Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad

redux

Roger1 wrote: »

I'm used to paying 3p per minute to landlines in/between Toggle markets and 3p to 9p to mobiles. This is still the case for some markets, e.g. UK to Switzerland; UK to US; UK to Spain; Switzerland to US and v.v.; US to US.

I've not done a comprehensive check, but I noticed the following all show significant changes: UK to UK; Switzerland to Switzerland; Switzerland to UK; US to UK; Spain to UK. All of these are now 7p per minute for calls to both landlines and mobiles.

Still good value for me.

Oh, one other thing. I sent myself a text message almost 2 days ago - got to keep my balance! - but it hasn't arrived yet. But the 5p charge shows, so the life of my balance is extended.

Given this increase, compared against this summer's 3.6 to 4.4 pence a minute calls from main UK networks it's much harder to recommend Toggle than it used to be.

I'm also finding that the SIM takes longer to register on arrival in some countries, or doesn't at all. I've driven an hour across France with no access, then had Belgian, Netherlands and German connection without doing anything. On the other hand I've realised a couple of times I've had no connection for three or four hours ...

Investigation of the SIM menu shows automatic selection of mode selected, but this doesn't always happen, on either of 2 Nokia phones, and it may be necessary to select manual mode then which SIM ID from either the general Roaming setting or specific country. Rather tedious when driving and don't want to be messing with the phone.

I used my old O2 SIM instead on 3 trips abroad in the last few weeks, as well as VoIP via wifi or a cheap local SIM data bundle.

With the imminent increase of countries for Three's Feel at Home, there will be other cheap possibilities, though perhaps not as many if they throttle data speed as mentioned a few posts back.

Roger1

You make a good point, redux, though I have to say my recent experience (this week) in Switzerland was just fine. I made the manual change while waiting at the baggage carousel on arrival at Zurich airport and was connected within minutes as we went through Customs. But I recognise one swallow doesn't make a Spring!

I'm interested to see how Toggle and others react to no-roaming in EU countries next April.

jimbo49

i know things have changed, in some countries, pretty drastically, but wondered what the latest opinions are on whether to get a sim off the internet for use while in Canada or whether to wait until i get there and buy a local sim? it will only need to be mainly for local calls and texts with almost no actual internet usage (will have the use of a computer)

would appreciate any advice please

many TIA

Red_Skier

I bought a SIM card from the 7-Eleven chain. Good rates and you can decide where your local area is. Top-ups are best purchased from A 7-Eleven store, so make sure there is one near where you are going.

I was using it for local calls in Canada; Other MVNOs may be better for international. Also it did not have roaming, so it didn't work in the USA.

jimbo49

many tnx for the reply and info. i actually got a Rogers sim while in Canada. it came with unlimited texts in Canada and 50mins of free calls for $20. i didn't think that was too bad considering the way the mobile phone companies absolutely rip off the customers! the prices there are, in my opinion, ridiculously astronomical! as an example, both persons of a phone call get charged, one for making the call and one for receiving it! if that isn't totally taking the pee, i dont know what is!

jerrycatlover

Hi experts, I am going to China to work for a few years. But I want to keep my things working as usual in UK. So I need to get a UK mobile number to be taken with me. I have been searching on the internet and notice most of the big operators they charge about £1 per minute when received a call from UK abroad. Do you know any sim which has a cheaper rate? Thank you in advance.

redux

jerrycatlover wrote: »

Hi experts, I am going to China to work for a few years. But I want to keep my things working as usual in UK. So I need to get a UK mobile number to be taken with me. I have been searching on the internet and notice most of the big operators they charge about £1 per minute when received a call from UK abroad. Do you know any sim which has a cheaper rate? Thank you in advance.

I don't think you'll find any cheap.roaming there.

Get a local Chinese SIM, which will be much cheaper for local calls and internet use.

People here might call your Chinese number using cheap calls providers, or if it's essential to have a UK number get a VoIP account with an incoming number, either running in an app on your phone when you have a data connection, or forwarded to your Chinese number for under a penny a minute.

On occasional visits here, you could get a new SIM each time, and don't feel committed to it when you leave.

Roger1

In addition to what redux says, I have a SIM that offers China-UK calls for CHF 0.79 a minute (about 66p) and CHF/£0.00 to receive.

