Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad

tara747

I visit the Republic of Ireland and France quite a bit, how can I roam cheaply in these two countries>

Thanks. :A

redux

tara747 wrote: »

I visit the Republic of Ireland and France quite a bit, how can I roam cheaply in these two countries>

Thanks. :A

The ordinary roaming tariffs of the networks are now fairly similar, with some other options such as Vodafone Passport or O2's My Europe Extra add-on or 3's Like Home.

I think it depends a bit on what calls you make. Are they mostly local or mostly to and from home? And how many? And are you normally contract or pay-as-you-go, on which network?

For local over there, you might get a local SIM card, though neither Ireland or France have brilliant rates, except some bundles; for to and from UK, take a look at the ones I mention above; I think there are also Ireland add-ons for O2, and though a little confusing I thought the payg version might be better, with free incoming calls. There are also global SIMs with free incoming calls, and on some UK networks you can divert your incoming calls to these from contract inclusive minutes.

More about most of this in the thread above, but I hope I can be more helpful if you can give a bit more detail

MoodieC

Hi All

I'm doing a search for a mobile for my dad who would travel to ROI and spain maybe one a month. He is currently with O2. I know they have country specific bolts ons so that is a option. I'm with 3, so I know wih he is in ROI, and on the 3 network he can roam for free, and in spain 25p to make and 10p to receive calls, which is cheaper than O2, and not paying the extra for the bolton

I was talking to a mate, who is with O2, and is on the simplicity 20 plan, he mentioned that he was in spain last year, and was not charged for using his phone, he said before he went he has called O2, and they told him, that when roaming in the euro zone, when sending a text, it would cost him 4 units of his allowance, and a 1 minute call would be equivalence to 4 minutes.

I've had a look on the O2 website, and can't see any mention of this, just wondering if anyone else as heard of this?

**Update** Did a bit more searching this morning, and found a few posts on various forums re txts costing four times when roaming, but haven't found any reference to voice calls....

Cheers C

redux

MoodieC wrote: »

Hi All

I'm doing a search for a mobile for my dad who would travel to ROI and spain maybe one a month. He is currently with O2. ...

On O2 outgoing texts while roaming come from your contract inclusive ones at the rate of 4 for 1. When those run out, then the charge per message is as detailed on their website. I'm not sure if this also applies with free messages bundles on O2 pay&go - you'd have to check with O2

Calls do not work like that. The rates in Europe are 18p/min incoming, 35p/min outgoing.

The optional add-ons are My Europe Extra, Chosen Country - Spain, and Ireland ones. The first two cost £10 and £5 per month respectively and have free incoming calls and outgoing at 25p/min to Europe, from Europe for the first and from Spain for the other. They are both available on both contract and prepay

Their Ireland bolt-ons differ on contract and payg. On contract the add-on is free and outgoing calls drop to 25p; they don't mention incoming, so I assume that stays at 18p. The Pay&Go version costs £1.99 and has incoming free, outgoing at same rates as when in UK. I wonder if one way to save is to have one of each and forward the contract to the payg.

If you either lent him your phone or got another from 3, the Like Home rates apply only on a 3 network as you've realised. Their rates while on other EU networks are increasing to 15p incoming, 34p outgoing - a pity, but perhaps not too surprising given the slide in exchange rates.

So I think a decision might turn on whether enough calls will be made to justify the monthly add-on fee to O2. If he'll make loads of calls to home though, it could be worth looking into a local SIM; Spain has a few with cheap int'l calls, and some of the Irish networks aren't too bad to the UK

akh43

Anyone know any cheaper ways to ring/text UK from Cuba when I go next month. Just checked the orange website and it will cost me £1.75 a min to make a call, £1 a min to receive a call and 50p per text. I am on orange pay as you go. Would it be cheaper to forego my mobile and ring the UK from a landline phone in Cuba? Any tips appreciated.

Thanks

redux

akh43 wrote: »

Anyone know any cheaper ways to ring/text UK from Cuba when I go next month. Just checked the orange website and it will cost me £1.75 a min to make a call, £1 a min to receive a call and 50p per text. I am on orange pay as you go. Would it be cheaper to forego my mobile and ring the UK from a landline phone in Cuba? Any tips appreciated.

Thanks

I don't know. I looked up Cuba for someone else on here a while ago, and came to the conclusion of try to avoid using the phone. I don't know if you'd find cheap calls from landlines either.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=842835


One thing I've read since is that some of the infrastructure for Cuba's internet connection and international calls is via satellite connections to Canada, so there's unlikely to be a cheap way for a while. Due to the US blockade, Cuba isn't allowed to connect to a fibre-optic cable between Florida and Mexico that passes only 20 miles from Havana. Apparently a cable from Venezuela to Cuba is happening within a year or so, which will increase capacity by a factor of 3000 times. Sorry for this lapse into nerddom, but it might explain the difficulties

payless

looking for a USA sim ... .. keen to get one with an existing number - unfortunately seems many on ebay need activating once in america , but I need the number before I go ( In past done this for a T mob - but prefer one with an intergrated low cost call back to UK ( like wireless o2, tuyo or the like)

redux

payless wrote: »

looking for a USA sim ... .. keen to get one with an existing number - unfortunately seems many on ebay need activating once in america , but I need the number before I go ( In past done this for a T mob - but prefer one with an intergrated low cost call back to UK ( like wireless o2, tuyo or the like)

I don't know. Can you contact these and ask if they can ship to here?

One or two of the global SIM firms will have a dual ID SIM available soon, with one a US number. They are perhaps a month or two from launch though. And I suspect others are working in this direction too.

jon_r_2

Has anyone used this abroad? i am visiting South Africa(not listed as a Home Country)

1/ the software downloaded does this work purely by text message? as i am on 02 it counts as 4 texts allowance per call.

2/Are there any hidden monthly charges etc

3/Is it reliable? as the rates look very reasonable

4/I will need to make calls within South Africa itself,would this method be cheaper than buying a local sim. Thanks

payless

They have lots of different systems - are you talking about "mobile world call back" ?

If so I guess its an international text ( so likely not part of the x4 o2 arrangement) + you still pay for including roaming calls if routed to your UK mobile