O2 abroad. Incoming calls

Poppy9

I don't want to pay for incoming calls when in US next week. I can see from 02 website that I can bar incoming calls but will it still allow me to receive texts. Is this the best way to bar calls or should I just divert to voice mail. Incoming calls will cost me over £1 to receive.

redux

If you might decide to call your voicemail from abroad, you need to ask O2 in advance to set up a different access number. You call the number, press * then a PIN (default 8705).

It may happen that if you divert to voicemail from not answering when already abroad, you'll be charged international anyway. So if you're going to do this divert, do it before you leave. *Edit - and see my post 6 below.

Another option, I read about Call Alert which sends you a text to say someone called, with their number

Can I use both Voicemail and O2CallAlert?
• You can use either one or the other of these services. If you are a current Voicemail 901 user and you dial 1710, you will replace Voicemail 901 with O2CallAlert. You will need to dial 1750 to switch Voicemail 901 back on again or 1760 to switch it off

http://www.o2.co.uk/productsservices/mobileservices/voicemail/0,,121,00.html?Voicemail=Set+Up+Voicemail

But on the next page, it says you can get notification of voicemail by text - call 901., press * then 5, so it looks like you can get a text whether the vm is on or off


Another choice - get a US SIM, get an 0844 number that diverts to it, and divert the O2 to the 0844 - this means having internet access or someone to set it up for you - probably all a bit of a pain if you've almost decided not to bother, and you'd need a triband phone, as US has different frequency bands.

If you might call home, get a calling card. You can call UK landlines for about 2c/min or mobiles for 20c or so. There are tons to choose from, with all kinds of conditions - surcharges, daily or connect fees.

https://www.pinonsale.com has hundreds
http://www.masterbell.com/phone-cards/UK has about 10; I'd go for Bizon, as the cheapest with no daily or weekly fees, from $5. You can use it here as well.

*!*HIBS*!*

Poppy9 wrote:

I don't want to pay for incoming calls when in US next week. I can see from 02 website that I can bar incoming calls but will it still allow me to receive texts. Is this the best way to bar calls or should I just divert to voice mail. Incoming calls will cost me over £1 to receive.

First of all, I would like to say that nobody likes to pay for anything :rotfl:...about your calls, you dont have to :beer: (<= lemonade if you dont want to drink (alcohol I mean) or you are underage).

I think you should be able to bar your incoming calls and still receive texts??? I think this is best because people might not be able to leave a voicemail?? for you to retrieve which might cost a bit whilst abroad.

If you divert all your calls to voicemail, not only will it cost you if you retrieve them whilst abroad, but also your voicemail box sign might start flashing if you dont empty your voicemail box (depending how many messages are not retrieved whilst your away) and this will eat away at the battery consumption (not moneysaving).

You could leave your mobile switched off all day except when you get up and before you go to bed so that you can catch any text messages sent whilst your mobile was switched off. This means it saves you messing about with your phone. Voicemail can be retrieved as soon as you arrive back in the UK, thus saving you money in voicemail retireval charges.;)

Have a nice holiday!

HTH

HIBS

redux

It may be simpler than that HIBS - *divert to vm before leaving the country*, maybe with a specially recorded message on it, and keep the phone on for texts and vm notifications. Any important messages can be guessed at from the number, and a calling card from an ordinary phone (callbox has a surcharge) would call home for 2c a minute or vm for under 20.

Something in the blurb with my new contract says that texts come from the allowance at the rate of 4 for 1.


*edit - see below, about checking up on this

Jon_C

How about only answering your phone when you think the call is worth taking? If you're going to keep it switched on when you don't want to make calls anyway, that is (which seems pointless to me unless you're waiting for an important call).

redux

By coincidence, I just got a welcome call from O2, and ended up chatting for half an hour.

I think some of the stuff I said above may be poor assumption - perhaps you need to switch the voicemail off, as it may be chargeable as int'l even if the phone is off. He wasn't quite sure about the call bars - there seem to be several options, so he checked. It looks like you are right about barring calls like that, and sms still working.

I should think you could have a chat with their CS - call 100 free (are you on contract?) - ask about the call barring. And just double check that if all incoming calls were diverted to vm before leaving, whether this is still int'l; I'm not quite clear about why it would be, or whether I asked that specifically enough.

Freefall

To be honest your better just taking your mobile and getting an American sim card (should cost no more than $10) when your over there. (And get a calling card for it if necesarry). It will end up much cheaper.

Remember to e-mail/text your friends/family your new mobile number.

Freefall

redux

... as I already suggested, with the proviso that the phone needs to be triband to have coverage. It would also need to be unlocked. Info on SIMs and networks is available at http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/usa.html

apologies for not mentioning this earlier, as I was intending to add this depending on feedback from OP

tritanium0

redux wrote:

... as I already suggested, with the proviso that the phone needs to be triband to have coverage. It would also need to be unlocked. Info on SIMs and networks is available at http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/usa.html

apologies for not mentioning this earlier, as I was intending to add this depending on feedback from OP

You can have international call barring added to you account which will block int calls that you would be charged a fortune for. Whether this be international calls to you from abroad to the UK, or from the UK WHEN you are abroad... just ring you service provider and ask for this function to be added. It should be active <24 hours from the request.

Poppy9

I am on contract (12 months free line rental and 100 mins/100 text per mth) with a tri band phone.

Last time we went to US we didn't use our mobiles opting to use walkie talkies in the parks and payphones (with calling card) to ring home. I would like to be able to keep one of our mobiles switched on just incase there is an urgent call from home re family.

I rang CS twice now and they are so vague and unsure. I think I'll go into the O2 shop to see if I can get more sense.

redux

Depending where you are going, you might need to study various network coverage maps, as there isn't GSM coverage everywhere, and there are all kinds of regional providers and [intra-US] roaming agreements

http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_us.shtml

That looks too complicated to me; the national operators - Cingular, T-mobile, etc - are on that PPGSM link I gave