The disappearance of roaming in Europe has been one of the big news of 2017 in terms of mobility and telephony. Since last June 15, the surcharges in the rates for calling other countries of the European Union have been eliminated.
The different Spanish operators have been adapting, with different rhythms. However, only one has taken advantage of the end of roaming in Europe to remove barriers in other countries. Vodafone. The operator was also the first to anticipate the official date to introduce free roaming in its rates.
We are going to analyze how exactly your roaming offer has been.
Calling from Spain
First of all, it is important to make a clarification that may confuse some users: it is only considered roaming when the phone is used from a country other than that of our contract or rate. Therefore, if we call abroad from Spain, it will count as an international call , not as roaming, and will have a special rate. Each continent and country has its prices, and from the Vodafone website you can find out exactly which one applies, depending on where you want to call.
No roaming in 34 countries
Awarded with The Idea of 2017 at the Tuexperto Awards, Vodafone has taken the end of roaming one step further, reaching a total of 34 countries. On the one hand we have the 27 countries of the European Union, which are Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy , Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom (which has already announced that it will leave the EU in March 2019, but for now it remains). In these countries we can sum Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Albania, Turkey and the United States .
Including the US in the deal is one of the differential elements that make this an offer that still has no competitor in our country, and that raises a concept of global fare that allows us to travel throughout almost the entire Western world without worrying or thinking about our pocket.
Calls, SMS and Internet
Vodafone users, both prepaid and contract, can call and send SMS from abroad to Spain without affecting the conditions of their rate. Calls and SMS made from one foreign country to another are also included, as long as they are included in the list. In other words, if we have a Spanish rate, we can call, while in France, a US number, and this does not imply an extra cost.
Is there a difference when it comes to mega hired? Neither, since we will have the same as in our usual rate. If we run out of megabytes, and want to add more, we will have at our disposal vouchers that are paid at 3 euros every 200 MB , with a maximum of 2 extra GB, exactly the same as for the national territory.
Cases in which Vodafone does charge roaming in Europe and the US
There are exceptions within the non-roaming territories where surcharges are charged. It is important that you know them so as not to incur expenses unconsciously . For example, premium rate numbers or subscriptions to Premium SMS messages are not exempt from roaming. Roaming is also charged if we have contracted maritime or air coverage services.
To prevent fraud, the EU has created the Roaming Fair Use Policy. This considers a series of situations that could involve the collection of surcharges by the operators within the European field. For example, when a Spanish rate is used preferably in foreign countries rather than at home for a consecutive period of more than four months .
Another case would be if the SIM that we have contracted in Spain has long periods of inactivity and is only used abroad . Finally, if we have contracted the rate in Spain but we do not reside there, it would also be a reason to include surcharges.
In any of these cases, Vodafone would notify the customer first , relying on European regulations, and would begin to charge per use based on the following prices:
- Outgoing calls: 0.039 euros / min.
- Incoming calls: 0.0131 euros / min.
- SMS: 0.012 euros / SMS
- Data: 0.0093 euros / MB
Roaming for the rest of the world
Apart from Europe and the US, there is a large part of the world that we can visit. How does that affect our pocket if we are Vodafone customers? In these cases, the red operator has two possible rates that apply, with different conditions: it is the Vodafone World rate and the World Travel rate . These two rates work for both prepaid and contract customers.
Vodafone World rate
This is the rate that is applied by default from the moment we leave the countries mentioned until now. Three tariffs are contemplated, depending on whether the use of Vodafone services takes place within Zones 2, 3 or 4.
These prices are the same, whether we call from within the same area or if we communicate with numbers that belong to countries in other areas, with one exception: if we call from one area to another, we will not have to pay for the calls received . In case of contacting numbers within the same area, these calls will be charged.
| Rate | Calls | SMS | Internet |
| Vodafone World (Zone 2) | 1.69 euros / minute + 1.21 euros (call establishment) | 1.21 euros per SMS (only outgoing) | 6 euros per MB |
| Vodafone World (Zone 3) | 3 euros / minute + 1.69 euros (call establishment) | € 1.21 per SMS (only outgoing) | 6 euros per MB |
| Vodafone World (Zone 4) | 6 euros / minute +1.69 euros (call establishment) | 2 euros per SMS | 18.15 euros per MB |
Vodafone World in Zone 2
The countries included in Vodafone's Zone 2 are: Afghanistan, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua, Netherlands Antilles, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China People's Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji Islands, Philippines, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Macao, Macedonia, Morocco, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Russia, Samoa, Saint Kitts and Nevis (Saint Kitts and Nevis), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Suriname, Thailand, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turquoise and Caicos Islands, Uruguay, Vanuatu, British Virgin Islands, in addition to Bonaire, Curaçao, Nauru and Palestine.
These countries are charged as follows: calls (incoming and outgoing) will be paid at 1.69 euros per minute , plus 1.21 euros for call establishment. The SMS sent will cost 1.21 euros, and the received ones will not be charged. Finally, Internet on the mobile will cost 6 euros per MB.
Vodafone World in Zone 3
The countries included in Zone 3 are the following: Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, South Korea , United Arab Emirates, Faroe Islands, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau , Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Malawi, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of Guinea, Republic of Montenegro, Solomon Islands, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uganda, Venezuela, Vietnam, Republic of Yemen and Zambia.
When we travel to these countries, the Vodafone World rate will be activated by default, charging us 3.03 euros / minute for calls made and received , together with 1.69 of call establishment. SMS will be charged at 1.21 euros (only sent ones). Internet, finally, will be priced at 6 euros per MB.
Vodafone World on Z0na 4
Finally, we can comment on the countries in Zone 4. This consists of the following countries: Angola, Bahamas, Belize, People's Republic of Benin, Kingdom of Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros Islands, Republic Congo, Cook Islands, Ivory Coast, Cuba , Republic of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Greenland, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Maldives, Madagascar, Mali, Falkland Islands, Mauritania, Montserrat, Namibia, Nepal, New Caledonia, Kyrgyz Republic, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles Islands, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, South Sudan, Tahiti, East Timor, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe.
The Vodafone World rate applied by default in these countries will charge us for incoming and outgoing calls at 6 euros per minute, with a call establishment of 1.69 euros . The SMS sent will cost 2 euros, while the mega Internet on the mobile will cost 18, 15 euros.
World Travel Rate
If we are going to travel to a country in Zone 2, we have the alternative of contracting the World Travel rate. This rate allows, through an extra daily payment, to maintain the conditions that we have in our usual rate.
| World Travel | Calls | SMS | Internet | Price |
| With rates: Red M, Red L, RED XL, One M, One L, One XL, + M Lines, + L Lines, + Shared Lines | same price national rate | same price national rate | same price national rate | 15 euros / day |
| With other rates | 20 minutes a day | 20 SMS per day | 20 MB per day | 15 euros / day |
For Red M Red L, XL RED ONE M, L One, One XL, M + Lines, Lines + L, + Shared Lines, we can keep our rates national rate paying 15 euros a day . For the rest of the contract rates, the World Travel rate allows you to enjoy up to 20 minutes of incoming and outgoing calls per day, as well as 20 SMS and 20 MB of Internet connection, also per day. The price is 15 euros a day. If we exceed those limits for calls, SMS or connection, the rate will be that of Vodafone World.
The World Travel rate can be activated by dialing * 143 # on the keyboard and then pressing the call key , or from the My Vodafone app.
With all these options, you can already know how to organize in advance when you make a trip abroad . The most profitable destinations, since last June 15, are the whole of Europe and the United States.
