Pay monthly services

[very_teknical]

Vodafone have announced that from Wednesday you can get 25mb of data for £2/day whilst roaming in the Europe.

Link

[machare]

Why, as a pay monthly customer with a price plan less that £40pm, do I have to opt in to this service?

Is there a charge for the opt in? 

[Ross2]

You can opt in for a monthly charge, which means you do not pay the £2/day. If you do not opt in, the £2/day will apply.

Thanks.

[kevinx]

Isn't there also an improvement on CALL charges whilst roaming (in Europe)? I thought I had seen something where incoming calls would be charged at (+/-) 17ppm, and outgoing 25ppm??.

Can't find anything to verify this on the website, so perhaps someone will be able to enlighten me??

Currently I use VF Passport, (75p CONNECTION for inbound and outbound, then home rate), but wonder whether it would be prudent to drop the "Passport", or maybe Vodafones system may override with the cheaper rate, depending on call length.

Cheers

[Ross2]

The new system does not change call charges, only data roaming. Call charges remain the same with VP on.

With VP off in Europe, prices are

Making a call (to any destination worldride) 38p per min
Receiving a call is 14p per min
Sending a text is 10p

[kevinx]

Thanks for that clarification, Ross. Much appreciated.

So, in a strange kind of way any continuous OUTGOING call of over 2 mins duration (MOST calls) is favourable to use Passport, but any INCOMING calls LESS than 5 mins would be better NOT to use Passport, but I appreciate one would not be able to/not practical to switch passport on and off.

Nice marketing :-)

Cheers

Here ya go, something for your "suggestion box".... Passport remains as it is for OUTGOING calls, but INCOMING calls to be excluded from Passport conditions.

Therefore, anyone receiving an incoming call would be charged at 14ppm, and for those people that "ramble on" would incurr charges in excess of 75p (if they talk for more than 5 mins incoming). Vodafone wins (££££)

Those who are "switched on" would CALL BACK their incoming caller, at 75p connection + home rate (Vodafone wins).

Et Voila. Vodafone would be perceived as being a great big caring network  :-)

Think of the advertising for that :-)   :-)

Cheers

[rgammans]

I'm on a sim free tariff, with half price line rental, that would be over £40 and 900 minutes if I had taken out the tariff with a phone and not had the reduction.  does this mean I am eligible for the 25 mb at no extra charge,  or are all sim free tariffs excluded on the basis that there isn't a £40 sim free tariff?

thanks

[Ross2]

As far as I know to recieve a call on Vodafone Passport, is 75p for the first hour. There is no change to this. Thanks

[kevinx]

Ross,

Yes, to RECEIVE a call, but on outgoing I think you'll find it's as per my post above.. 75p CONNECTION and then your home rate. So, if you have free bundled minutes, you[ll pay 75p CONNECTION and then use your bundled minutes.

Inbound calls is just the 75p CONNECTION

Cheers

[George]

Hi guys,

Thank you all for posting. I can confirm that we have recently launched a new service called Vodafone Data Traveller which gives you up to 25MB to use in European countries, click the link for further details.

I can also confirm that if you're not on a £40 a month of greater contract then you'll need to opt in for either the £2 per day charge or for the £10 monthly subscription, this applies for PAYG too.

If anyone has any further questions then don't hesitate to ask .

George

eForum Team

[kevinx]

George,

Clarification please....

I have called the relevant number, and worked through the call steering system, to the point of "If you wish to opt in, for the 2£/day, press 1, or if you want to opt in for the 10£/month press 2". There was no option to speak with a human..

My query is this.. Should one only "opt in" at the point of departure from the UK, or whilst roaming, and then be charged 2£/day, OR does the "opt in" simply mean that the "service" would be applied to ones line, but NOTHING will be charged EXCEPT for using data when roaming??

Will the opt in ONLY make a charge when actually roaming and using data? I wouldn't wish to opt in, and be charged 2£/day whilst NOT roaming.

Cheers

[Ross2]

Kevin,

£2 a day will only count while you are roaming. It will not be charged if you are not roaming.

Also, to clear up incase anyone is wondering, If you go from one country to another in the same day - you will be charged the £2 again, but it will get refunded to you.

Ross

[kevinx]

Cheers Ross,

So I may apply this to my line and it will remain dormant until I roam (Eurozone), at which point I shall be charged when I start to use data. Is this a prorata charge do you  know, or a FIXED sum? (as a point of interest)

Cheers

[Ross2]

Thats correct. Apply to your line and only be charged when you use data whilest roaming in Europe.

This is a fixed sum price.

The daily allowance can be used across all countries with the same allowance volume in the same day

Customers get 25MB to use in boosted countries and 5MB to use across all non-boosted Europe countries each day

Each data allowance ends at 23:59 UK time, not the time in the country they are roaming.

Customers who use more than 25MB (in boosted countries) or more than 5MB (in non-boosted countries) will be charged at the normal roaming data rates in the Europe zone of £1 per MB up to 5MB then £5 for each 5MB thereafter.

Hope this is of help

Ross.

[kevinx]

Ross,

NO disrespect, but wonder if a VODAFONE staff member could give a definitive on this, please?

Just called 191, spoke with an operator (English, UK based!) and asked the question. She informed me they "have just received the information on this today", but she was unable to confirm whether the fee would ONLY be charged whilst roaming (with data use) or from the point of requesting the service.

She went off to ask her supervisor/team leader. She came back, informing me "Give us a call the morning you go, and we can apply the service then". She went on to add that the information they had was unclear. :-/

Mmmmm. So, back to my original question for clarification please.

Thanks

Cheers

[Ross2]

None taken of course, im positive all my information is correct

[kevinx]

I'm sure it is Ross, but if it turns out that one is charged from the moment the service is requested, until cancllation, then I'd much rather be seeking refund from Vodafone!! :-)

The information (from Vodafone and the member of staff I spoke with) is just a little ambiguous, and for the op to advise me to "call the morning you go" is even more disconcerting!!

Sorry for being so cynical, and again I apologise for the clarification I am requesting.

Cheers

Vodafone????

[Ross2]

lol would scare me too if i phoned and they didnt know :L

[DABurleigh]

I must be thick as there are basic questions to which I don't know the answers, yet I have looked.

1) This seems a good deal, has been widely reported, yet there only 18 posts in eForum about it. Strange. And still plenty of ncertainty - maybe not so strange for Vodafone announcements!

2) I can't see practical scenarios where opting-in might be more expensive so why have an opt-in at all? Maybe it is to milk those who are tempted in but go over 5MB and start paying heavily?

3) Is the 5MB/25MB per day additional to tariff allowances, or part of them?

4) I haven't a clue where I get 5MB (a dangerously low quota) and where I get 25MB (a very usable quota). The VDT page says "boosted to 25MB in the countries you visit most often". How do they know what countries I visit most often? How many does this apply to? Then another page says it's nothing to do where I actually travel, but "25MB of data to use in European countries where there is a Vodafone Network (or one of 4 partner network countries)". OK, well I have really tried, but I can't find this information anywhere either.

5) Why does Vodafone undermine a simple, attractive offer to its customers by making it so opaque and difficult for customers to get the basic data to judge its benefit?

Dave

[DABurleigh]

Ah, Found the answer to 4). Must have missed the link earlier if I skipped over the Business Essential bit.

http://www.vodafone.co.uk/Lightbox/VFTST061981

Absolutely nothing to do with the "countries I visit most often" and 5MB applies, inter alia, to the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Denmark/Scandinavia, Cyprus, etc.

Dave