Roaming costs can be a right pain for anyone wanting to enjoy their holiday. Id your want to brag to friends about the good fine you’re having or keep updated with family members then it’ll usually run up a massive bill.
Three hoped to change all that with ‘Feel at Home’ which is a list of countries they allow you to use your UK minutes, texts AND data for the grand price of £0….. Nothing!
The list has grown over time with America being one of the key countries and one I plan to use again during my 2 week trip this year.
But the one country that has been on everyones wish list for free roaming was of course … Spain.
Well, wish no more. Three have confirmed that from 1st April 2015, both Spain and New Zealand will enjoy free roaming if you are a Three UK customer!
The UK network were teasing the announcement earlier on their Twitter account showing off parts of the flags which got a lot of attention but this is now official.
This is for all customers too so if you are a contract customer, SIM only, mobile broadband or on PAYG, Three have you covered at no extra cost.
So now you can finally send that snapchat at the beach, Instagram your bus tour, or even use key apps such as iMessage and WhatsApp at no cost.
The countries now included under the Feel at Home service are now as follows..
Spain
New Zealand
France
Switzerland
Israel
Finland
Norway
USA
Indonesia
Sri Lanka
Macau
Australia
Italy
Austria
Hong Kong
Sweden
Denmark
Republic of Ireland.
This is great news and something that will be a huge selling point for the network, especially with the summer coming up.
Now if Three could bring that forward a month to March so the team can use when covering Mobile World Congress it would be appreciated 😉
Below is the full press release from Three. Gracias! 🙂
Three says adios to the worry of roaming charges in Spain as Brits book summer getaways
Three customers will be able to use their phone abroad at no extra cost from two new destinations, Spain and New Zealand, from April 1, 2015
The two new countries join the 16 destinations where Feel at Home is currently available, including France, USA, Australia and Italy
The service, called Feel at Home, lets you browse the internet, call and text home, as well as tweet and chat without paying a penny more
To celebrate, Three has teamed up with Expedia to offer Three customers 12% off a pre-paid hotel booking on the UK Expedia app¹.
Three installs giant Spanish flag, made from 650 parasols, on Bournemouth Beach to announce roaming at no extra cost for Brits travelling to Spain, the UK’s most popular beach holiday destination, this summer
Three is giving the estimated two million² UK holiday-goers who are set to book a trip abroad this January something else to smile about. From April 1, 2015, Three customers travelling to Spain and New Zealand will now be able to use their phone abroad at no extra cost.
Spain and New Zealand join the 16 existing Feel at Home destinations which allows Three customers to roam abroad as if they were in the UK.
More than 13 million³ people are set to travel to Spain this year to party in Ibiza, sight-see in Barcelona, soak up the sun in Tenerife, or sip cocktails in Majorca. Three customers will able to call friends or family, brag from the beach via social media or discover the best travel apps to make holidays a breeze all without incurring extra charges.
To celebrate the extension of its popular Feel at Home service to Spain, the UK’s most popular beach holiday destination⁴, Three has installed a giant Spanish flag on Bournemouth beach, created from 650 beach umbrellas. The colourful mosaic took over six hours to build and is designed to get Brits in the holiday mood this January.
To help combat the winter blues, Three is also giving its UK customers a helping hand, teaming up with Expedia.co.ukto exclusively offer 12% off a pre-paid hotel booking via the UK Expedia app, from January 6 until April 6 2015, as the nation prepares for a booking frenzy.
Dave Dyson, Chief Executive at Three, said:
“Feel at Home is unique to Three and offers freedom from unfair roaming charges. It is already hugely popular with more than a million of our customers enjoying its benefits since launch. Adding France last year and Spain in 2015 means the two most popular destinations with British holiday makers will be covered. Currently, 49% of our customers’ overseas trips are to Feel At Home destinations. With the addition of Spain and New Zealand, I expect that to rise to about 65%.
“However, my ambition continues to be to eliminate excessive roaming charges globally and we’re working hard to open up even more opportunities for our customers to stay connected and enjoy their phones whilst they’re abroad.”
These two new destinations will join France, Switzerland, Israel, Finland, Norway, USA, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Macau, Australia, Italy, Austria, Hong Kong, Sweden, Denmark and Republic of Ireland.
It couldn’t be simpler and there are no catches. Just travel to a Feel At Home destination and it will automatically activate as soon as you touchdown in one of the 18 great places to visit. As soon as you arrive, your phone picks up a local network and you can then chat to family and text your friends back home, post status updates and share holiday snaps whenever you like. If you go out of bundle, you will still benefit from reduced roaming rates – a no brainer for the modern traveller.
Customers on pay monthly, Pay-As-You-Go, SIM-only and mobile broadband have the freedom to use Feel At Home within the limits of their current Three price plan allowance, as long as international roaming is activated⁵. Calls and texts to non-UK numbers will be charged at reduced roaming rates. Tethering is not included. Pay-As-You-Go customers will require an add-on.
