK). This is normally when you are in another country. However, it is possible to pick up French Network when in UK and the Irish Networks when you’re still in Northern Ireland.  But if your phone is displaying anything else besides O2-UK or BT Cellnet (On Some Older Phones), then you are Roaming on a Foreign Network and Roaming Charges will apply if Services are used.

 

Is O2-DE the same as O2-UK?

The answer is no. O2-DE is a completely independent business to O2-UK and therefore Roaming Charges would apply.

O2-DE (O2 Germany) and O2-UK (O2 United Kingdom) are both Parts of the Telefonica Group, but this is all and is 2 Separate businesses

 

 

Do I need to Activate Roaming?

If you are an O2 PAYG Customer then Roaming is activated automatically as you can only spend what you have in Credit.

O2 Contract customers may need to call 202 to confirm they have Roaming Activated on their account if they have never used the service before or had issues in the past.

 

 

How does Roaming Work?

When you travel outside your Home Network, your Mobile Phone Sim will ask the Roaming (Foreign) network first if it can use the services on their Network. (You IMEI number of your phone is also sent to verify it’s not the Stolen / Missing Database as well)

 

The Foreign Network will take details from your Sim card and go back to the International Centre and check if O2 has an agreement first to use the Network and then if the Sim card is activated to use the Roaming. (This is why there is a delay sometimes in first switching on your mobile to you getting a signal and a Network Name)

 

If all comes back ok, then the Sim will receive instruction and you notice the Roaming Network Name shown on your phone.

 

What you may not know is that when the phone is authorised to use the Roaming Network, It is given a temporary allocated foreign number of the country you are visiting.

 

So you may have someone calling you and they may notice that the Ring tone suddenly sounds different in their Earpiece and not like the UK Ring. This is because of the Foreign Number allocated and that you are roaming on their Countries Network.

 

One this you will never know though is the Temporary Roaming Number as this is only a Forward number and changes.

 

 

So what charges do you pay for when roaming?

  • Making Calls?                     Yes you pay for all of the Call.
  • Receiving Calls?                                Yes you pay for the Roaming country Inbound Part of the Call.
  • Sending a SMS?                                Yes you pay to send a SMS.
  • Receiving a SMS?             No it’s free to receive a SMS.
  • Sending a MMS?              Yes you pay to send a MMS.
  • Receiving a MMS?           You may be charged for Data Usage to receive the MMS ( I never have on O2, But I know other UK networks charge)
  • Data Usage                         Is all chargeable

 

 

The Person who is Calling or Texting you from the UK.

 

This is where a lot of confusion becomes and people become worried regarding charges.

                        

Simple Fact to Remember:

Even though the person you are contacting is abroad. You are still only calling their UK Mobile Number. So treat it as they are still in the UK.

 

So for example:

If you have free UK Text allowance, it will still be Free (Your Texting a UK Mobile Number)

If you have Free UK Minutes, then again you are calling a UK Mobile Number, so it will use your UK Minutes Allowance.

If you don’t have Free Allowances, then you will be charged at your normal standard Rate of ringing the UK or Texting a UK Mobile number

 

 

A couple of Questions and Answers that may come in useful:

 

Q)   I’m abroad and my friend is abroad, will I be charged to contact my friend as I’m only calling a UK Mobile number

A)   Yes, even though you are calling a UK Mobile Number. You are not in the UK and the person you are calling isn’t, so you will pay the Roaming Charges to make the call and the person who is receiving the call will pay the inbound part of the charge. If you’re roaming in our Europe Zone this will be included within your UK allowance; within countries included in O2 Travel, this will activate the £4.99 fee. More information here and here

 

Q)   Why am I charged twice for Voice Mail Messages?

A)   When someone tries to contact you and you don’t answer, the call is then passed back to the O2-UK voice mail as a return call, So you pay for the Return part of the call even though you didn’t answer your Mobile. Then when you want to listen to your voice mail, you pay to make the call and listen to it. So this is where Double Charges apply

 

Q)   Why are inbound SMS free when I’m abroad?

