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.

[GrahamW]

<< Simply opt out of O2 Travel if you fall into the first category>>

So (for me and many others) O2 Travel has gone from being something I needed to opt in to in order to avoid being overcharged whilst abroad to something I need to opt out of in order to avoid being overcharged whilst abroad !

Now if only O2 had made this clearer in their email !

[PhoneDoc]

I don't understand the degree of anger that these changes seem to be exuding here. From April - customers will get 120 minutes and texts included for free in the £1.99 that previously provided solely data. This is more allowance for the same amount of money - the polar opposite of a rip off.

I can understand that this may not be cost effective for light users - but the O2 Travel proposition was never intended for light users - it was designed to enable prosumers to get more out of their device whilst abroad - and that's exactly what these changes do...for free.

O2 Travel is a bolt-on that is added upon request. Customer Services will be happy to revert users back to standard EU roaming rates which will work out better value for the light/'emergency' user. These rates will only get cheaper as time goes on and roaming is homogenised across the EU.

TuGo remains in place and allows usage of UK allowance whilst roaming and connected to WiFi. 

[Cleoriff]

And for those of you I joked that I was exempt....please note this just in....

[Cleoriff]

@PhoneDoc The anger is from those you call light users obviously. I am lucky enough to use data over WiFi when I am abroad (frequently) Many people aren't interested in data..or if they are they use it over WiFi.

I also use TuGo. This isn't available for PAYG customers

Also I can't remember reading anywhere that O2 Travel was intended for a select group of users. Everyone who made use of it, did so to get their own personal benefit from it. That could have been just sending a text a day to keep in touch with family back home...

[PhoneDoc]

This is true - people have different needs whilst abroad. These changes will help address the needs of heavy users. Increasingly lower standard rates will be of benefit to light users.

[Anonymous]

Yup @PhoneDoc. The point again is that O2 should be transparent about the changes they are implementing.

I started this topic because when I received the email I was genuinely confused as to what it was saying. I called o2 twice and each person I spoke to was trying to tell me I misunderstood. Clearly, even people at the o2 call centres don't know what they are talking about.

Again, I've stated several times that there are advantages to these changes. It's the way they are going about it that's a bone of contention for me.

People can opt out easily enough, just give them the information clearly so they know what the changes mean.

I'll probably not opt out. I'll just be super aware of how I use my phone and make sure when I activate that 1.99 charge, I get the absolute most out of it that day.

🙂

[Anonymous]

I believe @Cleoriff made the point succinctly here:

"Also I can't remember reading anywhere that O2 Travel was intended for a select group of users. Everyone who made use of it, did so to get their own personal benefit from it. That could have been just sending a text a day to keep in touch with family back home..."

[Anonymous]

Yes I believe you are correct, typical O2 rip-off

[PhoneDoc]

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@Anonymous wrote:
I started this topic because when I received the email I was genuinely confused as to what it was saying. I called o2 twice and each person I spoke to was trying to tell me I misunderstood. Clearly, even people at the o2 call centres don't know what they are talking about.

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I can completely empathise with this - it appears customers had started to receive emails about this a day or two before we were notified about the changes in store - that certainly wasn't great. I'd like to think it's sufficiently filtered through to live chat now  

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@Anonymous wrote:

"Also I can't remember reading anywhere that O2 Travel was intended for a select group of users. Everyone who made use of it, did so to get their own personal benefit from it. That could have been just sending a text a day to keep in touch with family back home..."

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It may not be overtly mentioned in the marketing material, but it's specifically raised in the retail process to mention how O2 Travel changes roaming rates and this would be of benefit to heavier users abroad, but that standard rates would be of benefit for a few short calls/texts or those not requiring data. 

Although I can sympathise for light users who found this marginally preferable to standard rates - I think the benefit of these changes far outweighs the downsides and provides extra value to the customers most likely to opt in.

[PhoneDoc]

"Also I can't remember reading anywhere that O2 Travel was intended for a select group of users. Everyone who made use of it, did so to get their own personal benefit from it. That could have been just sending a text a day to keep in touch with family back home..."

[MI5]

Just opt out by text send NOTRAVEL to 23336 - Simples!