T-Mobile EU Roaming Rates Confirmed

[Guest shadamehr]

T-mobile have now confirmed their Summer '07 EU Roaming Rates Reduction.

For me, going away in September, it's great, but for some it might not help as like all the other nets except O2, it starts on 31st August.

The page/site link for the blurb direct is at:

T-Mobile New Roaming Rates Page

But to summarise in brief:

Cost to RECEIVE a Call will be 19p per minute inclusive of VAT (previously between 50p and £1.30)

Cost to MAKE a Call will be 38p per minute inclusive of VAT (previously between 50p and £1.40)

So these are not bad prices! No special opt in or package is required - these are base costs applied to all customers, so no need to opt in to any special Foreign Traveller Scheme or anything like some networks do.

The cost of sending a text will be 40p to send, free to receive.

The GOOD NEWS WITH T-MOBILE HOWEVER...

Roaming MMS will still cost only 20p AND these can be used as part of a Flext Customer's Monthly Allowance.

So you can send a massive 1000 character text, and provided you send it as an MMS not an SMS, it will cost just 20p, and will come out of your existing allowance. This is a really useful tip to remember.

Here's the official word on this tip:

"...And if you want to send a picture message to show everyone what a great time you're having, it only costs 20p - if you're a Flext customer, your allowance can only be used on UK minutes & texts, but picture messages whilst abroad do come out of your Flext allowance, which means you don't have to pay more."

Finally, this is how T-Mobile compare with the other networks for EU Roaming voice rates:

Orange - 19p receive/38p make (so the same)

Vodafone - Info on reductions still sketchy, but Voda do offer Vodafone Passport (75p for first min, then your normal UK package rates apply), as well as an optional chargeable International Traveller Service at £2.50 a month that reduces costs. (Voda also offer flat rate DATA roaming too - 12 Euros or £8.20 a day for 50MB)

O2 - 18p receive/35p to make (Applies to everyone automatically from end of August, but ANYONE can opt in NOW for the same rates)

Three - International Saver Option at £15 a month allows unlimited calls to 23 countries - unlimited defined as 3,000 mins per month. Otherwise their new rates are going to be 15p to receive, and 25p to make (so the cheapest Operator). Three also do "3 like home" which allows EU calls to be taken from your normal bundle etc.

Hope this info is handy, but for T-Mobile Customers going away after 31st August these will be the new rates, and for T-Mobile customers going away ANYTIME, remember the excellent tip about using MMS instead - much cheaper, and is included in your allowance!.

This is mentioned in another post, HERE but without the knowledge that this is official and correct policy regarding MMS.

Edited July 31, 2007 by shadamehr

[Guest darrengf]

To Add to the Above.

** 02 ** If you are on contract then sending a SMS will come out of your message bundle 1 Text from abroad will use 4 standard SMS out of you bundle and 1xMMS abroad again will use 4xstandard SMS Bundle (This is any where in the world that 02 have a signed roaming agreement). Better than T-Mobile then !!

Also on 02 if you pay £10 (Per month)you get all your incoming calls when in EU for free (Max 1000mins) and its only 25p per min to call and where in EU too when abroad. (Even better)

However if you Roam in Spain you only pay £5 to receive all your incoming calls (Max 1000mins) and its only 25p min to call and where in EU too when abroad. (Thats Even better)

Oh and Dont forget O2 rates apply now and have been for the last Year If you signed up tomy Europe!!

Oh and dont forget Ireland O2 rates its 25p per min when calling to the uk and Ireland (And this service is free) Now thats even better

Oh and Last Vodafone rates:

These are the most difficult to find on there website as they dont want you to know about them

But its 38p to make a call in eu and 19p to received

Heres the link http://www.abroad.vodafone.co.uk/index.cfm...uropricing.test

Making 38p

Receiving 19p

Sending a text 35p + Your standard UK charges so thats a whopping 47p then for Contract (49p for PAYG)

so Make the most of NOW !! mmmm

Edited July 31, 2007 by darrengf

[Guest shadamehr]

To Add to the Above.

** 02 ** If you are on contract then sending a SMS will come out of your message bundle 1 Text from abroad will use 4 standard SMS out of you bundle and 1xMMS abroad again will use 4xstandard SMS Bundle (This is any where in the world that 02 have a signed roaming agreement). Better than T-Mobile then !!

Also on 02 if you pay £10 (Per month)you get all your incoming calls when in EU for free (Max 1000mins) and its only 25p per min to call and where in EU too when abroad. (Even better)

However if you Roam in Spain you only pay £5 to receive all your incoming calls (Max 1000mins) and its only 25p min to call and where in EU too when abroad. (Thats Even better)

Oh and Dont forget O2 rates apply now and have been for the last Year If you signed up tomy Europe!!

