Mobile Roaming Cheapest calls when you're abroad

No one smiles wider when you go on holiday than your mobile phone provider. Trip abroad and it'll hugely hike call costs and can charge up to $1 a minute for receiving calls too. This is a full guide to the cheapest mobile roaming, either accessing your network's hidden deals or using specialist international Sim cards; cutting the cost of calls which now cost you $100 down to just a fiver.

Of course, the easiest solution is don't take it with you, but in our ‘have mobile, will roam' world, many would prefer to leave a lung behind instead...

 

Step 1: Text don't phone...

While phone calls can cost a fortune, texting is a simple way to communicate. Better still, the natural restrictions it imposes (you have to keep it short and sweet) automatically help keep costs down.

* It's free to receive texts when abroad.

      While you'll usually pay to receive a call on your mobile while abroad, it's free to receive a text. So ask friends and family to text rather than call. And if you need to reply, while it costs around 50p to text back, condense the message (lrn 2 spk txt) and it's still relatively cheap. However do beware of getting into a long text conversation with many flick-flacking messages; if that's the case, pick up the phone instead.

* Use your mobile like a pager.

      There are many cheaper ways to call back home than using a mobile (see below), so consider your phone to be a pager... just a way people can tell you they want to talk. If they can, ask them to text, or at the worst leave a short message (after all you pay a big whack to receive calls), then call them back a cheaper

* Using T-mobile in Europe? Don't text, MMS!

      Rather bizarrely, if you send a picture message (MMS) when in one of T-Mobiles Region 2 countries (most of Europe) it costs 20p, whereas texting is 40p. Thus, if you want to text home simply send an MMS instead; don't worry if you haven't got a picture to send, just put the words in the message without one and it still works fine (more info at T-Mobile MMS loophole).

 

Step 2: Call home for less without your mobile

When you're abroad, there are lots of ways to call home cheaply. To put it in context, calling from your mobile can cost 20p to $2.00 a minute so the savings are huge. Also do be very careful to avoid making calls from your hotel phone; almost invariably these'll cost a fortune.

* Get friends & family to call you in your hotel.

      If you have a phone in your hotel room, ask people to call you. By using a specialist cheap calls provider they can call for as little as 1p/min without setting up an account. The cheapest number for each country can be found with the International CallChecker and there's a more detailed 'how-to' explanation in the Cheap International Calls guide.

      Do note though, this method can't be used for calling your mobile cheaply. When you take a mobile abroad, it still counts as a US mobile when someone calls it.

* If you've got web access call via Voip for free.

      If you've got a laptop or internet access, use an ‘internet to phone' calling system like Skype*. Provided the person you're calling also has Skype it'll only cost you the price of connecting to the internet. Alternatively, Jajah* allows anyone with web access to make cheap or even free calls via normal landlines or mobiles, meaning you can use your hotel room phone. For details read VoIP: Completely Free Calls

* Make a call for the price of a text.

      A clever service, Vyke SMS Callback, allows you to call most countries for the cost of a text. Once you've signed up, you just text the word "call" followed by the number (inc. international code & no spaces) you'd like to call to the Vyke SMS number, which varies depending on your provider (here's the list by network). Now you should get a call back from Vyke, which, when answered will connect you to your destination number.

      Once you've signed up, you'll be credited with 50p to try the service. After that's gone, you'll have to top up at least $10. Call costs vary by country, but as an example, it works out at 2.4p/min to call a landline in Australia.

* Buy a phonecard for calling home.

      Buy a phonecard and you'll get a block of minutes at a cheaper rate. Simply dial a free prefix number from any phone to access them. You can buy minutes from newsagents in most countries; alternatively, comparison sites like 1st4phonecards will tell you the cheapest.

 

Step 3: Beware Mobile Voicemail when abroad!

Voicemail may seem like the convenient solution when overseas (find out what counts as being abroad), but it's dangerous for one simple reason...

If your voicemail's called, whether the phone's on or off, most networks charge the 'overseas rate for receiving the call (up to $1 a minute). Worse still, call to retrieve it while still abroad and you'll pay the overseas call rate again!

This means there are three quick tips you should follow:

* Switch off your voicemail. Ask your network to switch off the voicemail before you go, and you won't be charged when people call you (unless you answer it).

* Answer your phone. If your voicemail isn't disabled, keep the phone on as it's cheaper to answer than pay double to receive and then listen to a voicemail; provided you don't natter on once you're called.

* Change voicemail message. Re-record your voicemail message, keeping it short and asking others only to leave short messages that are strictly necessary.

