Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad

vipah2002

After 6 months on half pay in Scotland I landed a great job in Jersey, I have had an old T Mobile Blackberry and needed a new one as it was frankly battered, went into the T mobile store, explained my good fortune in landing the postion in Jersey, from which I do not expect to return other than to visit family and friends, explained that I would be makiing all my calls from there. Two and half weeks later no wanting to abuse the company phone...I need this job and so I was calling my wife and three children each night....got a text after two and a half weeks I had run up a bill of £752.00 I was nearly sick.....we have been srimping and saving, now I realise hoe sound the advice is not to rely on the sales assistant and check and re check the detail.

I have phined and e-mailed there customer services department and spoke to the store manager who conducted the sale, in his own words "he did not twig" I was living and working in Jersey and the cost is so high because they and I quote "Are not big" in Jersey....my stupidity looks like its going to cost me a packet, I have stopped the direct debit, and written to advise there head office in Hatfield, which ironically I helped to build.......

Anyone got any bright ideas, I have invoked the complaints policy and am following it to the letter, I have been a customer of theres for 4 years, never missed a payment, this is the only up grade I have ever had and now I'm tied until Dec 2010.....the cancellation charge is £400.00.....

redux

I can't advise on solving the dispute with T-mobile, but get a local SIM in Jersey. There are Jersey Telecom, Sure and Airtel-Vodafone. The last probably has the best payg rates

redux

Jaine wrote: »

My boyfriend is texting me from Cuba using T-mobile PAYG at 40p per text using an unlocked phone. Has anyone any ideas for how to make texting cheaper, thanks.

I looked for someone else a while ago and could not find any cheap options for Cuba. There are mobile Java programs that would allow cheap messages via data, but I suspect you'll find that data is not available while roaming there

mrcamp

He is lucky he can even use his phone in Cuba. This never used to be an option. But things are beginning to change there. 40p is not over kill since he is roaming, and will probably cost him the same in most other countries, even here in the US. As mentioned, there are other options such as fishtext, Mobisms, etc., but they all use data, and it's very unlikely that data roaming is available in Cuba.

Jaine wrote: »

My boyfriend is texting me from Cuba using T-mobile PAYG at 40p per text using an unlocked phone. Has anyone any ideas for how to make texting cheaper, thanks.

efnewman

I have just come back from a weeks holiday in Spain. My mobile phone was on the Orange Network all the time I was there. Should I still pay roaming charges as it was still on the Orange Network?

I saw Martin on GMTV the week before I went and I am sure he said if your phone shows you normal network you would not pay roaming charges, you only pay when the network changes. Does anyone know please.

redux

Though the brand name is the same, Orange Spain is a different network, so you will be paying for roaming.

Likewise there are Orange O2 T-mobile Vodafone and 3 networks in several other countries. Quite often the country name comes up as well, which helps people near borders to distinguish them

efnewman

Oh thank you. I was in Toromolinos a couple of years ago, that showed the Orange network on my phone and I was not charged any roaming charges for that. My friend who I was with, he mobile switched to Mistar (or something like that) but she was on O2 and not Orange. Thought it was strange at the time.

Other places I have been to it has picked up a local network. Just found it odd that it shows Orange and not a local network. Martin must have been wrong in what he said on GMTV the other week then.

redux

efnewman wrote: »

Other places I have been to it has picked up a local network. Just found it odd that it shows Orange and not a local network. Martin must have been wrong in what he said on GMTV the other week then.

Orange Spain is a local network in Spain, which is what I said. You absolutely certainly will not get reception of Orange UK there. And you will be charged

I didn't listen to what Martin said the other day, but I'm suspecting you didn't all that well either, as he would not have said everyone gets free roaming on any network of the same name as they use at home (though there are some free roaming deals from Vodafone UK and O2 UK). Despite the name in common, the networks are different. Was the question about use near borders, perhaps Northern Ireland or the ferry to Calais?

pixiechick_2

Turkey is not included in the recent reduced roaming charges. It costs £1.37 per minute instead of 35p in 'Europe'. This is far more than phoning from Asia and Pacific (85p per minute) even though most of Turkey is in Asia and the rest is in Europe. I had to use my phone because of a crisis at home (wasn't intending to use it) and the calls cost more than the (last minute) holiday :mad:

BigSaver_2

Going to New York for two weeks in the next couple of months. I already have a sim4travel. What sim card the best for making calls within the US (free is that poss?) and receiving calls internationally for free? I thinking of using a local sim.

Thank you