PAYG Cannot Roam in UAE

[business_user1]

Hi, has vodafone blocked all roaming in UAE? My phone stopped working in UAE towards he end of June and I returned to the UK, everything was fine. Now I am back in the UAE (I travel to and from the UK often), and roaming still doesn't work. I used livechat and was assure it will work again in 24hr, that was several days ago. 

Roaming in other countries is fine. This is a Vodafone UK PAYG number not roaming in the UAE. There are no roaming bars on my account, I have checked online.

Please can you help?

[shonakr]

Hi Ref PAYG Not being able to raom in UAE, what about Iran, Qatar and India. Will it work there. 

Whats the reason for disabling it in UAE and are there any chances of it being resolved. 

[Retired-Sarah]

You’ll be able to roam in Qatar and India, but this isn’t available for Iran.

This is a business decision and we’re unable to advise further on this.

[shonakr]

Thanks for your reply,

1) My concern then is if I am unable to log on to the network in UAE to make or receive calls will I be able to retain my number as there will be no usage till I travel to countries where there is network access. Does keeping sufficent balance above GBP 10-15 help in retaining the number and for how long.

2) By when do you think the issue with UAE will get resolved.

[Annie_N]

Hi @shonakr

Keeping your number active, if you are away for a prolonged period in an area without roaming coverage, does pose some challenges! The basic requirement is "chargeable usage", which can be a call, a text, or even data usage, but that would be an expensive option. A short text (under 160 standard characters) is usually the most economic.

The time requirements are set out in Section 6 of the PAYG airtime conditions - but do be aware that these can change. The critical bit of wording is in section 6b: If we suspend the mobile equipment because you have chosen not to use the services (as defined in 6a3 above) for 180 consecutive days we will send you an SMS notifying you that you should top up your account or make a chargeable outbound call (but not calls to 191), send a chargeable SMS or use your data within the next 90 days. If you then fail to make any chargeable outbound calls (but not calls to 191), send a chargeable SMS, use your data or top up your account within 90 days from the date of the SMS because you have not kept to this agreement or not used the services for 270 consecutive days, we will disconnect your mobile equipment, and you will lose any credit held on your account.

This mentions "or topping up", but to be honest I'm nervous of this, and I personally wouldn't want to rely on that alone to keep my number active. Also, although I have a couple of PAYG SIMs that I have been monitoring but not using, and they seem to have kept going for 270 days, I have been connecting them to the UK network at regular intervals to check how they're doing. My suspicion is that things are more liable to go wrong if a number shows no signs at all of activity, and that sending a text at least once every 180 days, and preferably more frequently, is desirable.

Definitely, the size of the credit balance isn't relevant to keeping the SIM active, and I'd be reluctant to keep too high a balance, just in order to minimise the damage if you fail to keep the SIM going. 

Do you or any friends travel to, say, Kuwait or Qatar, where as far as I'm aware, PAYG roaming is still OK? Taking/sending your phone there in order to send a text would be one solution. Or, at a pinch, sending your SIM to a friend or family member in the UK to keep it active, but that would have the downside that you wouldn't have the SIM with you on arrival in the UK.

Sorry, I'm aware that this isn't particularly good news, but it's the best I can offer. I'm not sure of the reason for the problem, but I think that it isn't likely to be resolved very quickly, or it probably wouldn't have happened in the first place.

Annie.

[daled]

I know that my PAYG phone will no longer work in the UAE but what I would like to know is what is the alternative to get my phone to work over there. I will be there for two weeks in December and need my phone with the same number. Unfortunately not a single member of Vodafone staff has a clue about this and in fact the last one I contacted told me there were technical issues in the UAE which were being worked on!

Is there any one out there who has been in a similar situation and has found a solution? Thanks.

[Annie_N]

Hi @daled

I've been thinking about this one overnight, but I'm not sure that there is a very satisfactory workaround!  Whatever the problem in the UAE, I don't think it is likely to be fixed soon enough to help you. However, it is my understanding that Vodafone contract phones aren't affected by the problem, and this does open up one possibility.

