Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad

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gsysezz wrote: »

My head is spinning reading all of this information. The phone sites are so misleading with great claims of incoming calls being free then conflicting information in the tariffs.

Is there anyone would could advise on the cheapest way of receiving / making calls whilst in New Zealand. We are based in Guernsey which may make this information a little more challenging to provide.

I would be very grateful for any advice.

Thanks in anticipation!!

Sorry to have left this reply so long ...

I found this on Vodafone New Zealand:

It's just $2 for 60 minutes when you call from your Vodafone mobile to landlines in our top 15 countries, from Australia to the USA to the UK. You can call from your couch or while you are out and about, and chat like you're right there with your friends and family

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/specials-promos/2-for-60-minutes.jsp

For direct-dialled int'l calls, that is stunning value, down to only about a penny halfpenny a minute of you go to 50-off minutes. The trouble is, this offer runs until 31 March, but maybe they'll think about extending it.

Vodafone may withdraw, extend or amend this offer at anytime.

If they don't extend it, then use a callthrough access, either with a Vodafone NZ SIM, or a Vodafone UK one with Passport. Then incoming calls are just a 75p connection fee, outgoing normal rates plus the same 75p. Off-peak (which is on local time), this is 10 pence a minute.

The question arises, do Guernsey landlines count within UK landlines as far as Vodafone UK or NZ are concerned? I think almost certainly yes. The trickier part may be in finding cheap calls providers to enable your family at home to reach you cheaply, as I suspect that not all are not available to you ...

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MYLITTLESISTERLOLA wrote: »

I'm going to Jamaica in 8 weeks and I'm trying to find a cheap tariff for calling from mobile in Jamaica to UK and cheap for peopple to call me. Getting married & want to keep everyone informed of the news.
I've tried reading all the articles but I'm baffled by science
My phone in triband & unlocked so that shouldn't be a problem
Please Help

I think getting a local Jamaican SIM would be best, as the UK networks don't have cheap roaming there, and some of the global roaming SIMs are a bit expensive there too.

There are two networks, Digicel, and bMobile by Cable and Wireless

I think I'm finding an int'l call rate on Digicel of $17.75, and $18 on bMobile, which is about 12 or 13 pence a minute, but I'm surprised that Digicel doesn't specify which countries.

http://www.digiceljamaica.com/tariffs/index.php?pa=digicel_flex

http://www.cwbmobile.com/bmobile.php?snippet=products&p=consumerplan

Also, one of the banner ads on the Digicel homepage say unlimited int'l calls including to UK landlines for $999, which is about £7. It changes a bit fast; I did a screen save and pasted it into the Paint program to read it

http://www.digiceljamaica.com/home/index_v4.php

So that ought to be outgoing calls ok. If you need to call UK mobiles as well, then maybe via a cheap calls provider on either a UK or US landline, or maybe contact the network to ask the tariff.

For incoming, you'd need to study the MSE Callchecker to brief cheap calls routes to the people calling you. It seems to be about 10p a minute for Jamaica mobiles, or from 2p upwards for landlines.

To get a bit more complicated, you could set up call forwarding to the Jamaican number to save people the cost, or you could use a so-called callback service to make your outgoing calls. But as that isn't much cheaper I'd keep things simple and hit that bundle offer

AMScott

Hope someone might be able to help me here.

I'm based in the UK but 90% of the time am travelling around Europe for work.
My boyfriend lives in Holland but has the same lifestyle as me so is more often than not travelling.
Therefore we're often using our mobiles to call one another whilst neither of us are in our home country. This is getting very expensive!!!!
We often Skype but only when one (or both) of us are somewhere where we've got an internet connection.
At the moment I'm trying to find a cheaper way of us calling one another and any recommendations would be great! I'm considering both of us getting some sort of international sim so at least we'll not be paying for incoming calls but am not sure if that's the best solution.

Ta for any advice!

A

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AMScott wrote: »

Hope someone might be able to help me here.

I'm based in the UK but 90% of the time am travelling around Europe for work.
My boyfriend lives in Holland but has the same lifestyle as me so is more often than not travelling.
Therefore we're often using our mobiles to call one another whilst neither of us are in our home country. This is getting very expensive!!!!
We often Skype but only when one (or both) of us are somewhere where we've got an internet connection.
At the moment I'm trying to find a cheaper way of us calling one another and any recommendations would be great! I'm considering both of us getting some sort of international sim so at least we'll not be paying for incoming calls but am not sure if that's the best solution.

Ta for any advice!

