Forum Discussion
Will non-EU roaming ever have a cheaper option?
Thanks for all the replies.
I do understand that:
MVNOs want to keep their offering simple to maximize profit on a slim charge.
They may not have agreements in place with other OpCos (not case here, as Smarty seems very much part of H3G)
Don't want to cannibalize from their main brand (I suspect the case here)
Smarty is still pretty good (I think Lebara (the international call specialist), if I can read their website, charges a stupendous £14.99 a Meg in the US...) - I did check a few and Smarty was the best.
I can use a local e-SIM or get a dedicated roaming one - if I find I'm leaving the EU.
etc
Was really just an idea for the suggestion box, that this was an area that could be improved upon.
e.g. Just have a £10 cap on the daily roaming charges.
Clearly a worse deal than Three offers - but tolerable enough that for a few days travel, I can just use my phone as normal.
On the roaming agreements piece - iD Mobile, another MVNO using Three UK's network, have an extensive list of roaming agreements.
iD are an independent company, not linked to Three UK or Hutchinson, so looks like worldwide roaming can be provided by an MVNO without a big impact on their UK pricing.
I wonder how much mobile data you'd be offered under a £10/day cap for roaming?
I did look at ID - but seemed worse than Smarty.
e.g. Data is 30p a Meg roaming in the US (Smarty is 10p) - and couldn't see any bundles/caps to bring that down.I think Three charges a flat £5 a day, to use your phone as you would at home (so no cap, other that whatever monthly limit you have). Was just thinking similar would be what people would want.
Three UK's £10 PAYG SIM only plan includes a level of inclusive roaming in 71 destinations worldwide. A little research is necessary to check the roaming terms for the destinations you're most likely visit.
If you set the plan to auto-renew, you'll get an extra 5GB/month of data in your plan's allowance.
