O2 Travel Changes 7/4

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

I have been usng the free O2 Travel bolt on since 2016 as I travel to European countries quite often. I use it primarily to browse for when wifi is unattainable. I browse and I get charged £1.99 for the day. In terms of of making phone calls and text messages. If I text a UK number whilst in a European country I get charged 4p. So the overall current setup is:

"While travelling in Europe just pay a 50p connection charge to make and receive calls between European countries then talk for free for up to 60 mins. You'll pay just £1.99 for the days you use data in Europe & there’s no upper limit, but traffic management steps apply. £40 monthly spending limit for data outside Europe."

An email has been sent out from O2 stating changes to how O2 travel works. It now states that:

"From 7 th April 2016, we’ll be adding calls and texts sent back to the UK and within O2 Travel destinations, to the data you already get with our O2 Travel Bolt On. This will give you data, up to 120 minutes and 120 standard texts, per daily charge within selected destinations in Europe. With O2 Travel you’ll only be charged for the days that you use it."

My udnerstanding is that from 7/4 if I am in a European country and I text a UK number, rather than being charged 4p like I used to be, I will be charged £1.99.  Is this correct? I appreciate they are saying you can send up to 120 messages and still get charged £1.99 but I never send 120 messages. I usually send just a couple. By this logic, the £1.99  charged that was activated only when you used data, will now also be activated by sending a text message. If I send one text per day for 3 days I will end up paying £5.99? 

Can someone please verify tell me if I have misunderstood the change?

Thank you.

PS: I am not asking to be told about the different options to circumvent sending a text.. I just want to know that I have understood the changes correctly.

[jonsie]

TuGo will cost you the same as if you are in the UK so international rate will apply. 

[Anonymous]

@jonsie:"They have informed everyone and opting out is a simple text so is that really such a big issue?"

You are completely right in that they have informed people but I guess plenty of people feel the whole issue has been mismanaged; right down to the wording of the email where they start off by telling people they have made the changes that will benefit them. Its been established that changes will benefit some, whilst some will lose out. 

Yes, most people know they can opt out of the travel bolt on but they just feel aggrieved about it perhaps because its a bolt on they've used for years and really liked how it worked. The element of like it or lump it that has come with the changes has clearly (understandably) angered users.

Alas, we can all agree the changes are here to stay! O2 travel many knew and liked it is no more.

[jonsie]

Sadly true but shareholders come before customers these days!

[MI5]

O2 are actually going to lose revenue from some users with this arrangement.
For example, I will no longer be paying 50p for each call I make or receive on top of my 1.99 a day.
I am now effectively capped at 1.99 and I also get calls within the EU country I am visiting included, so no more international rates to call for a taxi or book a restaurant etc.
I can only presume that the business model assumed that everyone would be happy to pay 1.99 a day which would offset some of the loses from heavier users.

[jonsie]

Solely going off the posts on here, I think they have got that badly wrong.

[PhoneDoc · Accepted solution]

Hi @GrahamW . Jus to pick up on something in your post: using TuGo in Spain to call a Spanish number will actually be charged at £1/minute as this is esentially the same as calling Spain from the UK. 

Here are two options you might want to consider:

• Light user. If you only send the odd text or make short calls, opt out of O2 Travel. You can use TuGo to call and text the UK out of your monthly allowance when you're connected to wifi. If you don't have wifi it'll only be 16.5p/minute and 4.8p per text - and similar pricing for local spanish numbers.
• Heavier user. If you will be making longer phone calls, require internet access and may be without wifi - it will be much more beneficial to stay opted in to the revamped O2 Travel. You can still use TuGo for all your calls and texts back home without paying anything. For days that you're maybe away from wifi you can activate the £1.99 bolt on and make use of 120 minutes, texts and data for any local number in an eligible O2 Travel country.

Hope this helps.

[MI5]

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@jonsie wrote:

Solely going off the posts on here, I think they have got that badly wrong.

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A dozen or so people unhappy on here isn't really epidemic proportions though......

[Anonymous]

IF the email/website update had what @PhoneDoc just wrote:

"Here are two options you might want to consider:

• Light user. If you only send the odd text or make short calls, opt out of O2 Travel. You can use TuGo to call and text the UK out of your monthly allowance when you're connected to wifi. If you don't have wifi it'll only be 16.5p/minute and 4.8p per text - and similar pricing for local spanish numbers.
• Heavier user. If you will be making longer phone calls, require internet access and may be without wifi - it will be much more beneficial to stay opted in to the revamped O2 Travel. You can still use TuGo for all your calls and texts back home without paying anything. For days that you're maybe away from wifi you can activate the £1.99 bolt on and make use of 120 minutes, texts and data for any local number in an eligible O2 Travel country."

I am sure there would have been far less uproar from users. The above makes it very clear how the changes affect the different tiers of o2 travel users. It also shows that there is an awareness that those who are currently opted in for o2 travel will have to reconsider their options.

There was no mention of the above or even any allusions in the literature o2 sent out about the likely negative effects on current users.

That is precisely why there were so many topics being posted about the changes.

[Anonymous]

@MI5 not many people would waste their time posting here about it. Many probably ranted at o2 customer service no doubt 😉

The reason I posted was because I was genuinely perplexed by the changes having used the bolt on for so many years. Also because the o2 customer service were talking pure tosh.

[MI5]

That's the problem with rushing changes through before everyone has the full facts - we see it time and again unfortunately and get somewhat used to it these days......
Also, be assured that plenty of people come on here to vent their dissatisfaction over a number of issues and this one hasn't really hit the heady heights of "where's my iPhone" yet