Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad

Edinburghlass_2

The cheapest way is to buy cheapo US mobiles in Walmart for each family and use them, think they cost about $15.

edited to add link

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6051652&sourceid=1500000000000002994000&ci_src=16435691&ci_sku=6051652

Dopple

My girlfriend goes to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) soon and would like to know the cheapest way to call home whilst she is there. She has an unlocked mobile and also will have access to a friends landline whilst over there, so cheapest options please.

Cheers.

pauldigital

B]HI all...
Just discovered this website about 4 weeks ago - amazing! should be automatically installed in every web browser on every new PC.[/B]

Anyway.. I'm going on holiday (my first in ages) abroad to Cyprus later in the year and just wondered whats the best deal for calling hone (UK).

I have a pay as you go mobile currently on virgin. I have heard about special sim cards you can buy for just this purpose with call costs afraction of standard call rates.

Don't know hwre to get them from though or what's available (i'm presuming they worl like anormal sim card - buy one, top up and swap the current sim for the new one when iwant to call home).

Any ideas anyone on best buys / how - where to get them and how - where to top up?

Thanks as always.
PAUL (Dudley - UK)

youfix

try these i purchaced a labara norwegen sim to phone uk 10p a min pay as you go.

worth a look



www.lebara-mobile.co.uk/

cheers
jason

babmac_2

I have been using a SoEasy SIM card from Cyprus for years and it is so cheap to phone the UK. Roughly about 40p for 6 minutes. Amazing value. You can buy the SIM for £15 with £3 free call time and it lasts a year. I just top it up as I go to Cyprus every year. Website is
http://www.cytawebshop.cyta.com.cy/cytawebshop-uk/soaesy-main.asp
:T
I also have a Greek SIM but find that the prices are creeping up but it means that the person you are calling in the UK does not have to pay also.

redux

Dopple wrote: »

My girlfriend goes to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) soon and would like to know the cheapest way to call home whilst she is there. She has an unlocked mobile and also will have access to a friends landline whilst over there, so cheapest options please.

Cheers.

The networks there are Etisalat and Du. Their mobile SIM cards both seem to have about 30 pence a minute rates to the UK. I haven't checked from landlines, but presumably the friend will know.

It would be possible to use a separate callback service with one of these SIMs or a landline, meaning an incoming call is set up, which is then connected to the destination. Rates for this tend to start at around 12 or 15 pence a minute with for example some of the Betamax VoIP brands, though DialNow is cheaper than that at the moment, 8 eurocents plus vat

Another possibility is that there are a number of global roaming SIM cards with free incoming calls in many countries and fairly good rates for outgoing calls. Some of these, such as 0044 (ekit), Easyroam, Geosim, Sim4Travel and United Mobile, have Isle of Man or Jersey mobile numbers.

Rates on these SIMs from UAE to UK are from 20p a minute upwards, so not a lot cheaper for outgoing calls than direct calls using a local SIM. But there may be an advantage on incoming calls for call diversion or for people calling them, as they come from some but not all UK networks' inclusive minutes (this needs checking before telling everyone the number as for example 3 and Vodafone will charge 30 or 40 pence a minute to these SIMs).

From the landline, if there is a broadband connection, it may be possible to use VoIP - voice over internet - but I understand it may be blocked there by the state provider Etisalat, perhaps even rumoured to be illegal. There may be work-arounds for this, but I don't know enough details, and they doesn't seem to be discussed on intenet forums, so a bit of local knowledge may help ...

redux

pauldigital wrote: »

Anyway.. I'm going on holiday (my first in ages) abroad to Cyprus later in the year and just wondered whats the best deal for calling hone (UK).

I have a pay as you go mobile currently on virgin. I have heard about special sim cards you can buy for just this purpose with call costs afraction of standard call rates.

Don't know hwre to get them from though or what's available (i'm presuming they worl like anormal sim card - buy one, top up and swap the current sim for the new one when iwant to call home).

Any ideas anyone on best buys / how - where to get them and how - where to top up?

(I notice you have another thread, and sorry to be slow replying myself)

Virgin's tariffs abroad would be at the Eurotariff that is standard across many networks, about 35 to 39 pence outgoing, 18 pence incoming

Some of the global SIMs as in my post above have good rates in Cyprus, and these may be what you've vaguely heard about.

But as other people have said, local Cyprus SIMs have pretty good rates to the UK anyway, so I think you're spoiled for choice.

For people calling you from the UK, you might use the MSE Callchecker to find them the cheapest way to reach a Cyprus mobile

redux

youfix wrote: »

try these i purchaced a labara norwegen sim to phone uk 10p a min pay as you go.

worth a look



www.lebara-mobile.co.uk/

cheers
jason

I'm a bit confused by this post, as that's the Lebara UK site.

The Lebara Norway SIM has rates to UK of 9p/min to UK landlines, 30p UK mobiles

doug.meldrum

recently did a week in HK en route to NZ using a 3 phone.
HK great just same costs as UK.
Bought local sim on VodaphoneNZ and found I could phone UK 2$NZ (80p) for 60 mins any time.
Total cost for 8weeks in NZ less than £50!!
Local sims are great.

redux

doug.meldrum wrote: »

recently did a week in HK en route to NZ using a 3 phone.
HK great just same costs as UK.
Bought local sim on VodaphoneNZ and found I could phone UK 2$NZ (80p) for 60 mins any time.
Total cost for 8weeks in NZ less than £50!!
Local sims are great.

I noticed that option in NZ, but I think it was only until March or so. I can't find it on the website now. Do you know if it's extended, or was your visit before then?