Cheapest Text Messages To Non-UK Networks?

bonzer

Hi,

Currently 95% of my mobile phone bill is sending text messages to one number outside the UK. I've got O2 Pay&Go with the "International Talk and Text" bolt on package. This gives me 10p a message. I'm spending in the range of £15 a month on messages (i.e. 150 international messages/month)

Last time I checked all other networks, tariffs and contracts that I could find charged more for this (the worst I found was 50p a message on a vodafone contract). I couldn't find any contracts that bundle in text messages that include messages sent to non-UK networks when I delved into the small print. Not all the contracts make it crystal clear exactly what the charge is.

Can anyone beat O2's 10p for an international text via any method given that I consistently send high volumes of messages?

Thank You

Bonzer

kai666

ICQ lets you send free text messages (or used to, I haven't used it for a year or so). I used to send free text messages to Russia using it

bonzer

kai666 wrote:

ICQ lets you send free text messages (or used to, I haven't used it for a year or so). I used to send free text messages to Russia using it

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Unfortunately they only seem to support a very limited range of countries these days (Australia, Canada, Israel, Singapore and Taiwan). Most of my messages are going to Italy.

Bonzer

kmhtkmhtkmht

Why you even bothering texting?

As everyone knows I live in the UK but am in Hong Kong right now on vacation, it REALLY is cheaper to call! Texting is for 15 year old kids or communicating to a girl you just met at the club and don't wanna talk.

bonzer

kmhtkmhtkmht wrote:

Why you even bothering texting?

As everyone knows I live in the UK but am in Hong Kong right now on vacation, it REALLY is cheaper to call! Texting is for 15 year old kids or communicating to a girl you just met at the club and don't wanna talk.

Phoning! Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Silly me. Should have listened to all those old BT ads. It's good to talk after all.

1. The other party doesn't have a land line and calling a mobile overseas is most definitely not cheaper. I do call as well and spend around 5x - 7x as much on that. One of the reasons text messages have become popular in Europe is the extremely high costs of calling mobiles.

2. Texting is not just for 15 year olds. It is useful for sending a message when you want to allow the other party to choose when they answer or if you want to just ask a quick question. The 100+ years that the phone's been around hasn't stopped letters, memo's, e-mail, instant messenger or any other variation on written communication. Mobile text is one of the many and varied communication medium's I use.

Bonzer

k_sta

That international talk and text you have probably lets you call for 10p per minute (it does to oz including mobiles). You can say a lot more than 160 characters in 60 seconds!

K

bonzer

k_sta wrote:

That international talk and text you have probably lets you call for 10p per minute (it does to oz including mobiles).
K

Thanks, but it's actually 35p/min off peak and 60p/min daytime for most foreign mobiles (including Australia). You forgot to add on the mobile surcharge which is mentioned in the small print.

k_sta wrote:

You can say a lot more than 160 characters in 60 seconds!

In a call you don't just ring up, say 160 characters and then hang up do you? You call when you want a chat. Text is for conveying a different style of message. It also allows the other party to reply at their convenience. How do I know what they're doing at any given moment? I'm sending an average of 5 messages a day distributed over time. I'm not trying to use it as a replacement for instant messenger.

monomer

This is an interesting discussion!

To answer the original question - you'd be hard pressed to find a price cheaper than 10p an overseas text directly from a UK mobile operator. As far as I'm aware, O2's International talk and text bolt-on is cheapest for that.

If you have GPRS WAP, you might be interested in the vgsmail service. This currently lets you send SMS for 4.1p either through a WAP page or via Java applet you can download if your phone supports it. If you're at a PC, you can also send texts for the same price on the computer, as well as view a history of previous texts you've sent via the system.

It's been briefly mentioned in this thread and this one.

itgirlinuk

I was able to send free sms from lycos to all networks, but now you need to pay for this. While I was browsing, I came across this. Maybe this will help:

http://www.fabit.com/mobile/sms/free-international-sms-download.asp

And I have used the cardboard fish website to send UK messages. But they have a service to send messages all over the world, but obviously you have to pay for it.

http://vip.cbfsms.com/

HTH

bonzer

itgirlinuk wrote:

I was able to send free sms from lycos to all networks, but now you need to pay for this.

They seem to charge 6p a message in bulk, so that could be a possibility thanks but I am not sure if you can carry over unused messages which could be a catch.

itgirlinuk wrote:

While I was browsing, I came across this. Maybe this will help:
http://www.fabit.com/mobile/sms/free-international-sms-download.asp

They charge 13.9p for an Italy message. (10p+1.8p surcharge+VAT) which alas doesn't beat my current 10p.

itgirlinuk wrote:

And I have used the cardboard fish website to send UK messages. But they have a service to send messages all over the world, but obviously you have to pay for it.
http://vip.cbfsms.com/

They seem to be currently 5p but they warn of a price hike to be implemented in mid May on international messages to possibly 10p.

monomer wrote:

If you have GPRS WAP, you might be interested in the vgsmail service.

This one is the winner on price and has the advantage of being operable from the phone handset which I don't think the other services are. However there are questions about reliability. I think I'll give it a try and see what happens.

Thanks very much to you both.

Bonzer.

amazingkitkat

oh well, the best person to answer this question is ME!!! :rotfl: :rotfl:

at the moment i'm sending 2p per sms to overseas!!!!! (apply to all countries) and i send 100 sms and cost me only £2!!!!!!

1) get a UK pay-as-you-talk SIM card (i've got it free from promotion, sometime O2, Virgin give out free!!!!) p.s. make sure that SIM card is international roaming! and and.....u don't need to credit the SIM card

2) send this UK payt SIM card to your friend in overseas (oh well, i sent to my USA friend)

3) i registered www.easymobile.com and get myself a SIM card coz they charge for sending out sms for 2p (offers end end of june) but normally charge 6p per sms.

the reason u give UK SIM card to your overseas friend because receiving sms is free of charge