Welcome to Ireland notification out of the blue

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1

Issue:
Welcome to Ireland notification but not currently abroad nor used card in last 2 weeks

Details to reproduce:
No actions

OS:
Android

Device: Samsung S22

App Version: 4.44.0

Screenshots:

Screenshot_20220821-135143_Monzo
Screenshot_20220821-135143_Monzo1080Ɨ2340 166 KB

2

Your phone mustā€™ve roamed onto an Irish network somehow (sure thatā€™s how it works).

Unless youā€™re nowhere near then Iā€™m at a loss.

3

Iā€™ve heard tales in the past of it being possible to roam onto Irish networks from the Welsh coast under certain atmospheric conditions. Iā€™ve also roamed onto French networks in Dover from time to time.

2 Likes
4

Donā€™t you have to use Monzo abroad to get the notification? Iā€™ve never had one when Iā€™m roaming?

1 Like
5

Yes thatā€™s what I thought too.

6

Nah I got a welcome to France when I opened Monzo in France while on the plane. Itā€™s not about spending.

3 Likes
7

Android phones by default can use assisted Geolocation based on WiFi networks picked up by Google maps vehicles and then when your phone sees a known public WiFi hot spot it may detect your locationā€¦

ā€¦ Here is a thing, people do move countries and take their WiFi router with them and plug it in new locations.

For example, when I travel for my work events we setup our own WiFi and after an event in Lyon, France we went to Montreal, Canada. In the lobby in Canada there was no GPS or Phone reception, and all of us would ā€œteleportā€ back to Lyon as Googleā€™s database got us detected as that WiFi hotspot was in Lyon last week.

If you are concerned you can go to settings to find WiFi assisted Geolocation and turn it off. I think it is in ā€œGoogleā€ settings that controls the Google play services functionality.

1 Like
8

I once got a Welcome to Ireland message while I was sat at home pre-booking a rental car for an upcoming trip Ireland, and then a Welcome Home message later the same day when I went to Greggs.

So it definitely was based on spending in my case.

1 Like
9

I usually get the ā€œwelcome to countryā€ notification when queueing at passport control. Itā€™s almost like my Monzo is trying to wait and see if I get allowed in before it commits to anything :grin:

2 Likes
10

I popped to the Netherlands briefly when I was at Belfast city airport. Bought something that was processed there