Oh and dont forget Ireland O2 rates its 25p per min when calling to the uk and Ireland (And this service is free) Now thats even better

Oh and Last Vodafone rates:

These are the most difficult to find on there website as they dont want you to know about them

But its 38p to make a call in eu and 19p to received

Heres the link http://www.abroad.vodafone.co.uk/index.cfm...uropricing.test

Making 38p

Receiving 19p

Sending a text 35p + Your standard UK charges so thats a whopping 47p then for Contract (49p for PAYG)

so Make the most of NOW !! mmmm

A BRILLIANT addition to my post mate, apart from one or two minor points (though I'm very grateful for the Voda info).

** 02 ** If you are on contract then sending a SMS will come out of your message bundle 1 Text from abroad will use 4 standard SMS out of you bundle and 1xMMS abroad again will use 4xstandard SMS Bundle (This is any where in the world that 02 have a signed roaming agreement). Better than T-Mobile then !!

This is the one bit I have to take exception with (and bear in mind, until my number port into T-Mobile last monday, I was an O2 Customer from the day Genie launched, and on another account, back in the day of Cellnet First (that's Cellnet, not BT Cellnet).

Nah, I disagree with this... Because on one hand, whilst it seems that SMS coming out of your allowance is a GOOD thing with O2 while Roaming, the reality is something very different. Because as they do this on the basis you indicate 1 Roaming SMS accounts for 4 of your bundle SMS, then actually that's quite a steep price to pay (though not as bad as the Voda text costs you mention).

And why do I say this? Because I know first hand - you see, when I came back from Spain the first year O2 had this policy in place, my monthly bill for that month was WAY high - hit me where it hurts.

So when I investigated, and finally found out from O2 about the policy you rightly mention here, it all clicked - as each EU text used up FOUR of my normal texts (and I seem to recall MMS was even worse, but even if you are right, that hit into it to), then the net result was that I had used up my monthly allocation of texts much quicker than normal, and as a result, I had a whole shed load of CHARGEABLE texts on my bill that month once i was back home.

I know it might not sound like I'm making much sense, but in reality, it's true - 1 EU SMS = 4 Allowance SMS is a steep markup, and a hefty price to pay.

Send just 100 texts whilst on holiday for two weeks, and maybe ten picture messages to back home, and before you know it, that's 440 or more of your 500 (for most users, some get more now though) free texts gone.

So send just a mere hundred texts back home that month, and your looking at a £10 addition to your bill.

Send something remotely like your normal usage, say maybe 400 or so, and see your bill shoot up by £40 that month.

So be warned - on the FACE OF IT, it's good that they are included in your bundle.

But IN REALITY, 1 EU text using up FOUR bundle texts is a hefty markup, and unless you are very careful, your bill for that month could sky-rocket, once back home.

So this is the one key point I totally disagree with you on. I don't see how this policy of O2 which can actually mean HEFTY bills, can possibly compare with T-Mobile's simple 20p for an MMS, which can be up to 1000 characters, and thus the equivalent of over SIX normal sms, AND can come out your Flext allowance.

With O2, that would equate to over six EU sms, which in turn means TWENTY FOUR of your bundle allowance texts.

A single 20p MMS that comes out your Flext allowance AS NORMAL RATIO, is far better value than having TWENTY FOUR of your bundle sms used up, as O2 would do for the same amount of characters (you could use MMS with O2 too, and that would reduce the net effect somewhat, but it would still be a lot more than the T-Mobile way of things).

Agreed?

The rest of what you say, I basically cannot fault however - and I am grateful for you adding it.

Though I have no knowledge in all my many years, of O2's fixed £10 Foreign Rate you mention - and that was part of my point - these are little advertised opt-ins, rather than automatically allocated rates etc.

Still good though £10 for 1,000 minutes overseas. Still, Three's £15 for 3,000 minutes, with a warning text at 2,500 minutes, beats O2's offering. AH SCRATCH THAT - I just re-read your post - with O2 it's £10 a month just to RECEIVE??? Mate with Three its only £15 a month to MAKE up to 3,000 minutes of EU calls, so Three is miles better. (See: HERE )

And besides, for the once or twice a year holidaymaker type customer, which is squarely really where my post was aimed, given the reader-base of MobiHolics etc, these high inclusive bundles, for an additional cost, are not necessarily suitable - they are more for the heavy business user.

But for text only solutions, nah, sorry, nothing touches this deal of T-Mobile's if sent as an MMS not an SMS.

Comments on any of this folks? As this is interesting stuff - especially the new stuff Darren has added...

[Guest darrengf]

Good Evening, Just you and me on this debate :P

Oh Well i dont mind.

I can see where you are getting at regarding the T-Mobile Rates with MMS abroad and yes its cheaper than O2. It only costs 20p to send a mms from abroad. However and I can honestly say this how many people know this, I didn until tonight T-Mobile dont seem to advertis it?

I can honestly say that 90% of people will send SMS from Abroad to the UK which in T-Mobiles case dont come out of the bundle so they get a nice 40p charge.

