Texting abroad

stinklesdad

Can anyone advise on the cheapest way to send and receive text messages abroad. My daughter frequently travels to Europe and is trying to reduce her mobile bills.We have successfully reduced her mobile phone bills by using the cheap telephone numbers as advised by the site.
regards.

pricefighter

What network does your daughter use?,payg or contract?.

gizmoleeds

If it is just one or two countries she visits she should get Pay as you go sim cards for networks in that country. Otherwise, there is a company that sell "international" sim cards which are cheap to use everywhere - I'll try dig up their name.

gizmoleeds

See this article here:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1119870249,48922,

http://www.sim4travel.com/ was the company I was referring to with the international sims, but it seems they chage 40p/text in France (which isn't much better than most UK networks).

O2 have a "Euro bolt-on" for £1.99 a month with cheaper than normal rates in Europe:

http://www.o2.co.uk/productsservices/boltons/eurodesc

You should probably forget the local sim idea I suggested though becasue, now I think about it I realize they'll probably be just as expensive for texts.

aliavavodka

hi, i`m with o2 PAYG and have paid a one off fee of £4.99 so my txts to my sister (who lives abroad) only cost 10p instead of 20p ( as my free txt allowance wont include them)

Ali

stinklesdad

pricefighter wrote:

What network does your daughter use?,payg or contract?.

She is with o2 and on a contract

smcicr

as i understand it the free texts you get with the o2 online tariffs work abroad like MMS ones do here - so when you send a text from abroad it uses 4 of your free allowance. i was texting back and forth from NZ last year and expecting to return to a large bill but there was nothing - i get 500 free texts a month and usually only get through around 200 or so when i'm in the uk and as a result the abroad texts didn't even dent the allowance

2ax

For text messages, investigate these, as discussed on other threads recently
https://www.smsbug.com
https://www.vgsmail.com
I'm not sure how much roaming GPRS tariffs would add.

For calls when roaming, O2 looks like the most flexible option. Martin's article, referred to above, mentions that with their ITS option, incoming calls can be diverted to a foreign SIM - 17p per minute looks like the rate for Europe. Though if it is you making most of the calls, then cheap call providers to the foreign SIM are about the same cost, for single-country SIMs. Calls to the Liechtenstein SIMs are cheaper still, from 4p per minute (maybe a provider's mistake, but...).

For outgoing calls from the foreign SIM, a callback service or calling card use if possible comes out cheaper than directly dialled calls to international numbers, on most networks. Someone was looking for callback information recently (I was too), and there are several threads on MSE - use the Search function.

alykhalil

i have received some O2 sims (those on offer, remember those links and get FREE sims), i got those and apparently, i did not have to pay anything, just topped up £10 and they also gave me £2.50 credit + international Bolt on for FREE. this way from UK if i send a text abroad it costs me just 10p. if you have a O2 payg sim call them and tell them to add an internation caller/text bolt on..its was FREE until 3 days back..try it hurry...

pricefighter

alykhalil wrote:

i have received some O2 sims (those on offer, remember those links and get FREE sims), i got those and apparently, i did not have to pay anything, just topped up £10 and they also gave me £2.50 credit + international Bolt on for FREE. this way from UK if i send a text abroad it costs me just 10p. if you have a O2 payg sim call them and tell them to add an internation caller/text bolt on..its was FREE until 3 days back..try it hurry...

Its only free to early January.

You can also get another free treat for 3 months (Choice of 3 Bolt ons).

Visit https://www.02.co.uk/joiningtreats

alykhalil

pricefighter wrote:

Its only free to early January.

You can also get another free treat for 3 months (Choice of 3 Bolt ons).

Visit https://www.02.co.uk/joiningtreats

i see they never told me that..! what happens if you pay £4.99 one off for it...