Vodafone new European charges (1 Viewer)

[icantremember]

We have monthly contracts with Vodafone and have just received the following email. What views do any Funsters have good or bad .....................

Vodafone.co.ukOnline shopStore locatorContact us

Hello,

Following new EU regulations, we're introducing new rates for customers who use our services when they're in our Europe Zone. To find out more, including which countries our Europe Zone covers please visit vodafone.co.uk/workingabroad

The new rates will replace your current default rates from 1 July 2012, unless you have already opted into one of our Vodafone products for working in our Europe Zone that offer inclusive allowances. If so, the new rates will only apply if you choose to opt out of these products, or if you exceed your inclusive allowances.

Using your phone in our Europe Zone
We're lowering our rates for calling, texting and introducing a new charge for using mobile internet on your phone.

OLD RATES* until 30 June 2012NEW LOWER RATES* from 1 July 2012Making a call30.52p a minute24.04p a minuteReceiving a call9.56p a minute6.63p a minuteSending a text9.5p7.4pUsing the mobile internet
(Please note: Vodafone Data
Traveller will be discontinued
from 1 July 2012)£1.67 per day58.05p per MB*Prices exclude VAT
From 11 June 2012, you can also take advantage of our new Vodafone EuroTraveller service. This allows you to take certain UK price plans (calls, text and mobile internet) to our Europe Zone for just £2.50 ex VAT a day (with no spend cap), subject to terms and conditions. To find out more please call 191 from your mobile.

Using mobile broadband in our Europe Zone
Our rates for mobile broadband will move from the current daily charge to a new charge based on per MB data used.

OLD RATES* until 30 June 2012NEW RATES from 1 July 2012Using mobile internetVodafone Mobile Broadband Daily Continental (£6.67 per day for 100MB - midnight to midnight UK time)58.05p per MB*Prices exclude VAT
If you would like to continue to use the daily rate of £6.67 exc. VAT for 100MB per day for our Europe Zone, you can opt back in at any time by contacting 191 from your mobile.

Using mobile internet abroad - spend cap




Our spend caps are designed to help you have greater control over the cost of using mobile internet on your phone or when using mobile broadband when you're abroad. We automatically opt you in to the following monthly spend caps:

• £41.47 (ex VAT) in our Europe Zone
• £41.47 (ex VAT) in our Rest of the World Zone

You will receive notifications when you reach 80% and 100% of the monthly cap. Once you've reached the cap, you won't be able to use the mobile internet abroad for the rest of the monthly billing period, unless you choose to opt out of the cap. To opt out (or to opt back in at any time), call 191 from your mobile. Yours sincerely,


Peter Boucher
Marketing Director, Vodafone UK To find out more
Call 08700 700 191
or speak to your Vodafone Account Manager. Calls from landlines are free. Standard network charges apply to calls made from a mobile phone.

 

[MHVirgins]

Thanks for this timely info, we're with Vodafone too and were wondering about the costs for using the mobile and internet etc when in France later on. There's been a lot in the press about "roaming charges" recently, so this is good news:thumb:
Bill & Margaret

 

[2657]

'so this is good news' - not to me its not!! Vodafone passport will be no more.This gives calls up to an hour for 75p plus your UK price plan which means that if you have free minutes on your plan calls are 75p.
I spend 9 months of the year in Europe and this enabled me to keep in contact with family at reasonable cost. Vodafone trying to get their money back from having price cuts imposed, I shall have to reinvestigate what is on offer from other networks regarding roaming call charges, I don't need data on my phone I use dongles and free wi fi on sites for that.:Sad:

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[MHVirgins]

Well, from the point of view that any reduction was better than none, it's good from our point because we're not big users in Europe. But can appreciate if you are a big user and don't feel it's any help to you personally.
Overall phone rates in general need to be brought down, the big phone companies have got us all by the doo da's in general

 

[2657]

Sorry wasn't meant as a criticism of yourself, fully agree with your views on the service providers.

 

[Addie]

There is a post about it here:
Broken Link Removed

And I've tried to summarise the changes on EuropeByCamper
http://www.europebycamper.com/2012/06/big-changes-to-eu-roaming-data-tariffs.html

One thing that is very important to be aware of with the new EuroTraveller service you mention:

From 11 June 2012, you can also take advantage of our new Vodafone EuroTraveller service. This allows you to take certain UK price plans (calls, text and mobile internet) to our Europe Zone for just £2.50 ex VAT a day (with no spend cap), subject to terms and conditions. To find out more please call 191 from your mobile.

