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I would suspect though cannot prove that MasterCard are in cahoots with the UK government on this. Same thing happened when EU tried to cap roaming charges and

by jarym 6y ago

I would suspect though cannot prove that MasterCard are in cahoots with the UK government on this. Same thing happened when EU tried to cap roaming charges and Vodafone complained that it was unfair because they'd paid so much for mobile spectrum licenses - the UK government lobbied not on behalf of citizens but on behalf of a corporation AGAINST caps on roaming charges.

mytailorisrich 6y ago
They are only following the rules of the EU cap on fees: There is one cap for intra-EEA transactions and one cap for extra-EEA transactions. The UK is no longer in the EEA so they have decide to apply the latter cap to these transactions.
- jarym 6y ago
  I'm talking about when the caps were first proposed and introduced - not now post Brexit.
dingaling 6y ago
The phone companies had a point about roaming charges: the EU is a single customs market, not a flat-price market. It is entirely legal for a company to charge different prices in Germany and Greece, except if they're a phone operator. How is that fair?
- jarym 6y ago
  When I travel from one town to another I don't pay different amounts for my phone calls or data. It should not be any different crossing a border within the EU. It is absolutely fair, mobile operators were cross-charging ridiculous amounts to serve each others customers just so they could each milk the others customers. This type of price fixing was wrong and the EU put an end to it. As far as I can tell the telcos have survived, they're still making money and investing in 5G and the consumers are paying less. How is that not a win-win other than for shareholders of the biggest telcos?
- avianlyric 6y ago
  > It is entirely legal for a company to charge different prices in Germany and Greece, except if they're a phone operator. How is that fair? Except this isn’t true. The EU mobile roaming rules have the concept of a home country. If you spend too much time outside of it then the operator is allowed to charge roaming costs. So it not really possible for a customer to take out a contract in Greece and then only use it in France. The only exception to this rule exists for people living near borders. Where is quite likely they commute over that border, or their phone will randomly connect to towers on the other side of border. Given the most of the EU is part of the Schengen Area, and living and working in different countries is not only common, but encouraged. It makes sense that EU enacts laws to prevent citizens from being economically punished for exercising their rights.

by jarym 6y ago

mytailorisrich 6y ago

They are only following the rules of the EU cap on fees: There is one cap for intra-EEA transactions and one cap for extra-EEA transactions. The UK is no longer in the EEA so they have decide to apply the latter cap to these transactions.

jarym 6y ago
I'm talking about when the caps were first proposed and introduced - not now post Brexit.

dingaling 6y ago

The phone companies had a point about roaming charges: the EU is a single customs market, not a flat-price market. It is entirely legal for a company to charge different prices in Germany and Greece, except if they're a phone operator. How is that fair?

jarym 6y ago
When I travel from one town to another I don't pay different amounts for my phone calls or data. It should not be any different crossing a border within the EU. It is absolutely fair, mobile operators were cross-charging ridiculous amounts to serve each others customers just so they could each milk the others customers. This type of price fixing was wrong and the EU put an end to it. As far as I can tell the telcos have survived, they're still making money and investing in 5G and the consumers are paying less. How is that not a win-win other than for shareholders of the biggest telcos?
avianlyric 6y ago
> It is entirely legal for a company to charge different prices in Germany and Greece, except if they're a phone operator. How is that fair? Except this isn’t true. The EU mobile roaming rules have the concept of a home country. If you spend too much time outside of it then the operator is allowed to charge roaming costs. So it not really possible for a customer to take out a contract in Greece and then only use it in France. The only exception to this rule exists for people living near borders. Where is quite likely they commute over that border, or their phone will randomly connect to towers on the other side of border. Given the most of the EU is part of the Schengen Area, and living and working in different countries is not only common, but encouraged. It makes sense that EU enacts laws to prevent citizens from being economically punished for exercising their rights.