I have the Lebara 5gb data plan, we tend to go to Spain for 89 days at a time. I have two sims under my account. Once we get to 10 weeks I get an email saying I have gone over the fair usage policy but it doesnt tell me which sim! So this time I have had the email I have looked and I have used 0.8gb from my 5 gb. Like last time. So I dont understand how they can say that? I use a little more than that in the UK. I got onto their chat but they didnt seem to understand, just said dont worry about it and added another 1gb free. But I have plenty left?
Lebara (fair useage §h!t£)
- Thread starter berni109
- Start date
Yes my number is being ported in to it sometime today
. Good riddance to iD Mobile
They'd like to, but its not a done deal yet. And even if the regulator does eventually give the go-ahead, its going to be a fair while before the two networks are consolidated. Its not something I think you need to worry about for a while yet.
As far as I know, the VF 25GB fair usage policy also applies to legacy contracts. The big change in their contracts since then is that now some of them come with inclusive roaming (either EU or global) and others don't have it at all. The legacy ones all included roaming by default, but were always subject to fair use clauses (even when roaming charges weren't passed on to customers they still existed between the carriers).
The great thing about the Starlink subscription is that if you activate it part way through a month you only pay pro-rata until your billing date. So far we've used ours on a few weekends away in the UK and one 2 week trip abroad and in total we've only paid £52 in subscription fees. Knowing your billing date and carefully choosing when to activate it is key to keeping the cost down
- Jul 6, 2009
- 2,256
- 2,850
- Funster No
- 7,383
I think you will find with Lebara it associates time spent as against data. We have 2 sim only contracts we have been in France for 66 days and we got the same message on the 18/04/2024. It stated you are using your phone more in the EU than you do at home. We still have plenty of data etc left but by the time the 15 days notice they gave me would mean they would be correct. We tend to max the 90 day use so although we are technically in the UK for 185 days a year it means we are close to the limit but would be back in the UK before the 15 day notice takes effect. It’s the EU ruling that effects the data not the service provider.
- Feb 14, 2021
- 4,474
- 10,145
- Funster No
- 79,219
- MH
- Burstner Lyseo 727G
- Exp
- 3 years 30,000 miles UK and Europe.. Campsites and off Grid.
Well, obvious really. We use very little data in the UK, unless we are on holiday here. Wifi is available at home, in the pub, in the super market etc. I only have 4GB allowance and I rarely get through half of that. When I go abroad I will use it all.
Subscribers do not see these advertisements
- Aug 18, 2014
- 25,700
- 153,059
- Funster No
- 32,898
- MH
- Transit PVC
- Exp
- 16 years since restarting
The easiest way to use more in the Uk than the EU , especially if on unlimited data on phone is continuous speed tests .You can easily use 80Gb/day without trying.
I use my unlimited wifi at home but out I only ever use my own phone data. it is far, far faster than most wifi around here & more secure
- Feb 28, 2023
- 388
- 1,202
- Funster No
- 94,314
- MH
- Nearly did....but...
- Exp
- 40 years caravanning.
Not being charged to roam in Europe sure seems like a dim distant memory...
During the 3 months prior to travel, maximise the data usage in the UK. Just turn off wifi and run daytime tv or youtube (you don’t have to actually watch it)
Radio doesn’t use much - max out data on daytime tv with the sound off. Don’t even have to watch it. It does have to be the same SIM / plan you’re going to use abroad, though…Thing is I only have a 5gb plan in the UK so I'd have to switch to a 20gb plan a month earlier and start downloading something... Probably switch WiFi off and play the radio app for a week. What a faff.
Maybe a data card is the answer. Only problem with ID network I mentioned above is it uses Three... it's a few years now since I was on their sloooow network, might be ok now
Subscribers do not see these advertisements
Downloading a few 2 hour long films on BBC iPlayer to my phone and then instantly deleting them was the fastest way of getting good baseline UK usage on my SIM card before going off roaming in Europe.
- Aug 18, 2018
- 225
- 471
- Funster No
- 55,702
Because they promised me WIFI calling when I moved to them from Giffgaff and then did not deliver it. They may have it now but I waited five months and then switched to Smarty who provided it out of the box.
Unfortunately, they have a 12GB roaming limit.
Fair enough and clearly important to you.
Most are happy with app based services for WiFi (WhatsApp etc) but most importantly, this thread is about data roaming, which is what my comment (which your quote) was related to and not other services.
Al n Val
LIFE MEMBER
- Oct 28, 2019
- 2,941
- 8,159
- Funster No
- 66,381
- MH
- Rapido i1090 Distinc
- Exp
- since 2018
ID Mobile pre June 2023 contract, 250gb a month with roll over data for £14 a month and full usage in EU. Used it for 7months Aug-March and it never faulted 
Just a quick update and a reminder that if you want to be away for a good period forget lebara.
So the garbage they were giving me was that if you use your phone to roam then after 120 days with no UK use they they cut you off.
I have been in the UK twice in that time period and used far more data there than while roaming.
Their chat facility is useless all they say is it's all automated and we can't reset it. Almost lost the will to live last contact with them.
So the garbage they were giving me was that if you use your phone to roam then after 120 days with no UK use they they cut you off.
I have been in the UK twice in that time period and used far more data there than while roaming.
Their chat facility is useless all they say is it's all automated and we can't reset it. Almost lost the will to live last contact with them.
Subscribers do not see these advertisements
Thanks for the update. We've used multiple Lebara SIMs for the last two years , taking 3 month stints away in Europe with no issues. We're intending to use them again in July for a 3 month trip to Scandinavia. I'm hopeful all will be well as in previous years. We do use them extensively in the UK too. Maybe this year we'll be unlucky, and have to fall back on a Plan B.
