Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad

dementedhousewife

Scrap that
Ive just seen the feel at home link

im on 3
So does that mean I can just use my normal allowance abroad
If so that is very good

tomraider

I'm currently with Virgin Media, 1200 mins, ultd texts, unltd mins to virgin, unltd data, 30 day SIM only £9, so don't want to give that up.


But I'm visiting the USA on Tuesday for a week and when seeing about activating roaming noticed their charges (£1.40 calling/min, £1.25 receiving/min) which are crazy.


I realise I haven't got time to switch to Three pay monthly (and wouldn't want to) but could get a Three PAYG SIM which are apparently activated for roaming by default. For £15 I'd have a month's unlimited data, 300mins and 3000texts to the UK, usable from the USA.


Now my thoughts are that I would then divert all incoming calls on my existing Virgin number to the Three PAYG number before I leave, and just take the Three SIM abroad. So if I'm right people can call me as normal on my old number and I won't get charged, and I'll have plenty of data and mins/texts while I'm off wi-fi in the USA.


Will this work??
Cheers

tomraider

tomraider wrote: »

Now my thoughts are that I would then divert all incoming calls on my existing Virgin number to the Three PAYG number before I leave, and just take the Three SIM abroad. So if I'm right people can call me as normal on my old number and I won't get charged, and I'll have plenty of data and mins/texts while I'm off wi-fi in the USA.

Will this work??
Cheers

Looks like this isn't going to work for me as Virgin Mobile can only divert to voicemail, not another number So I think I'll have to just set the voicemail message to give out the temporary number while I travel.

coolvicky21

Usually when I am roaming and going to be in a city for a couple of days I take up an online Skype number and a local number in the country I am. I save up on roaming charges by setting up a double forwarding

All call diverts from UK mobile number -> Skype number
All call diverts from Skype number -> local roaming number

That way I can receive calls in a roaming country at Skype out rates to that roaming country, which is way way more cheaper than international roaming charges

redux

coolvicky21 wrote: »

Usually when I am roaming and going to be in a city for a couple of days I take up an online Skype number and a local number in the country I am. I save up on roaming charges by setting up a double forwarding

All call diverts from UK mobile number -> Skype number
All call diverts from Skype number -> local roaming number

That way I can receive calls in a roaming country at Skype out rates to that roaming country, which is way way more cheaper than international roaming charges

It's a useful idea, the double forwarding, but there are plenty of companies with cheaper call tariffs than Skype.

This isn't going to be cheaper with Skype for travel in the EU, where standard incoming roaming rates are pretty cheap now

schofield8883

Hi all im off to mauritius soon im with vodafone but roaming/calls/txts are expensive! will i be able to pick up a local sim there or is it best to buy over here? also if i get a local sim is it likely to have data roaming on it? Id like to skype home the only devise i can get it on is my mobile. Also if i do get a local sim and ring the uk will my house phone also get charged? Dont want an unexpected bt bill aswell!

redux

schofield8883 wrote: »

Hi all im off to mauritius soon im with vodafone but roaming/calls/txts are expensive! will i be able to pick up a local sim there or is it best to buy over here? also if i get a local sim is it likely to have data roaming on it? Id like to skype home the only devise i can get it on is my mobile. Also if i do get a local sim and ring the uk will my house phone also get charged? Dont want an unexpected bt bill aswell!

A local SIM does seem likely to be the best option, especially if you want data

No your house phone is not charged for incoming int'l calls

Local network websites, which I haven't browsed through yet, are

http://chili.mu/files/index.php
http://www.emtel.com/
http://www.orange.mu/

See what you can find

kensington143

We are going to Australia for a month in mid-March and then spending a month cruising across the Pacific to USA and Canada. I have a "full Monty" contract with T-mobile atm. My husband has PAYG with Tesco. We need to be able to txt UK and also make just a few calls too. What would the best option be for us? Grateful for any help/suggestions.

redux

kensington143 wrote: »

We are going to Australia for a month in mid-March and then spending a month cruising across the Pacific to USA and Canada. I have a "full Monty" contract with T-mobile atm. My husband has PAYG with Tesco. We need to be able to txt UK and also make just a few calls too. What would the best option be for us? Grateful for any help/suggestions.

Toggle Mobile is one option to look at for Australia and USA and who knows it may become worthwhile for Canada sometime soon.

It's owned by Lycamobile, and the Toggle SIM can assume a local identity in countries where Lyca operates.

Once you've added that local ID from online in the account, there is a local number as well as the main UK based one, incoming calls are free, and outgoing calls are 3 pence a minute to several countries' landlines and UK mobiles.

A small drawback is that if people here on T-mobile call the Lyca number, it's not counted in inclusive minutes. I fixed thus for mine by porting an old O2 number to the Toggle SIM.

grace2much

Hi all need some quick help please.

I'm going to France next week for a week holiday and have a "3" paygo sim. Is this ok for light use in france to the UK. I need at a maximum, 20 texts received and sent and perhaps 2 x 5 min calls for emergency needs. If I have £15 credit on my phone will this be ok?

Thnaks for any help/advice offered........:T