 

Step 4: If using your mobile do it the right way.

And the final stage is if you do decide to use your mobile, then be aware of what it's costing you and how to keep those costs down.

* Vodafone & Virgin customers? Use the correct overseas network.

      When you go abroad, often there are a number of different networks you can connect to. Your phone usually does this automatically based on the strongest signal, but Vodafone sometimes charges different amounts for different networks (depending on its commercial relationships).

      For example, Vodafone customers in Australia that use the Vodafone network will pay 79p/min, but 99p/min with all others. Thus check before you go which is the cheapest to use, and then use your mobile 'manually select a network' option to find the cheapest.

* Remember you pay to receive.

      Its too easy to habitually slip into a long conversation when someone calls you. Remember you pay to receive when you're outside the US and the cost can be really heavy - up to $1 a minute. So keep conversations short and sweet.

* It's cheaper to receive than to call.

      In general it's much cheaper to receive a call than make one. So if you're calling friends or family when abroad, ask them to call you back. They'll just pay the standard rate for calling a US mobile.

Cheaper Calls On Your Network

If you're only likely to make a few calls, or are sticking within Europe, the easiest way is to simply sign up for a special discounted call package from your network. However, if you trip away a lot and want the cheapest solution, thenuse a different sim card, which means routing your calls through another provider to get cheaper call (see switch sim for big savings).

All the main networks offer special packages which reduce the cost for when you're roaming abroad; some of these are free, others require a monthly fee to be paid. There are two rules to

*Don't ask, don't get.

      Take out a new contract and you should get the better rates as standard, yet if you're an existing customer you should phone and ask. After all, don't expect your mobile network to lower your prices unless it has to.

* If you're paying, remember to cancel.

      Most of the fee paying packages bill by the month, so if you sign up, you'll continue to be charged until you cancel. So if you're only going away for a week simple cancel once you get home; to stop yourself paying year round.

 

Making calls from EU countries (on your network)

The EU has told mobile networks their customers must be able to call at a maximum price of 38p/min and receive calls for a max of 19p/min. Everyone should automatically have access to these cheaper prices unless you have opted for one of your providers other roaming packages. However, all but T-mobile users can also request free add-on packages which further lower the cost:

* Vodafone, Passport, free on request, all customers. Doesn't operate everywhere but in countries it does, you pay a flat 75p connection fee plus your normal call charges (eg if you've got free minutes for calling US numbers they're included). Receiving calls also only costs 75p/call.

* o2, My Europe, free on request, all customers. Ask for My Europe and you'll be charged 35p/min to make calls and 18p/min to receive them.

* o2, My Europe Extra, $10/month. My Europe extra is free to receive calls and only 21p/min to make them. The subscription can be started any time during the month, but remember to cancel it when you return. If you're a heavy traveller, you can sign up now for a 12 month contract at $5/month.

* Orange, Try It, all customers. If you've never used its roaming services before Orange will give you a free $5 credit ($3 on PAYG) worth of calls to make or receive while in Europe.

* Three's standard EU roaming prices are the cheapest of all the networks', costing 25p/min to make calls and 10p/min to receive them, and you'll get them without asking.

 

Making calls outside the EU countries (on your network)

While roaming prices within the EU have tumbled, the rest of the world is still pricey. However, you can cut the price of roaming using your usual network by adding a subscription package:

* Vodafone, Passport or International Call Saver, $2.50/month, contract users. This reduces contract users call charges by between 30-60% depending on destination.

* o2, International Traveller Service, contract users, $2.99/month. (Free for those on tariffs over $35). This makes calls only 28p/min to make and reduces the cost of receiving calls by about 30%.

* Orange, Frequent Traveller, $2/month, all customers. This reduces the cost of calls by about 15-30%.

* T-Mobile, World Class, $2.50/month. This reduces the cost of receiving calls by about 30%, although the cost of making calls stays the same.

SAMPLE CALLING COSTS

 

Switch Sim: Much cheaper call costs

Its possible to get much cheaper calls and receive for free by switching Sim card, though as you need to pay to get the right Sim, it's only a good solution for those who make sufficient calls to balance this out. Even then, while it wins in most cases, it's not automatically cheapest; for example calling home for an hour on Vodafone passport, if you're in an eligible country, is virtually unbeatable. So check those options first.

Switching your Sim

To use another network's Sim in your mobile you'll need to make sure it's unlocked; if not, you can do this for free on many handsets (read the Unlock Your Mobile Phone article). To switch Sim just take out the existing card and put the new one in; yet this does mean people will need to call you on a different number.