A)   This was set by the EU Telecoms Parliament, that any EU Mobile Company must allow their users to allow incoming SMS for Free anywhere in the world.

 

Q)   What is the Difference between Roaming and Home Networks?

A)   Your home network is on your network where you purchased the Sim from. So if you purchased your Sim card in the UK and from O2, your home network would be O2-UK and you would be allocated a UK Mobile number.

Roaming is when you are no longer on your home network. So, for example, you go to Spain and you pick up Telefonica ES. This means you are Roaming on a Spanish Network.

 

If you have any other questions please ask and I will gladly try to answer them and will keep editing the 1st thread to make it easier for everyone to read.

244 Comments
Cleoriff
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Via messenger over WiFi is the way I do it when abroad....

MI5
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Whatsapp, imessage, facebook messenger etc.
Anonymous
Not applicable

Unfortunatley the care home won't have any of these apps on the phone they are using, it is just for standard texts or picture messages sent via text (MMS?)

MI5
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It will cost you 25p (ironically) to send an MMS
Anonymous
Not applicable

Thank you for your help, wonder if it will be cheaper to use my partners contract vodafone than take my o2 one then just update the numbers with the care home.

Cleoriff
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You would need to check out Vodafones roaming prices though?

Anonymous
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This is probably a really dumb question but to send a MMS do I need to put my data on or can this be done connecting to WiFi? All my friends & family will have facebook messenger etc so it is literally just to be able to contact one number on.

Beenherebefore
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Depending on where in Turkey you'll be, you may be able to connect to a Greek network..........which is the exact opposite of the usual problem posted on here.

MI5
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Yes, unfortunately data will need to be on.
MI5
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Voda roaming charges can be found here http://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/costs/travelling-abroad/
Anonymous
Not applicable

£3 a day on vodafone, Turkey is included - if I've read it correctly here http://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/costs/travelling-abroad/vodafone-eurotraveller/ Just would have been so much easier to use my own number & my own phone which I am used to aarrrggghhh

 

Thank you for all your help though, been a tough few weeks deciding if I should even go on holiday with the way the relative is at the moment - guilty if had cancelled it because kids looking forward to going but guilty if I go and leave relative for a week. Then all the problems in Turkey haven't helped either.

MI5
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I know what you mean - been there myself, but you need the break too, remember.....
Anonymous
Not applicable
Looks like I need to get used to using an iphone instead of my lovely One Plus One ......

I'm 23 weeks pregnant myself so it wasn't an option to postpone the holiday either, just hoping nothing changes whilst we are away.
jonsie
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Good luck and I hope goes well for you.

MI5
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Just try and relax and enjoy your break.
Cleoriff
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@Anonymous wrote:

 

 

Thank you for all your help though, been a tough few weeks deciding if I should even go on holiday with the way the relative is at the moment - guilty if had cancelled it because kids looking forward to going but guilty if I go and leave relative for a week. Then all the problems in Turkey haven't helped either.


@Anonymous I was in a similar position to you a few years back with a relative very ill before I went abroad. I made the  decision to go knowing my family would have been gutted if I had cancelled. I gave the care home MY number and asked them to ring me if there were changes ....they were prepared to do this. I also had a friend in the UK who visited on my behalf and she kept me in the loop....Yes it was worrying but we had our holiday and felt better for it.

MI5
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Yeah, we've all been there but our lives have to go on too.....
Anonymous
Not applicable

Dear team ,

I note that I have paid £1.66  (on 3 occasions) for usage of my phone whilst abroad in Croatia at the start of October. This appears to be noted on the bill as O2 Travel . Please clarify this for me .  Was this charge for  the "incoming" use of the Croatia telephone network ?