I am 5 weeks into an 8 week stay in Spain. Our longest ever trip abroad. Yesterday I received the message that I have used more data abroad than at home. I rarely use data at home as I mostly use wifi. My usage for the last 5 weeks here in Spain has been a grand total of 2.86GB! Hardly breaking the bank.
I have read the previous comments regarding maxing out data usage before travelling and it sounds like a ridiculous policy. Forcing people to use copious amounts of data unnecessarily in order to allow max data abroad just seems wasteful.
So now I am faced with having to pay for roaming because I haven’t used my phone enough! Bizzare.
I have read the previous comments regarding maxing out data usage before travelling and it sounds like a ridiculous policy. Forcing people to use copious amounts of data unnecessarily in order to allow max data abroad just seems wasteful.
So now I am faced with having to pay for roaming because I haven’t used my phone enough! Bizzare.
And it only gets worse with Lebara.
Because it seems that each day their SIM is in the phone counts as usage even though you can't use it to do anything.
Maxing out data in UK did not work for me.
Maybe it's just me being away a lot with intermittent UK visits and not subject to 90day rule.
Because it seems that each day their SIM is in the phone counts as usage even though you can't use it to do anything.
Maxing out data in UK did not work for me.
Maybe it's just me being away a lot with intermittent UK visits and not subject to 90day rule.
Gellyneck
LIFE MEMBER
Or could it be construed you're only getting one of their sims to use abroad where it will cost them to have reciprocal agreements in place as opposed to making some profit on UK use?
ps
- Feb 14, 2021
- 4,474
- 10,145
- Funster No
- 79,219
- MH
- Burstner Lyseo 727G
- Exp
- 3 years 30,000 miles UK and Europe.. Campsites and off Grid.
I bought my new Lebara just days before I left the UK and have used it abroad for 2 weeks now. So it's only use has been abroad. No issues so far.
Subscribers do not see these advertisements
I did change, they were useless in the UK so changed back
Still never had issues with Lebera for roaming despite up to 12 weeks away at a time, but we always max out UK usage for the two months before.
Heading to Norway for 10 to 12 weeks in early July. Fingers crossed it continues to work as before.
Heading to Norway for 10 to 12 weeks in early July. Fingers crossed it continues to work as before.
- Feb 14, 2021
- 4,474
- 10,145
- Funster No
- 79,219
- MH
- Burstner Lyseo 727G
- Exp
- 3 years 30,000 miles UK and Europe.. Campsites and off Grid.
Problem is, you cannot use ID as a one off SIM for a trip of say a month. They require 30 days notice to cancel so you always end up paying extra.
I suppose if you cancel immediately after purchasing and activating it might work as a one month one off.
Its exactly this.Or could it be construed you're only getting one of their sims to use abroad where it will cost them to have reciprocal agreements in place as opposed to making some profit on UK use?
ps
Mobile operators have to pay the host roaming network for whatever data and minutes you use while you're abroad. So they set their prices and roaming allowances to ensure they make a profit overall, based on their typical subscribers' usage.....ie. mostly at home in the UK, and a few week's abroad on holiday. This is especially true of the VNO providers, because they don't have the reciprocal income of foreign mobiles roaming in the UK and the associated fees from their home networks to offset those costs. Exactly how Lebara (or anyone else) calculate and enforce their roaming rules will differ within each operator....and the exact calculation is probably not something the customer service operators are likely to know: they'll just see and respond what the system has flagged for that number.
So whilst its a valid strategy for us to find the cheapest SIM and try to maximise our roaming usage, we need to remember that we're actually trying to game the system and we can't complain when we get caught out. When it works....great
, but when we get caught out we just need to accept that (and have a backup plan if connectivity is important to you!)Good backup plans could be a local SIM, Starlink, or if you have a relatively recent phone you could use an eSIM service....these tend to be much cheaper and many of them are designed for roaming so have no fair use policy.
- Oct 18, 2021
- 2,580
- 7,797
- Funster No
- 84,940
- MH
- Adria Compact SC
- Exp
- Camping since 1954, MoHo 2022
IQGO with their annual SIM subscription plus 30 day validity data purchases appears to be a satisfactory alternative, plus gives the advantage of a U.K. service for those with no VPN.
I’m running one in the primary SIM slot of the router and a Lebara 99p for 15gb SIM in the secondary slot. Failover enabled and they have both been working faultlessly for the past two months, including 4 weeks and counting in France. Wife has the same deal Lebara SIM in her phone and it’s the same service.
Subscribers do not see these advertisements
You're right. We're off next week and I'm just bidding my time until clicking on "activate" . My renewal date is 8th so I'll reactivate the night before we get on the ferry.They'd like to, but its not a done deal yet. And even if the regulator does eventually give the go-ahead, its going to be a fair while before the two networks are consolidated. Its not something I think you need to worry about for a while yet.
As far as I know, the VF 25GB fair usage policy also applies to legacy contracts. The big change in their contracts since then is that now some of them come with inclusive roaming (either EU or global) and others don't have it at all. The legacy ones all included roaming by default, but were always subject to fair use clauses (even when roaming charges weren't passed on to customers they still existed between the carriers).
The great thing about the Starlink subscription is that if you activate it part way through a month you only pay pro-rata until your billing date. So far we've used ours on a few weekends away in the UK and one 2 week trip abroad and in total we've only paid £52 in subscription fees. Knowing your billing date and carefully choosing when to activate it is key to keeping the cost down
Join us or log in to post a reply.
To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun
Join MotorhomeFun
Join us, it quick and easy!
Log in
Already a member? Log in here.