More info at https://swiss-mobile.swiss.com/myaccount/rates?l=en#from/CHN/to/GBR

prosaver

tescos chaarged me 4 pence a minute when on hols.. EU..
contact your service provider ..oh that reminds me of this clip..
why doesn't she just put the phone down? ha ha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQo7rB8qu7c

GeoffJ

My son went to Nepal last week - 3 months charity work in remote areas. It's his first time abroad on his own; he's only 18; and trusts everyone.
Well before his departure, I spoke to O2 about his roaming costs: £1.50 per min to make a call; £1.25 to receive; 40p per text; £6 MB data. Data wasn't an issue/option as he barely has access to 3G - a bit like my access to the O2 network where I live in Leeds (i.e., it only works when there are no clouds in the sky!).
Having been advised by O2 that their O2 Travel scheme doesn't apply to Nepal, and having read various forums, we decided that it might be best to unlock my son's phone and use a local sim in Nepal. Unfortunately, the charity he is with don't do currency exchange at Kathmandu airport (poor rates and apparently you can be ripped off); therefore, there wasn't an opportunity to purchase a sim card from the local airport store. And, at the charity's base camp, there was good CX but no shops to buy a sim. And, of course the poor lad was still bewildered in a strange place after a long flight and could barely put his boots on the correct feet.
So, days later he's in a very remote area digging wells or something and he starts to text home; well, his girlfriend but certainly not his family. I lie, he did text his cat! But, I suppose he was a bit like ET when he (she?) found himself in the USA and, as he adjusted to his circumstances and amongst strangers, and needed to communicate with someone more familiar - albeit on a remote and distant planet.
And, that it where this tale of woe really begins as my son had forgotten (as I had) that 160 characters is a text. And, as we all know, texts to the girlfriend when you are in stranger-land and lonely take zillions of characters. Luckily, I had spotted the text charges racking up and on day 5 I warned him (by text) that I'd soon be bankrupt. By then it was £66 worth of texts but by the time he got the message (and cut back on length and volume) I owed £90 for texts.
Last night - at 9.10 pm (yes, at NIGHT) O2 emailed me to say that if I did not pay £120 immediately they would disconnect my son's phone AND mine (I have linked accounts). That made my blood boil given that I run 3 phones with O2 and have been a customer for years. AND, at the same time, I will still pay for my son's UK call package (£20 pm for 3 months) whilst he has no opportunity of using it (as he is out of the UK).
So, prompted by his girlfriend, I carried out further research to find that she (the girlfriend that is), is a Talk Talk customer would pay only 20p per text in his circumstances. AND, just to really hack me off, O2 had failed to mention to me the option of using an international sim whereby they (O2) charge only 15p per text. Of course, this option might be on O2's website but as users know the website is far more complicated than the Mirror Labyrinth in Switzerland and you constantly find yourself coming back on yourself and are unable to assimilate the bewildering array of data. Clearly, the website and its multitudinous links serves the O2 purpose of confusing the user until he/she gives up and O2 cannot be held to account for anything.
My only conclusions are that: I have been a fool in sticking with O2 - who I thought to be a trusted provider who'd give me good customer service; and that O2 have failed in their duty to protect my interests as a loyal customer in that they neglected to inform me (when I communicated with them) that an international sim was an option. Of course that option is now closed as you need (would you believe it in these days of exceptional connectivity) a different sim to be inserted in the phone before you depart. And, posting one to my son is not an option in that the post takes at least a month (or so I am told) and my son moves around from project to project in the earthquake ravaged region of Nepal.
I'm now stuck with O2 until my son returns but I hope my tale is of help to others. Namely, from my perspective, O2 do not provide good customer service and leverage the ignorance of their customers in order to make more money from them. Therefore, if you are an O2 customer do not rely upon them to provide balanced advice - they do anything they can to maximise their return from your investment in them, to your disadvantage.
This is a sad episode for my son who decided to do something useful during his gap year rather smoke pot in Phuket. He sold everything he could: including the PS4 and games and anything that would sell at car boot sales; and getting out of bed at 6.0 am on cold winter Sunday mornings to get to the various sales and to fund himself to/from Nepal. His jabs alone cost £300 (not available on the NHS). And, O2 have made the most of his altruism. Well done O2!