1.) You will be charged £3 on the days you use your phone - be that send one text message, or stream iPlayer (subject to your usual inclusive minutes / megabytes at home)

2.) By opting in to Vodafone EuroTraveller you'll also be opting out of the European 50 euro monthly mobile internet spend cap. So you can exceed your limits with no alerts or protection! (see Vodafone T&C's Link Removed)

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[MHVirgins]

Sorry wasn't meant as a criticism of yourself, fully agree with your views on the service providers.

No problems! We spoke to Vodafone earlier on and were going to post the info about the £3 per day charge etc etc, but Addie has now posted it, thanks for that:thumb:
We were told that it would be £3 per day, once it is activated, if you don't use it it won't be charged to you. Any other charges outwith your "plan" would be charged to you, but think that's standard in the UK anyway.
We've had the £3 per day Eurotraveller price plan set up to our Vodafone account, where anyone can call you whilst you're abroad (Europe) and it won't cost us, it will come off their plan.
Will have a look at the T&C's, but will keep a watch on the costs, but like everything else it just depends how much you're going to use it

With regards to the Ts&Cs, Vodafone told us that the European Passport service had now been superceded by the Eurotraveller

 

[Addie]

We've had the £3 per day Eurotraveller price plan set up to our Vodafone account, where anyone can call you whilst you're abroad (Europe) and it won't cost us, it will come off their plan.

One thing to be aware of is that, as it was explained to be yesterday, that reciving an incoming call classes as "using" your phone and therefore you'll be charged £3 on the days you recieve a call.

Taken from the T&C's

Once opted in, a daily charge of £3 will be applied automatically to your bill when you use your phone within our Europe Zone, this includes when you use your allowance.

That is because if you didn't have EuroTraveller activated it would cost you 9.5p a minute to receive the call, therefore you are "saving" because of the bolt on therefore using your package and thus will be charged for it. This may not be correct, but I've asked this question twice now and been given the same answer. I can't find anything online that fully explains this particular point either way so I might ask on the Vodafone forums for written clarification.

The best way to receive calls for free while abroad is to get a 0044 Sim Card (£20) and stick it one of those Tesco £10 unlocked phones.
http://www.0044.co.uk/global/sim-card.htm

 

[MHVirgins]

One thing to be aware of is that, as it was explained to be yesterday, that reciving an incoming call classes as "using" your phone and therefore you'll be charged £3 on the days you recieve a call.

Taken from the T&C's

Once opted in, a daily charge of £3 will be applied automatically to your bill when you use your phone within our Europe Zone, this includes when you use your allowance.

That is because if you didn't have EuroTraveller activated it would cost you 9.5p a minute to receive the call, therefore you are "saving" because of the bolt on therefore using your package and thus will be charged for it. This may not be correct, but I've asked this question twice now and been given the same answer. I can't find anything online that fully explains this particular point either way so I might ask on the Vodafone forums for written clarification.

The best way to receive calls for free while abroad is to get a 0044 Sim Card (£20) and stick it one of those Tesco £10 unlocked phones.
http://www.0044.co.uk/global/sim-card.htm

Many thanks for this further info, OH is just wondering whether text alerts from UK sources (bank alerts etc) might be charged at £3 on say another day, when we haven't had any calls in. Or will this trigger a £3 day charge? So will phone Vodafone now and ask the question, it's quite a "minefield" with regards to calls, texts, what's covered/included and what's not.
But wouldn't like to discover that we're charged £3 for a text each time one comes through from the UK:Blush:
Margaret

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[Addie]

Many thanks for this further info, OH is just wondering whether text alerts from UK sources (bank alerts etc) might be charged at £3 on say another day, when we haven't had any calls in. Or will this trigger a £3 day charge? So will phone Vodafone now and ask the question, it's quite a "minefield" with regards to calls, texts, what's covered/included and what's not.
But wouldn't like to discover that we're charged £3 for a text each time one comes through from the UK:Blush:
Margaret

Given that texts are free to receive (and receiving them is virtually compulsory) regardless of if you are opted into the EuroTraveller bundle, I'd say with relative certainty that they will not trigger the £3 while abroad.