O2 Data Roaming

[Anonymous]

On Sunday night I boarded a ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge, for a couple of days city break in Bruges. When I was roughly halfway across the North Sea, I got a surprisingly pleasant text message from O2:

"Relax in Europe with O2 Travel. You'll never pay more than £1.99 a day for data. Check your email, Facebook, Twitter and BBC News. Now you can keep your data switched on to find good restaurants, share holiday pics and stay in touch..."

"£1.99 a day?!" I thought, "Bargain! All the things listed in the text message apply to me! These are exactly what I'd like to do when abroad but have never previously dared due to the fear of unclear data charges". So this is exactly what I did - I left my data roaming on. I checked my email. I checked Facebook. I Tweeted. I sought out some restaurants. I Instagrammed some pictures of gothic buildings, beer glasses and waffles. It was amazing! And after all, i'll NEVER pay more than £1.99 a day for data, right? Wrong.

Shortly after boarding the ferry back to Hull the day after, I recieved a very different text message from O2:

"Using the web outside Europe costs £6/MB. We'll tell you when you've spent £20 and again at £40. We won't charge you more than £40 on your current bill and you can use up to 50MB."

What happened to the £1.99 a day thing? That was a much better proposition. Also, I don't remember ever having left Europe - the Ferry I was on travelled down the East coast of the UK to Belgium, All of which is in Europe unless I am mistaken. Within a couple of minutes of facebooking and twittering I had another text message. I'd spent £20! Phone off, and grumpy Danny.

Dreading getting my bill from O2 this month. Interestingly, I should also probably point out that whilst abroad my 3G speeds were amazing, too - guessing the "give long term customers crap 3G allowance" algorythm that O2 deny existance of doesn't apply abroad.

[adamtemp64 · Accepted solution]

If connected to a ferries network it is £6 a mb as they do not count as in europe. (the operators are not based in the eu.)

We have see this before on here,

When in range of an included country then o2 travel works as long as connected to a mast in the included countries.

What did your phone show when on the ferry

[perksie]

I have to agree being on a ferry is not being in Europe, so normal charges would apply.

Good job it wasn't a world cruise!

[Anonymous]

As said previously when you're out at sea you're not connected to ANY standard mobile mast.  So therefore there will be an on-board mast operated by a country that might not be based in the EU.  That being the case, you leave yourself open to a higher international rate for data/calls/texts. 

It's always best to check this stuff out before you travel.

[Anonymous]

---

@perksie wrote:

I have to agree being on a ferry is not being in Europe, so normal charges would apply.

Good job it wasn't a world cruise!

---

Airports are also classed as no mans land because they aren't classed as being in the country 

[Bambino]

The OP said he had instagrammed pictures of gothic buildings. I didn't know there were gothic buildings on ferries....

[perksie]

---

@Bambino wrote:

The OP said he had instagrammed pictures of gothic buildings. I didn't know there were gothic buildings on ferries....

---

He also said he used it on the ferry.

[Bambino]

I understand that, but he must have only been on the ferry for the crossing. 

[adamtemp64]

---

@Bambino wrote:

I understand that, but he must have only been on the ferry for the crossing. 

---

From the op post

"Shortly after boarding the ferry back to Hull the day after, I recieved a very different text message from O2:

"Using the web outside Europe costs £6/MB. We'll tell you when you've spent £20 and again at £40. We won't charge you more than £40 on your current bill and you can use up to 50MB.""

 

remembering that only 3.33 mb would trigger the text message

[Bambino]

Lesson learned for the OP, I suppose.