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Providers with International Mobile Calls

Hi everyone.

I have searched everywhere and the only UK provider that offers mobile-to-mobile international call packages seems to be Three. I don't want to go with Three, are there any other companies that offer this package on a contract?

Three allows you to pay £15 a month for a bolt on to call international mobile numbers (up to 3,000 minutes). O2 offers a similar package for £10 but does NOT allow you to call mobiles (other than 100 minutes).

I need to call mobiles, not land lines, and I need a few thousand minutes. Pay as you go tariffs have gone way too high, if I used a Lebara sim card it would cost me £80+.

I find it hard to believe that Three is the ONLY network that offers an international mobile call package. Are there really no others?

Thanks for any help anyone can give.
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Comments

  • Have you tried a voip app?
  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
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    edited 24 September 2012 at 6:23PM
    Have you tried a voip app?
    Unless you call to another VOIP smartphone, it is usually more expensive than using unclusive minutes to call through some company with a landline access number like, say, 18185.
    Darcia wrote: »
    I find it hard to believe that Three is the ONLY network that offers an international mobile call package. Are there really no others?
    I am really surprised that '3' do offer 3000 minutes to mobiles for just £15.
  • grumbler wrote: »
    I am really surprised that '3' do offer 3000 minutes to mobiles for just £15.

    Google "International Saver Add-On". Just make sure you add 388 to the start of the call. I used it before but I don't get a good signal any more with 3.
    Have you tried a voip app?

    Yes, but that needs a persistent internet connection, which means more money on bandwidth (especially if I'm calling for thousands of minutes) and a 3G connection (which can disconnect me and cut out, not good). I need to call when I'm out and about as part of my work.
  • NFH
    NFH Posts: 4,381 Forumite
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    It is rather silly that UK networks don't allow calls to mobiles in other European countries to come out of inclusive minutes, given that the termination fees are similar. Swiss networks do this as they don't take the insular approach taken by British networks.
  • NFH wrote: »
    It is rather silly that UK networks don't allow calls to mobiles in other European countries to come out of inclusive minutes, given that the termination fees are similar. Swiss networks do this as they don't take the insular approach taken by British networks.
    I wasn't aware other countries did this. That's quite handy. I feel bad for those in the USA who not only have to pay for incoming calls, but also have to pay extra for cross-state calls.

    It's very strange and unfortunate that 3 seem to be the only company who offer US mobile calls at that price :(
  • NFH
    NFH Posts: 4,381 Forumite
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    Darcia wrote: »
    It's very strange and unfortunate that 3 seem to be the only company who offer US mobile calls at that price :(
    Yes, it is even more absurd that when US phone numbers (both fixed and mobile) have lower termination fees than UK mobile numbers, the UK networks include UK mobile calls but not US calls.
  • OneADay
    OneADay Posts: 9,031 Forumite
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    Darcia wrote: »
    I wasn't aware other countries did this. That's quite handy. I feel bad for those in the USA who not only have to pay for incoming calls, but also have to pay extra for cross-state calls.

    It's very strange and unfortunate that 3 seem to be the only company who offer US mobile calls at that price :(

    You could always sign up to Rebtel and pay as little as less than a cent or a penny to make calls from your country to anywhere else in the world (landline or mobile) and you can send texts with it too (through a web app).

    Just need a packge in your own country with some inclusive local minutes to use Rebtel. And data if you want to send international texts through Rebtel.
  • OneADay wrote: »
    You could always sign up to Rebtel and pay as little as less than a cent or a penny to make calls from your country to anywhere else in the world (landline or mobile) and you can send texts with it too (through a web app).

    Just need a packge in your own country with some inclusive local minutes to use Rebtel. And data if you want to send international texts through Rebtel.
    That's a good deal, but it requires Voice over IP, which is no good for me (I'd need high bandwidth and a constant 3G connection). I need an actual sim card or contract :(
  • OneADay
    OneADay Posts: 9,031 Forumite
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    Darcia wrote: »
    That's a good deal, but it requires Voice over IP, which is no good for me (I'd need high bandwidth and a constant 3G connection). I need an actual sim card or contract :(

    No it does not.

    For each international contact you have a separate local number to dial from your mobile and the call minutes come out of your allowance and rebtel simply take 1p a minute or whatever the rate is for the particular country you are calling.

    Data is only needed if sending texts as that uses the web.
  • OneADay wrote: »
    No it does not.

    For each international contact you have a separate local number to dial from your mobile and the call minutes come out of your allowance and rebtel simply take 1p a minute or whatever the rate is for the particular country you are calling.

    Data is only needed if sending texts as that uses the web.

    Thanks! I've signed up to this service now. It's just under 1 pence a minute, which is great. I can be on the phone for an hour and not even spend a pound. :)
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