Three mobile contract! Is it working in Portugal? (1 Viewer)

Feb 19, 2015
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Following advice from here - I especially got a Three contract so I could use the 'Three in touch' app abroad.
I got the £8 a month for unlimited texts as that is my preferred mode of contact with family and I use whatsapp when I get wifi.
However now I'm in South Portugal there is no 3G to activate the 'three in touch' app. Despite that - my texts are going through. Does this mean I am indeed using my unlimited texts or do you think I will get hit with a bill from Three later due to expensive foreign usage? Very confused as when I try this at home in North norfolk where there is also no 3G my texts don't send as it says 'no service'
Can anyone enlighten me?
Much appreciated in advance and apologies for my ignorance!
 

Don Quixote

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Not long enough, but a little common sense helps..........
Portugal is not listed as "at home service" so I would think that your "Three in Touch" is also not listed.
 

jollyrodger

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Hi
As far as I know the 3 feel at home (if that's what you mean) is only in Spain And France @ the same tarrif as UK .
Your txt etc are probably at a costlier local service provider to you .
Possibly :)

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Flamenca

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'Three in touch'

@Jac Sprat I believe that Three in Touch is used to make telephone calls via a wifi connection when there is no Three network mobile signal but probably only works via wifi networks in UK. It might work abroad if you use a vpn but I have not tried. The useage still comes out of your allowance.

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Feb 16, 2013
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@Jac Sprat I believe that Three in Touch is used to make telephone calls via a wifi connection when there is no Three network mobile signal but probably only works via wifi networks in UK. It might work abroad if you use a vpn but I have not tried. The useage still comes out of your allowance.
This is correct, two entirely different things, feel at home doesn't work in Portugal,
 

DBK

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You will be using mobile data if texts are going through. You don't need 3g as 2g is sufficient for texts.

However, as you are not in a feel at home country you will be attracting mobile data roaming charges. The three website suggests this will be 5p per text and 17p per MB if you try the internet. I don't think your free texts count where you are but you could try ringing three for a definitive answer.
http://www.three.co.uk/Support/Roaming_and_international/Mobile_Roaming?content_aid=1214306368234
 
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Jac Sprat
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So I guess they'll be billing me later then?
Annoying I am getting nothing for my contract.

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Feb 16, 2013
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So I guess they'll be billing me later then?
Annoying I am getting nothing for my contract.
I would also be careful about useing data , it's something like a fiver as soon as you connect every 24 hours, make sure you have roaming switched off, most bars have free wifi anyway so no problem.
 
Aug 18, 2014
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That's one thing I like about going to other countries with a spanish mobile & that it is cheaper with roaming charges than using it is Spain.(y)txts are nearly 60% cheaper.:LOL:(y)
 
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Jac Sprat
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So feel at home works in France Spain and Italy?

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Jan 13, 2014
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I had problems until I chose the carrier, turn off automatic in finding a carrier and select manually, Orange, it works for me. Hope this helps.

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Oct 5, 2012
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So feel at home works in France Spain and Italy?
Yes but with limitations. I have been looking at using 3 feel at home for my next trip. But it will not satisfy long or frequent trips abroad (unless anyone knows different) so is basically only good for someone doing less than a months holiday a couple of times a year. Not for people living for a while in different countries or between the UK. I have bought a mifi for using local sim cards which seems a better solution for a long term trip, if 3 decide to stop international roaming on my account. As 25 GB is peanuts for a long trip!!

http://www.choose.net/media/guide/features/feel-at-home-use-abroad.html

5. A sneaky fair use policy
More seriously, Feel at Home has a Fair Use policy. Exceeding the service limits will result in all services being suspended abroad.

Time limit: Anyone using Feel At Home exclusively when they're abroad, or for at least a month, more than twice a year, could well have their account's international roaming suspended.

Basically, Three aren't prepared to let you use the service if you're living between two places.

Usage limits: Normal usage limits should apply with Feel At Home but actually, when your monthly limit is high it'll be reduced as follows:

  • Unlimited (all you can eat) data: 25GB limit
  • Unlimited minutes; 3,000 minute limit in one calendar month
  • Unlimited texts; 5,000 text limit in one calendar month
Exceeding any of these limits once is ok, but do it twice within a twelve month period and Three may suspend services abroad.