Thus either ensure everyone knows the number before you leave or give it to them when they call and quickly switch Sim. One way to make this easier is put the special Sim card in an old mobile and take it, as well as your normal phone with you.

Which type of Sim to buy.

There are two main options...

    * Buy a local Sim card (the cheaper route)

      This is a specific Sim card for the country you are going to. Generally it works out cheaper to do this, however if you travel regularly it means picking one up for each journey and giving out a new number each time (see Cheap Local Sims)
      .
    * Get an international roaming Sim card (the easier route)

      Here you use a special multi-country Sim card. While not quite as cheap as a local card, you only need to buy it once, and keep the same number wherever you are, making it more convenient (see Cheap International Sims).

 

Buy a local Sim card for each country

While you can usually buy sims for less once you're away, for ease, websites such as 0044* and US2Abroad* sell local sims for $15 to $30 (and most usually have some call credit already on them). This means you know the number and have it all set up as soon as you go. Do ensure you pick the right network though, as prices vary. There's a useful list of overseas networks on Prepaidgsm.

Roaming in the US

If you're tripping abroad to the US you can't use internatonal Sims, and it's not easy for non-residents to get local sims, so there are two solutions:

   * Buy a country-specific sim card.

      OneRoam* offers a US sim on the Jolt network for $15, charging 19p/min to make and receive both local and international calls. The lowest top-up is $12.50 ($25).

   * Get your calls from home for $49.99.

      A special service is offered by US2abroad* which allows you to receive calls to your normal mobile number for 25p/minute. Effectively it gives you a US T-mobile Sim card for calling from, and then diverts your calls from home to it.

Cut the cost of calling with a local Sim

Rebtel has a system that allows you to make roaming calls for the price of a local call. It does this by routing calls to mobiles through local landlines. This is very useful for those with local Sims, as calling abroad can still be costly, but local calls are usually dirt cheap. Full details in the Free Intl Calls guide.

 

Cheapest International Sim Cards

A global Sim offers the convenience of having the same number every time you go away. Thanks for this go to Liechtenstein! Its mobile phone companies don't charge when you receive calls abroad, and the international Sim industry has developed on the back of this, though it's now been joined by the Isle of Man, Estonia and others.

To keep the cost of making calls lower, international Sims use call-back systems i.e. you call, are immediately disconnected, and then 10 seconds later your phone rings to connect you through. Calls are routed via a landline to make it cheaper, though this can make things fiddly and be a pain at times.

The Best Buys

Global Sims usually cost $15 - $30 to buy, and all have similar call costs but varying credit. Yet its worth checking out the specific costs for countries you visit regularly.

* Cheapest global Sim. Storytelecom wins as its $30 TravelTalk card gives $25 call credit, and has good service feedback to boot. The credit lasts for 12 mths after you've bought it.

* Tried and tested. Sim4Travel* is one of the more well known International Sim companies, and costs $15.99 and gives $10 call credit. The credit lasts for 9 mths.

      STOP PRESS! Sim4travel currently has a promotional offer though various websites for the first 10,000 customers. Through this you can either get a $10 credit Sim for $8.49 (usually $15.99) and $20 credit for $15.99 (usually $25.99). These links take you directly there.

* Credit that doesn't date. While nowhere near as cheap, OneRoam* at $15 with $3.50 call credit, with the advantage that here your credit doesn't expire; so for future top ups it can be good value.

* Other International Sim providers. For the sake of comparing costs for the countries you travel to more often, other providers include: 0044Global Sim*, Go-Sim*, Sim4travel*, Simply-fone.

It's worth taking some time to compare call costs for your likely destinations, website Onecompare* compares some global Sim prices with networks' roaming costs, but you'll need to manually compare the others.

Ensure people call you cheaply

When people call you, if you're using a local Sim, they're effectively calling that country. With a Global Sim, regardless of where you are, they're calling the Sim's country e.g. Sim4Travel is Liechtenstein, Storytelecom is the Isle of Man and Oneroam is Estonia.

Done correctly these calls should only cost pennies, providing they call via one of the instant access cheap dial providers (see the International CallChecker for the daily-updated cheapest way to call any country).

The Size of the savings

Making and receiving three hours of calls each week during a fortnight in Australia on a US mobile could cost $670. Use a Global Sim, which of course can be used in other countries too, and even with purchase price it's $130, yet a specific Australian Sim is just $70.

However, those on Vodafone can simply ask for its free ‘passport' option, which beats everything else, cutting the cost to just $30. Though it's only available in limited countries.

Abroad Saving - Roaming in Australia

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