Mobiles - Cheap international roaming

andy88_2

It is possible to make cheaper calls abroad and receive calls for free by using a foreign SIM card. Obviously if travelling to only one country, this would be a local one. It is always cheaper to buy a local SIM when you get there, rather than from websites in UK.

There are SIMs available however that have incoming roaming calls in many countries, and outgoing calls from €0.39 = 28p per minute. UK agents sell the SIM with €5 credit for £30, when it is available for €25 + €5 postage from abroad. The top-up credit of €15 is sold for £12.80, which makes the call rate higher than advertised on their website ie 33p.

Another of these agents has recently come to Martin's attention -
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=48376

I have been thinking about getting a friend to help setting up a website to sell these SIMs at a lower price than UK agents, and wonder how much interest there would be from MSE members, whether from a website or direct.

I can also recommend ways of making international calls with foreign SIM cards, including this one, for substantially cheaper than their own tariff.

And it should be possible to call this particular SIM direct from a landline for 9p a minute via a dedicated 0871 number; or 10p via cheap calls providers (not all work) or free to the caller and costs you 12.5p per minute via an 0800 number and PIN (or 7.5p via US 800 + cost of call to US - from 1p with cheap calls providers)

There was a way to call from mobile included minutes, but this is not available at the moment (was not Simply-Fone), but I'm looking into something else. The US leg of a call via US as above could be though.

Any interest?

Tony_H_3

I don't think the "Referral Board" is the best place for this topic so I will move it over to the "Mobiles Board". As this is asking for advice about demand it will be more suitably placed there.


Please feel to post your URL on the "Referral Board" if your idea develops.

knuckledragger

andy88,
I'd be interested.
Just a thought, rather than have this thread lengthen with people noting their interest, how about we just click on thanks to your post and then there would be an easy to read list of interested parties.
Those with questions could still post to the thread.

Tony_H_3

knuckledragger wrote:

andy88,
I'd be interested.
Just a thought, rather than have this thread lengthen with people noting their interest, how about we just click on thanks to your post and then there would be an easy to read list of interested parties.
Those with questions could still post to the thread.

You could alway's add a poll? Have a look Click Here for information on creating polls, thanks to SRA for that!!

andy88_2

Thanks for the advice on polls, Tony. I should think it would be only yes or no at the moment, so knuckledragger's idea sounds ok instead

andy88_2

I've been rather surprised at the lack of interest in this - Ok, maybe people are indifferent to what I decide to do in this area, but I thought there would be more feedback by now on the subject in general.

There seems to be sometimes strong opinion against the otherwise high costs of roaming calls, and people from time to time start threads inquiring about a particular country. I've done my best to reply to several of these, sometimes with no reply.

Maybe it's something people like to complain about, without doing anything. Last year a friend spent about £500 in 3 weeks; it could have been nearer £50. As I said on Martin's thread, I just lent a phone to a friend going abroad and had to remind him to turn it on. You'd think calls for a few pence instead of over a quid would be enough incentive.

Maybe people are out for the weekend, and it will pick up in the week. I'd certainly like to see more discussion here to justify the Board Guide's decision to pin it at the top.

reddwarf2002

I agree with you there Andy88. I think it is an area most people only want to talk about closer to when they are going abroad. Unfortunately, this is the mentally for most people in general as what doesn't affect us at the moment does usually get ignored.

However, I am not saying this is wrong, but If we actually did something now then maybe we would benefit on the long run i.e. when we do actually go on holiday (be it once every blue moon!). :think:

tight-git

Hi guys, got back from Belgium last week and have been using the local proximus payandgo sim for receiving calls (free of cos).

all i do at the mo is to 'buzz' home (uk) with my uk mobile roaming phone and wife calls me back on my proximus number.

i have researched about making cheap calls from Belgium via alpha calls etc but with hotel phone charging per unit (what ever that means!) and proximus charging 10p extra or so on TOP of alpha ,i have concluded that uk calling me is the best+cheapest way (btw i use telediscount 15p/min) or go into a cyber cafe and use the net!

it will be nice to hear what you guys here in MSE recommends and advice.

all the best

oh, this proximus sim costs 25euro and i am also finding out if its possible to receive email via their vodafone live! site-cheaper still! :T

carmenes82

Andy88 - I think peoples' apathy is a problem, but it is also the perception people have of the alternative, cost-saving services.

I read the sim4travel web site and decided that, as well as being a lot of hassle to get people to call me on a Liechtenstein number, I didn't trust them to offer a quality service (or at least one comparable to roaming). As agents of a bigger company they have little control over the quality of call termination. Moreover, a friend of mine who used United Mobile for some time, eventually dumped them and went back to roaming because he could not get a connection first time, every time.

Car.

andy88_2

Apathy is a problem; I've dug up info for about 10 people about SIMs or cheap call providers in different countries, and they didn't reply.

I'm surprised at your dismissive attitude though, as you took the trouble to start a poll on the subject. 90% voted that costs were too high; I voted against (7.5p per minute was not too high until I discovered 6.3p).

And if you think it's hassle to give people a foreign number then you're stuck; the same applies to your Spanish SIM (which is also more expensive to call)

Did you omit these possibilities from your article?

andy88_2

tight-git it's worth checking the other Belgian networks as I believe they may have free 0800 calls. Some networks allow free 0800 only on contract though (Orange here and e-plus in Germany I'm told)