6. Potential roaming problems: beware
With Feel at Home you'll be using your phone with international roaming switched on - which means there's a chance that the phone could connect to a network outside your Feel at Home destination if you're travelling around or staying near the border.

It could happen easily if, for example, you were in northwest Italy, close to the French border - though you'd be fine in northeast Italy near the border with Austria, another Feel at Home destination.

It's also a risk when you're catching connecting flights: without thinking, I turned on my phone in a non Feel at Home country during a transfer and immediately spent £8 on data when my emails downloaded. I was unhappy.

Moral of the story: if you're at risk of roaming, keep the phone in aeroplane mode or turn off data and only call, text or go online when you see that you're connected to the right network (shown on your homescreen).

However, this has now been simplified, so the costs for calling and texting local numbers fall into one of two categories. For non-EU Feel At Home destinations:

  • 15.6p a minute to make calls
  • 4.9p per text
And for EU Feel At Home destinations:

  • 18.8p a minute to make calls
  • 5.9p per text
Receiving a call is always free, wherever you are.

If you're on holiday with someone you've got free Three-to-Three minutes with you're in luck: calling them stays free (and it'll also be free if they're back in the UK).

In all, it's not very pricey - thanks in part to the latest round of roaming price caps (see how much it used to cost here) - but if you think you're going to need to make lots of local calls, international add ons might be cheaper.

Going over allowance: just like in the UK, there are charges for going over your monthly allowance.

In any Feel at Home destination out of allowance charges are:

  • 20p a minute to make calls
  • 7p a text
  • 10p for every MB
Premium rate numbers - numbers starting 070, 09 and 118 - are blocked. 08 numbers are included in the standard allowances, however.

Sounds simple. But how simple is it really?

Setting up Feel at Home
To use your phone abroad, you need to activate international roaming by calling Three.

It's easiest to do this before going away. I didn't, but I tweeted Three instead and they got back to me and activated roaming within a few hours.

With roaming activated, I found that Feel at Home worked easily when travelling to a new destination: it just found the network and worked, simple as that.

PAYG customers really should do this before they go away, as they'll need to convert some or all of their credit to an allowance add on.

It can be done while abroad - in fact this is what pay monthly customers who go over their allowance will also need to do - but it's easier to do it before you go.
 
Feb 16, 2013
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This is actually wrong


It could happen easily if, for example, you were in northwest Italy, close to the French border - though you'd be fine in northeast Italy near the border with Austria, another Feel at Home destination.

France is feel at home
 
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Strange as it worked OK for me in January :)

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Oct 5, 2012
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This is actually wrong


It could happen easily if, for example, you were in northwest Italy, close to the French border - though you'd be fine in northeast Italy near the border with Austria, another Feel at Home destination.

France is feel at home
I think France was not when this was written! However it did happen to me near Salzburg and a German transmitter captured my signal. I had to ring up 3 and get a refund.

I think the point I was making is that 3 is not an open ended deal, and is only useful for shorter infrequent trips.
 
Feb 16, 2013
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I think France was not when this was written! However it did happen to me near Salzburg and a German transmitter captured my signal. I had to ring up 3 and get a refund.

I think the point I was making is that 3 is not an open ended deal, and is only useful for shorter infrequent trips.
Wasn't knocking your post mate, just putting it right, as you are spot on if you get to close to the Belgian border and you have roaming on it takes a fiver out of your allowance as soon as you touch any data.
 

awg

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@Jac Sprat I believe that Three in Touch is used to make telephone calls via a wifi connection when there is no Three network mobile signal but probably only works via wifi networks in UK. It might work abroad if you use a vpn but I have not tried. The useage still comes out of your allowance.
Three in touch uses Wi-Fi to make calls but they are charged as if made from that country as normal calls. If you are in a feel at home country they are free and if you are anywhere else you get charged. I complained to them when I was charged for calls made using three in touch from Jamaica earlier this year. It is in the small print on their website which they pointed out to me.

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