That would be to enter into a SIM only contract with Vodafone, and transfer your number to that. As you'll see, if you toggle between the 12-month and 30-day contracts, they are broadly similar to the PAYG Big Value Bundles, However, these involve credit checks and entering into a commitment which you may not want to do if you are comfortable with your present PAYG arrangement. There are also minor complications like making sure you don't lose your stock of Rewards Points - the present rule is that you have to use them within 30 days of transferring. See here and here for more information.

The only other option I have been able to think of is to find which UK networks are still offering PAYG roaming to UAE (last I heard, some did, but others were affected by the problem, and I haven't checked since), and use another network in order to check your voicemail regularly, and to return calls as necessary. To do this, it would be essential to set up a Voicemail PIN before you go, so that you can use the dial-in service. Also, you would probably want to set your calls to divert immediately to voicemail. See here for general information, and here and here for some more specific options within voicemail.

Niether of these strikes me as ideal, but they're the best I've come up with.

Annie.

[daled]

Thank you for your comprehensive reply. I will have to explore the first option as I live in an area in the UK in which only vodafone has reception.

If I get the 30 day sim only option will this work in the UAE and not just in the UK? I couldn't really tell from the Vodafone info. Can I then return to PAYG when I get back?

[Annie_N]

Hi @daled

I have now double-checked that PayM contracts (which includes SIMO) definitely do still work in the UAE, and I've also heard from a fellow-CC that a family member was using it there without problems just 10 days ago.

I can also confirm that it would then be possible to return to PAYG, but I have to say that the whole thing then becomes very elaborate. I'm mainly a PAYG specialist, so it will take me a little while to write up the steps you'd have to go through, and a few things to be aware of. I'll post separately about this later today, or perhaps early tomorrow.

However, I have in the meantime thought of a cunning plan which, depending a bit on your precise requirements, might achieve pretty much the same result. This is to take out a 30-day SIMO plan, accepting the phone number assigned by Vodafone, and also keep your present PAYG number running. When you go away, you set up the voicemail on the PAYG phone to give an extended absence greeting (described here) which would not take messages, but would tell callers to call the SIMO number instead. On your return, you cancel the extended absence greeting and resume normal use of your PAYG number. You also give your required notice for the SIMO plan (I'll cover this in a bit more detail in my next post), and you can either set up an extended absence greeting on that number, telling callers that normal service has been resumed on your main number, or (an option not available on PAYG) you could set up a redirection so that callers to the temporary number are transferred to your main number.

This plan would be fine for calls, and also for any data usage you needed while in the UAE, but it wouldn't do anything to enable you to see text messages sent to your PAYG number, although, as a non-texter, I have no idea what options there may be in some of the alternatives to the basic messaging app. If you do a lot of texting, this might be too much of an obstacle. If you only get a few texts per day, leaving your PAYG SIM in an inexpensive handset with a friend who could be relied upon to check once a day, and send a "use number xxx until date yyy" might be an option. 

As a regular on the Forum, I see too many problems, and nothing of the vast majority of customers who have no problems when transferring between types of contract, so I probably take an unduly anxious view, but tbh I wouldn't be keen to do two transfers in rapid succession. When I was going abroad for an extended period a year ago, I did consider taking out a SIMO contract, and might well have done it if I could have made it work for me longterm. I also considered having a separate SIMO number for a while plus extended absence greeting, but simply using my PAYG phone was an option for my destinations, although an expensive one, and I went for that in the end. I don't think I considered a double transfer of my number.

More general info to follow idc!

[alharazi84]

I am currectly in the UAE, Your contact centre agents are unaware of  the fact that you have stopped roaming in the UAE. Could you advise how would i be able to make a chargable call, as i am worried the line will be disconnected if i do not make a chargable call within six months and i will be here for another months before i return to the UK.

[Annie_N]

Hi @alharazi84

I've given the best advice I can in post #14 above. I haven't since thought of anything to add to that.

Annie