Cheapest Way To Call U.K From BULGARIA?

garry3251

I am going to Bulgaria (Sunny Beach).Have a Vodafone PAYG sim,Contacted Vodafone,opted to join Vodafone passport.Figured out i would be cheaper NOT to sign up with Vodafone passport and leave things the way they were!By Not signing up with Vodafone passport i understand i would AVOID the 75p connection fee for incoming/outgoing calls!
Majority of friends/family i will be calling have UK mobile network providers therefore figured it would be even CHEAPER for me to send them a sms text message asking them to call me which would mean the call would cost me roughly 8p per minute for receiving it,Caller would be charged their normal rates for calling UK mobile.
I figure by doing things this way it beats having to use pay phones and is the cheapest way for me to communicate with friends/family back home.

PS - Only slight downside to this method is that you dont have the freedom to dial out the way you would normally do back home(Little patience lol):j

mick_vandick

Do you have a smartphone and if so, what about Skype? It would be free if you can pick up wi-fi somewhere.

garry3251

Yes i have a smartphone,problem i have is my friends/family rarely use it?Hotel has free wifi..(Shall try and persuade friends/family to sign up with skype,viber,facetime,Tango etc..)

Bob_the_Saver

What about an unlocked phone with local sim card.

There is even a (virtual) network named after me, Bob

http://www.bob.bg/bob-mobile-phone/index.php?sid=&

benjus

If there will be wifi available and your phone supports it, what about installing the MobileVoIP app? You can sign up with any of the providers listed here: http://backsla.sh/betamax and get cheap calls to international destinations including UK mobiles.

Also, if you get a local SIM card with some data access (even if it's just a small amount) you can use MobileVoIP in "callback" mode - you tell it who you want to call, then it calls you on your Bulgarian number, then calls the recipient and connects the two legs of the call together. You pay for both legs of the call from your VoIP account, but it probably works out cheaper than making an international call from a Bulgarian SIM.

garry3251

Hi Bob

My phone is unlocked,If i got a local sim would it work out cheaper than roughly 8p per minute for receiving call?

garry3251

Hi Benjus

By getting voIP would it be roughly cheaper than receiving a call?(My friends and family don't mind calling me back upon request via text as most of them have inclusive minutes etc..)

garry3251

I guess i am trying to figure out the cheapest method possible to communicate from Bulgaria?Was planning to turn off data roaming and use the phone for texts and receiving calls?
(Even though this method is a bit of a pain to do)Im thinking to communicate at roughly 8p per minute from Bulgaria to UK is not bad?I would normally use pay phones!

jimd-f

surely if someone is calling from the uk to a UK mobile being used in bulgaria, whether on PAYG or contract, they will have to pay international rates to make the call as i did not think that these type of calls came under free minutes.
you would also have to pay for receiving the incoming call at international rates even though it was from a UK mobile to a UK mobile.
i think your expectation of 8p per minute to receive is a bit low, as it will still be an international call even if it is from UK to UK mobile.
if you are on a special tariff with vodaphone, or you can supply a link to this charge i would be grateful as i certainly have never been charged as little as 8p per minute to receive these type of calls when i am in europe.