Data Roaming turned off

[RachyB]

Why oh why oh why am I still getting charged for using 2kb or 1kb of data when my data roaming is turned off!!!???

It’s turned off because I don’t want to be charged (and I don’t want to use o2 travel) I only use the WiFi abroad

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

Do you turn the phone off at all?
Each time you turn on the phone may use a small amount before it fully boots up.

[Anonymous]

Is Mobile data switched off?

[Bambino]

@RachyB If all you're using is WiFi when you're abroad, put your phone in airplane mode, or if you want to be absolutely certain you don't use any data, take your sim out of the phone, put it in a safe place, and make sure you remember where you put it when you return to the UK.

[jonsie]

Spoiler

You definitely need to turn off cellular/mobile data or as suggested put in flight mode. This is definitely the reason you are being charged. 

[RachyB]

I do turn it off to save my battery during the flight, on shorter journeys I’ve put it in flight mode.

But....to connect to WiFi abroad, you have to turn your phone on or take it out of flight mode obvs

....and then they are charging me for whatever they are doing in the background to connect me to WiFi, that must be what’s happening

Interesting that when you look at the definition of data roaming off it says this....

What is data roaming? When you use another mobile network to access the internet on your phone while still being billed by your normal provider. It can be pricey, so many experts advise people to turn data roaming off while they are abroad.

Turning it off, that’s what I always do and have done since having an iPhone 4!!

[MI5]

You can leave phone in flight mode and just toggle wifi on and off and the point about turning phone off and on is that small amounts of data will be used during the boot up process, regardless of the data settings.

[RachyB]

Didn’t know about flight mode and the ability to still use WiFi

So thank you

O2 you are still wrong for what you are doing in the background, I have no choice over what you do and you are charging me for it!!!!!!! And thousands of other customers too,very very wrong when DATA ROAMING IS TURNED OFF!!!!!!!

[Fred57]

Have you called O2 customer service about it?

I have.  My data roaming was most definitely OFF

They agreed to investigate and also refunded the amount without question so they obviously know more than the customer service people let on

I travel a lot outsidethe EU free roaming so wil be monitoing and complaining each tiome it happens

Fred