New EU roaming terms & conditions 2021 explained?

[Rye1]

I am currently with Vodafone - both mobile (20GB) and home fibre broadband. I travel a lot for both work and leisure, and originally signed up with VF as they seemed like a serious provider of telecoms, and at the time offered a very good all 'round service which suited my needs. I'd previously been with Three but left them as their roaming sounded good, but the reality was more of a 'bare bones' roaming option.

Can anyone please clarify the new 'fair use' small print and the 62 day UK/EU restrictions?  The way I see it is that in order to have access to my 20GB data while abroad, I now have to start really eating up my data allowance while in the UK in order to 'boost' my quota for when I'm in Europe? I rarely go anywhere near my allowance, but this seems both unfair and clumsy, and also a potential drain on UK data. Traveling is seldom predictable (especially when one is working on the road) and this new 'policy' does seem to feel like a real 'downgrade' from what I went to Vodafone for.

So, in order to 'protect' my 20GB data allowance if I'm away for 63 days in four months, I first have to max out my UK data as much as possible to have any hope of preserving much of my roaming 'allowance'? And how is the 'start date' counted, and on what day does one have to have 'used' one's data in the UK from? And, how is it counted if one leaves the UK for say 27 days, is back home for 10 days, and is then away again for 37 days (a total of 63 days 'over' a 4 month period)? And, what if one is home in the UK for two, three or four months on the trot?  I'm genuinely a little confused & bewildered (and quite frankly, disappointed).

It is naturally very tempting to look elsewhere, especially as EE are continuing with a fixed monthly 40GB roaming 'cap' (plenty and generous) - with none of this jumping through hoops with amount of data used in the UK/EU. (Their plans are also looking more than competitive..).

I'm sure I'm not the only one here to be affected by this?

Many thanks in advance for any clarification or words of reassurance..

[Evie]

Hey @Rye1 - I agree, your data consumption will vary month to month and this would make the points in our acceptable usage policy a bit tricky to grasp. To clarify, we take your average data usage with us since the start of your contract. For example, let's say you've been with us for 12 months and you've used 100GB over that period, you'd have the roaming allowance of around 8GB, as that would be the calculated average for your 12 month usage.

I will pass on your comments regarding the phrasing of our policy to the relevant team so it can be more understandable 👍

[Rye1]

Thanks @Evie..

That's 'clearer' (I think).. So, is that '8GB' you use as an example, 8GB per month roaming, or 8GB per annum?

If, for example, I've had my contract for 3 years but have used quite little over that period, I'm eligible for a teeny weeny bit of roaming data? Even though had I known, I would have consciously used a great deal more over that time in order to somehow 'boost' any roaming data? And all of this new stuff we've just been recently told of and will commence on January 18th?? I must say this is really quite a serious shift and makes me potentially quite angry..  I would be 'calculated' on quite out of date information, and penalised accordingly?

Also, how much roaming data would one be entitled to if one started a fresh contract at the begining of this year? If one used say 20GB over January 2021, does this mean you'de be 'entitled' to 240GB?

I'm genuinely quite flabbergasted!  😮

Thanks again in advance for your input..

[Rye1]

.... and on top of that, I've always had VF home broadband as well and have always tried to use WiFi to 'conserve' mobile data (for both the environment and trying to 'save' mobile data [goodness knows why now]) ....

This all feels verty borderline in many respects.

Again, I thank you in advance for your input..

[Rye1]

@Moderator(s)

I was rather hoping to get some input regarding my above points? I don't think this roaming issue is going away anytime soon, and as soon as travel opens up again, it will rear it's head over and over.. I don't think I'll be the only one raising these issues, and this might be a great opportunity to fully clarify the new 'position'..

As ever, I thank you in advance for your valued contribution..

[Anonymous]

I appreciate this potentially a rather charged situation @Rye1, and as the situation evolves we'll have more answers for you. Just out of interest, do you have a business or consumer contract with us?  With our standard Personal Use policy, we'd expect any usage abroad to be roughly equal to your usage in the UK. The main factor that will dictate any charges on your account would be days spent abroad, as the longer you are spending outside of the UK, the more likely you are to hit or exceed your estimated usage. 

