Local calls at roaming destinations

[SP0]

The new roaming charges are bewildering.

I have something called "Unlimited Max plan between 12 July 2019 and 14 June 2021".  This includes roaming in a wide range of countries for which I've been paying a premium.

I was expecting therefore to be able to make local calls with my (unlimited) included minutes.  However when I consult the Charge Checker, the website says that calls from (say) Australia to the UK are free but Australia to Australia is an unbelievably expensive £3 per minute!  

How can this make sense?  I am sure it never worked that way before.  Surely travellers often need to make a local call - eg to their hotel, or for a cab, or to a restaurant etc -- but at £3 a minute??!!!

Have I understood this correctly?

Looks as though it's time to bin Vodafone when travelling, like I used to do, and go with local SIM cards.  I had thought the Max plan would save me that pain.  

[SP0]

Oh and also, it seems that making a local call in Australia on my wife's phone (on a cheaper plan) is £6 per day for using the phone PLUS £3 per minute for the call! 

[simax]

If you have the roaming included for that country, there is no additional charge for local calls in the same country. If roaming isn’t included in your plan, it costs £6 a day to use your allowances with no other additional charges. The £3 a minute is for an IDD call to Australia from the UK I think - certainly isn’t applicable in your case.

This is the problem when a company has so many different variations, this confusion can happen.

Hope this helps.

[SP0]

Unfortunately the call centre chap disagrees with you, after going away and checking. And the website seems pretty clear (that this ripoff £3/minute applies) too….

[SP0]

My screenshot is not displaying, but you can make your own:

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/help-and-information/costs-and-charges/travelling-abroad

choose “Australia“, “My phone“, “pay monthly“, then down the bottom next to “ showing charges from Australia to” set that to “Australia”.   Voila, 

“For other plans, it’s £6 each day you call, text or use data, plus charges below
Make calls; £3.00 per minute”

[simax]

That is incorrect. Someone official will be along to confirm soon enough…

[simax]

I’ve just refreshed my browser and I must have had an old cached page somewhere. It does actually look like local calls are indeed chargeable if you don’t have a roaming inclusive plan! It wasn’t like that a few years back… although even if that’s the case, I do think other networks do the same (with the exception of EE I believe)….

However from what I can see, if your roaming is included in your plan, then so will you local call (see the bold italic text)…

Charges from Australia (inc. Tasmania) to Australia (inc. Tasmania)

Roaming charge

If you’re on Unlimited Max or Red Entertainment*, there is no extra charge. For other plans, it’s £6 each day you call, text or use data, plus charges below

£3.00 per minute.

So the £6 daily pass (if you pay it) gives you UK allowances so you’re billed as if you’re in the UK - so a call to an Australian number would be treated as a UK to Australia call hence the IDD call charge….. and if you have the country included in your 83 countries then there is no charge at all… Vodafone - have I interpreted this right?

[SP0]

It is indeed bizarre. I can imagine someone going out to Oz expecting a max of £6 per day, phoning to confirm a restaurant and ending up paying £20. Or on hold to a breakdown service and paying £200.  Surely this cannot be a sensible charging scheme. 

the call centre chap told me that I had to pay even on a Max plan, which as you say is not the same as the website says. However he thought that in both cases (unlikited max and£6/day plans) you have to pay for local calls and it was “about 60p’minute” … I don’t know where he got that from. More fog!

[simax]

I think Vodafone need to not only clarify this in this post, but also feed back to the web team that greater clarity is needed on the charge checker.

[AnnS]

Yes @SP0 Vodafone don't make this simple or clear.  See here: Roaming 

As you can see you are able to call the country within your destination and this will be covered by the daily £6.00 charge.  The tariffs you are on are included in the £6.00 daily charge.

As you don't seem to be getting the correct information or advise from Customer Services, I would drop the Social Team a message here: Contact Us they will be able to check your account and provide the correct information.

edited to add: @SP0 Vodafone apply a credit limit to the account and to avoid losing service when the limit has been reached it would be worth making sure this is adequate.