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Three Feel at Home
paulker
Posts: 927
Forum Member
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Question.
As you guys know I am an EE 4g customer but I am going to Oz next month.
I have bought a sim to use on Pay as you go and I will be buying an add on.
1st Q Do I have to use 3's sister network Vodafone or can I use Telstra or Optus and still get the Feel at home tariff?
2nd Q In the T&C's it says streaming wont be as fast using the phone abroad. Does anyone have any experience of this in Australia or any other Feel at Home country for that matter?
Many thanks guys & gals
As you guys know I am an EE 4g customer but I am going to Oz next month.
I have bought a sim to use on Pay as you go and I will be buying an add on.
1st Q Do I have to use 3's sister network Vodafone or can I use Telstra or Optus and still get the Feel at home tariff?
2nd Q In the T&C's it says streaming wont be as fast using the phone abroad. Does anyone have any experience of this in Australia or any other Feel at Home country for that matter?
Many thanks guys & gals
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Comments
I am also an EE 4G customer and was out in Oz last November. I had local SIMs for both Telstra and Optus, one in my iPhone and one in my iPad (I had heard that Voda was the worst reception of the 3). I don't remember the costs but IMO it's usually better to use local SIMs than a UK based contract.
I believe that you can use any Aus networks,
When this is action in continental Europe, download speeds tend to be about 1 - 2 meg so streaming is possible at a push but that all depends on how good/sh1t their network is
http://www.three.co.uk/Support/Roaming_and_international/Going_abroad_Pay_Monthly/Destination_Details?content_aid=1214306367219
No idea about speeds.
It would have been better to use local sims last last year. This new thing from 3 has only been in action for a few months.
There is a fly in the ointment though. You still need a local sim to make local calls and texts. Pain in the a**. I'll need to carry two phones. Will also need to buy a mobile broadband sim for my ipad mini. $$$$$$
Did think of that but I doubt I'll spend more than 300 minutes calling the uk with such a large time difference. The data is he best bit with a fair usage of 25gb . Shame the connection is throttled for steaming. Oh well
If you plan to go to the outback and more rural areas, then Telstra or Optus are better.
Yeah it puzzling really why the coverage is so low as it not down to spectrum as they have both 850MHz and 900MHz. Also not down to lack of funds as both Three and Vodafone aren't exactly strapped for cash.
Really interesting thing was they didn't participate in Australia 4G Auction at all guessing they relying on 4G 1800MHz completely.
I've used the Three like home service in Italy last month and it is locked to the sister network. Calls were fine, great quality, but data was only good for basic browsing/email. I wanted to be able to remotely access my work PC (RDP from phone) but this was not possible. I also had my Mifi with a three broadband sim and this was the same when using a laptop (permitted on mobile broadband sims, not phone contracts).
I applaud three for the effort, but it could not be described as "like home" for me. At home the service is fast, versatile and very useful - even browsing was like dialup on both devices while abroad. So if you want to use it for more than Facebook updates and email, buy a local sim (even a three one) and your speeds will really be "like at home".
There is no way this new "Feel At Home" offering, from a data point of view is any way as good as the previous 3Like Home offering from 3UK or the current 3Like Home offering from Three Ireland.
Data speeds were very slow in Italy, for example; my Three Ireland SIM in a 4 chugged away merrily over there whereas my Three UK SIM could barely raise a smile in an iPhone 5.
Likewise here in Dublin, my new 5s will barely function even when roaming on sister network Three Ireland. Access to Meteor and Vodafone Ireland seems to be defeated and one has to switch to O2 Ireland to achieve anything resembling normal, useable speeds.
In addition, Feel Like Home, in whatever way they have crippled speeds seems to exact a terrible toll on battery life and my power just plummets when roaming in Dublin.
This is not the case when using my Three Ireland voice SIM or PAYG SIM in my iPad roaming on Three UK as part of 3Like Home. Speeds are perfectly acceptable and there is no impact on battery life on any device.
Funnily enough I know someone who was in Italy on Three and had issues with the Internet too so your not alone. I'm not sure why though!?
you cant refund it
I called up and I cant refund even though I have not activated the voucher. Its poor service tbh. I can buy anything from Apple and I have two weeks to return even having used it.
I could understand if I had activated it. I also see that 3's returns policy is poor even for online orders.
Why not just use it? Then switch.
However, I had the same of problem - the internet was practically useless. It hardly makes you "Feel at Home!"
Indeed. I just gave out to them on Twitter about it. Three Ireland responded but Three UK have so far not got back to me.
Three 'Feel at Home' Data Speeds
But come on, at least they did a search:D
I also found Feel at Home good in Dublin earlier in the year.