At this moment in time, we aren't able to provide information on specific limits, as these will differ between customers. The process is not an automated one and will be dealt with on a case by case basis, and if there are any specific questions or queries you may have once the updated policy has come into effect we'll be able to assist much more specifically with date directly relating to you own account and situation. 

[Rye1]

Thanks @Jack

I appreciate your transparent reply as I've had any number of conflicting responses (even from customer services themselves).. And I do also appreciate that 'fair use' benefits us all. As does clarity, especially if one is considering committing to a fresh contract.

As things seem to depend very much on the 'moon cycles', and for now I'm most likely going to 'see how it pans out' for the short term, and how and the small print is implemented. However, 5G awaits, and I'm naturally weighing up what's on offer out there..

🔎

[alekskowalski]

This does seem to be an inverted approach - has there been any progress since February on this.

Reason being my job involves European travel (as work for an airline) - my wife and kids live abroad but I live in the UK, yet when in the UK I almost always link via my Vodafone internet router to "save" data so my GB used is very small.  It seems counter-intuitive to turn wifi off so that the data gets routed via 4/5G.  May as well not bother with a Vodafone router and simply hotspot everything in future.  Is that what VF would prefer??

Is there an "app" one could install via VF that measures your overall usage in the UK, via Wifi or mobile data.  

The sentiment of the policy I understand, the implementation is flawed.

[Evie]

Hi @alekskowalski - I understand that this is important to get relevant updates on this, especially when your work is abroad at times. Our Consumer Acceptable Use Policy is shown here and any updates to this will be seen there.

In regards to checking what your data usage with us has been on, you can keep track of this via the MyVodafone App and your monthly bills give a detailed breakdown. Also, please don't hesitate to contact us via social media if you'd like us to check this on your account.

[alekskowalski]

Hi Evie

Thanks but you've not actually answered the Q that was asked.  I'll repeat it.

I almost always link via my Vodafone internet router to "save" mobile data so my UK mobile data GB used is very small. It seems counter-intuitive to turn wifi off so that the data gets routed via 4/5G.  Is that what VF would prefer for those of us who are abroad very often?

[Effie]

@alekskowalski I'm sorry that your question wasn't answered! I hope you're doing well and having a lovely week 💮 Let me see if I can shed a little more light on the situation.

We want you to use your Vodafone services in whichever way is easiest and most comfortable for you, provided you stay within your Terms and Conditions of course. We absolutely understand that people will more often than not link to their home Wi-Fi when at home rather than use their mobile data; I do this myself. We don't want any of our customers to feel that they need to change the way they use their services in the UK in anticipation or preparation of going abroad for a period of time. All we ask is that your usage and time spent in the UK is greater than that abroad.

On our Roaming page, if you scroll to the bottom you will see our FAQ section. If you select the 'Is there a limit on how long I can roam for?' part, we advise that a message regarding your roaming usage will be triggered if your usage abroad is greater than your home usage over a 4 month period. In this respect, if you used 10GB in the UK over a 4 month period, but then spent 63 days abroad and used 15GB for example, you will receive a message asking you to change your usage. If no changes are made i.e. you don't switch off your roaming or return to the UK within 14 days, we may cap your usage and you will be charged for using your services abroad. This is because the roaming allowance on our plans is only intended for holidays and short trips, not extended periods of time outside the UK. 

To avoid the extra charges for being abroad, or to stop them once they've started, you would need to return to the UK and use your SIM on our network to a point where your home usage is once again greater than the roaming usage. 

Essentially in every 4 month period, you need to use your services more in the UK than you do abroad as Vodafone UK is your home network, and the UK is where you should be spending the majority of your time. If you spend a great deal of time travelling either for work or for pleasure, it might be worth considering getting a local SIM or phone. If you only need to use your phone occasionally, you could switch off roaming on the days you don’t need it or switch over to Wi-Fi.  

I hope that explanation helps, but if you need any further clarity please do let me know 😊