Many thanks

Simon Balke

MI5
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O2 travel is for the use of upto 120 calls or texts and unlined data per day whilst travelling to EU countries.
It is a daily charge which rums from midnight to midnight but is only invoked if you make outgoings calls, texts or use data.
Incoming calls and texts don't cost
Anonymous
Not applicable

Hi,

Eu regulation states provider can charge a maximum of 5p a minute after 30april2016 for calls between eu numbers (eg from uk to your family in spain) . before 30april 2016 this was 17p.

link:

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/mobile-phones/1403479/eu-roaming-charges-all-change-on-april-30th

 

o2 is charging 150p a minute for calls to the eu while part of the eu. Why is this? And why has this increase so much?

MI5
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No they aren't.
Where do you see this info?
Anonymous
Not applicable
Can i still use mobile data for Internet outside of the country or pay for it
jonsie
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Data allowance is for use only in the UK. Any data used outside of the UK is chargeable.

see here for charges : http://international.o2.co.uk/internationaltariffs/travelling_abroad

Anonymous
Not applicable

I have enormous difficulties, when in France, using my O2 mobile to contact French landline numbers. In short it has been impossible for two years now, despite my lengthy  attempts to sort the problem out both before I go and subsequently.  I am constantly assured by your advisers that everything will work this time, but it never does. Given the near impossibility of contacting you by phone in England, I dread having to do the same when in France in the near future.

 

Am i missing something? Has my phone been inadvertently blocked? What is causing the problem? Do I have to notify you of my foreign use? I would appreciate some speedy advice.

 

 

 

MI5
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@Anonymous this is a customer to customer forum, so no direct contact with o2 from here.
If it is an account issue, you will need to call customer services http://www.o2.co.uk/contactus
Just make sure you are prefixing your numbers with 0033 and also try adding them to your phone book and calling from a fixed contact, rather than dialing manually.
grittkim49
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My iPhone has server issues not resolved in iOS settings what this mean
grittkim49
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This is to much for me to understand sorry
MI5
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Without more info from yourself we wouldn't know, sorry.
Anonymous
Not applicable
I was charged for O2 Travel (£4.99) on the 5th May. I didn't leave UK until midday on 6th May. Why?
Anonymous
Not applicable
PS. I am in the USA.
MI5
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@Anonymous wrote:
I was charged for O2 Travel (£4.99) on the 5th May. I didn't leave UK until midday on 6th May. Why?

@Anonymous This isn't customer service so can't answer that unfortunately. 

You need to call on 202 to speak to an agent. 

gmarkj
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Time zone differences?
Anonymous
Not applicable
I had the same question. So does that mean if I just send one message, it will cost £1.66+vat? Is there any way I can pay for each text individually? Sue
MI5
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@Anonymous wrote:
I had the same question. So does that mean if I just send one message, it will cost £1.66+vat? Is there any way I can pay for each text individually? Sue

If you are abroad in the EU you get 120 texts for the £1.99 daily charge. 

To pay individually you need to opt out of o2 travel. 

The text code is different to opt out between contract and PAYG but live chat can switch it off for you http://www.o2.co.uk/contactus

jonsie
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If you are a light user it makes sense to opt out. 

darrengf
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MercedesS
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Thanks @darrengf

I will add it to the article Fantastic

AlAV
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Does O2 have an agreement for use of a network in Dalian China so that I can phone back to the UK?
MI5
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@AlAV yes, rates for China as shown 

china.PNG

AlAV
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Thank you
MI5
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Most welcome slight_smile

Ilb
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I have a recent new contract iPhoneX ( refresh) and recently called Sweden from the UK and was charged £104 for the call. What a shock! I had assumed my carried over O2 international bolt on from my irevious contract would have covered this. Has something changed? I’m sure I’ve called Sweden without charges like this in the past. Is it not included under bolt ins?
Cleoriff
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You would need a new international bolt on for your new contract @Ilb

Calling from the UK to any country abroad is charged at international rates

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/pay-monthly/calling-abroad-from-the-uk

MI5
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@Ilb 

It's a new international bolt on now for £3 month and yes, Sweden is covered 

https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/international/the-international-bolt-on