A

You might try to work something out with Vodafone's Passport arrangement, which has a connect fee when roaming then the same charges as at home. You'd have to both choose the same country's Vodafone, either UK or NL, but I suspect that Vodafone UK's pay-as-you-go would only be attractive off-peak. I think both networks now have SIM-only contracts, and you might consider these, but I doubt that a network will accept a foreign subscriber, so it's up to you whether you'll consider one of you undertaking to pay both contracts; I think this could get awkward working out the bills afterwards, as you both presumably need to make other calls as well.

Another choice from here is O2's My Europe Extra, with a £10 a month fee so that incoming roaming calls are free, outgoing to all Europe are 25p a minute.

Or global roaming SIMs, as you say, some with free incoming calls, and outgoing rates on these are from typically 29 cents a minute, including to others on the same network.

If you find yourselves in some countries more than others, it will be worth checking out local SIM card rates, especially as there are increasing numbers of virtual brands which specialise in cheap international calls: Ortel, Lebara, IDT and others operate in a number of countries, and Germany has several others like Blauworld, Solomo. Check out the PrepaidGSM site mentioned in Martin's article and above http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/operators.html

And for cheap text messages, read this thread, but note that the global SIMs mostly don't support data at the moment http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=528955

BigSaver_2

I am going to Egypt and looking for a sim card to buy.

http://www.0044.co.uk/Global-Sim-Card.htm (first choice as the cheapest)

http://www.sim4travel.com/ (Most coverage but expensive for call/text)

http://www.noodle.co.uk/

http://www.globalsimcard.co.uk

I want to buy a sim card that offer the most coverage (and always increasing) & cheap to call/text to the UK and also which is reliable & to keep long term. From your experience, which should I purchase?

Thank you

BigSaver

keefrto

i notice that noodle have what appears to be an impressive April offer? As you may know my contract vodafone mobile is coming with me to Canada and I want to make some UK calls and receive calls from the uk on it. If i follow noodle properly it appears that the cost of both making and receiving calls is VERY SMALL!! Anyone confirm or dash this ?? Redux, I was going to get a sim card in Canada but now not certain after seeing this offer!!
cheers
K

keefrto

I have called noodle to ask some questions but still awaiting the call however can someone tell me what the difference between mobile calling and roaming mobile calling?

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BigSaver wrote: »

I want to buy a sim card that offer the most coverage (and always increasing) & cheap to call/text to the UK and also which is reliable & to keep long term. From your experience, which should I purchase?

Noodle's SIM isn't yet on the market, and I'll be interested to see more details as thjey appear, as I don't yet know if it's a reseller arrangement or something they're setting up themselves.

The other 3 should all be fine, so the choice might depend on their slightly differing range of countries with free incoming calls. You might also find United Mobile worth looking at, which is the underlying provider for Sim4travel.

As for making calls to these, they are Isle of Man or Jersey mobile numbers, which come from some but not all UK network's inclusive minutes, so check this before forwarding your usual mobile or telling all your friends and family. Most cheap calls providers, such as using 18185 from a landline, count them exactly the same tariff as UK mobiles though.

If you'll also make calls within Egypt, you might also get a local SIM card, and can compare them at http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/egypt.html

Tarquin_2

Myself and some friends have been using a sim4travel cards to receive free incoming calls on a UK number whilst in the Republic of Ireland. They have been largely good, despite some connection problems.

My warning is regarding UK network operators who try to charge around 94 pence per minute to call this number (even though it is a standard UK +44 7 ... number) We have had problems with people calling us from 02 and Vodafone, although I suspect other networks are the same. Both have agreed to a refund, but ask people calling you on a sim4travel to carefully look at their bills!

UPDATE!!! Vodafone now changed their mind again, claiming that the number is based in Jersey so that they are entitled to charge 94p per minute. A couldnt find anything about 94p per min or call charges to Jersey mobiles on their website.
UPDATE part 2. They're now saying around 30p per minute (can't remember exact figure), not the 94p they had threatened. Is it a deliberate ploy to confuse their own staff so the consumers don't have a chance of understanding!!???

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Tarquin wrote: »

My warning is regarding UK network operators who try to charge around 94 pence per minute to call this number (even though it is a standard UK +44 7 ... number)

Sim4travel is Jersey, not a standard UK number.

For Ireland, 3 Like Home or a choice of 2 options on O2 give free incoming calls, while Vodafone Passport is also worth looking at. I'd check 3's coverage and probably use that, perhaps with a calls bundle like 300 minutes for £15