Its also not always possibe to send mms from the country you are visiting. Not all countries support mms, alot of my friends dont have mms phones so senng a free mms is useless if the person at the other end doesnt get it. I kno you get a message saying go to this blah blah blah, but I can tell you now that most people just cant be bothered, dont understand it and just delete it.

O2 range from 25p to 40p when abroad so o2 are still cheaper.

I get 1000 sms with my allowence which yes i can send 100 text from abroad and it takes 400 sms out. Fine with me as it doesnt cost me a penny.

However on T-Mobile if people send 100 sms they get a nice bill of £40.

I can also purchase an extra bundle for me to use aborad, so If i want an extra 400sms im charged £16 so thats a saving of £24 compaired to T-Mobile.

It is only recent that O2 have started to do this saving about a year i think but its gr8 if you are on o2 new system.

I also dont think 4 is steep. To be honest i think its fine with me. However many other networks alow you to use you UK SMS bundle round the world?

Orange, 3* and Voda and T-Mobile dont use there SMS bundle in the UK for abroad like 02 do.

*3 do on there sister networks*

T-Mobile and o2 are the only ones that allows you to send mms using your bundles Againg 3 using there sister networks.

The 3000 mins is to call countries from the UK on 3 which is great if you want to ring people abroad on a international number

However:

O2s rate is £10 to receive calls for free when in the EU so to me thats whey better when im on holiday as the other doesnt come into account and again with 3's rate i have to pay 15p per min to received a call when in eu.

I travel to USA alot, T-Mobile is the cheapest with out a doubt at 55p per min, thats because it has a sister network. O2 is 90p, which to me is fine as i send more sms than calls.

I was with Orange last year and was with them for 8 years My bills when i was in usa was on average £200+ per month. I can say thats £100 of sms and £40 of calls. This year my o2 will be about £80 which to me is a saving.

;)

Any way of to bed now. I need my beauty sleep :)

Edited July 31, 2007 by darrengf

[Guest Confucious]

My 2d's worth

T-Mobile have actually told me that sending MMS comes out of my allowance so that was good.

These rates are all a vast reduction on the old rates and can only be good news. They are meant to help holidaymakers so for the target audience it is good news. I doubt if many occasional holidaymakers will base their choice of network on roaming prices but both of you have made very valid points and it's very much horses for courses depending on your usage.

The one thing neither of you has mentioned is data roaming prices - I normally turn my data off while abroad as it is so expensive - but then you can't send MMS with data turned off.....

[Guest shadamehr]

My 2d's worth

T-Mobile have actually told me that sending MMS comes out of my allowance so that was good.

These rates are all a vast reduction on the old rates and can only be good news. They are meant to help holidaymakers so for the target audience it is good news. I doubt if many occasional holidaymakers will base their choice of network on roaming prices but both of you have made very valid points and it's very much horses for courses depending on your usage.

The one thing neither of you has mentioned is data roaming prices - I normally turn my data off while abroad as it is so expensive - but then you can't send MMS with data turned off.....

Hi Confucious.

Not sure what you mean by "Turn Off Data" - how do you achieve this?

Me, I just make sure I don't use the web while abroad.

But appreciating that isn't always easy for some people, the simple way around this is to TEMPORARILY change your Internet Settings/APN for web access, to something that simply doesn't work, for the duration you are abroad.

That way MMS will still work, but Internet won't and you won't ring up a bill.

And to Darren - again you add even more useful info to this debate.

But I STILL stand by my original statement - that whilst in some respects this policy of O2's is a good one - I mean, let me be fair, it's BETTER than paying outright for SMS, I STILL indicate that it is a policy that is EASY to get tricked over, thinking you are safe.

Remember what I said - the MAJORITY of the O2 customer base are NOT on 1000 texts a month like you are - in fact, only a very small percentage are on this level of inclusive allowance.

The average ONLINE customer is on 500 a month, and the average O2 High Street Tariff customer is on a lot less even than that.

So for the MAJORITY of O2 customers, sending a reasonable amount of texts when abroad will DRASTICALLY cut their monthly allowance or risk almost using it up entirely, depending on how heavy you text.

They COULD cut back somewhat, use it less, and be careful, but the entire point about the T-Mobile MMS deal, is that there is NO NEED to send any less than you normally would - the ratio is the same, and they come out your bundle. So comparing a method that means having to cut back, with one that lets you send as normal, is clearly a loser out of the grid.

Nevertheless unless O2 customers are REALLY careful, and drastically cut back on average usage whilst back home (and thus in the process, in effect having to totally change their normal usage), then they are still going to get hit with a HEFTY bill, just like I did, and several of my friends have in the past. Easy £40 if they send 400 back home, and have nearly used up their inclusive allowance because of the EU ratio swallowing them up. The same £40 you allude to with T-Mobile.

Also, it's been running a few years now, as I have been a customer since Genie, and whilst not possible way back then, it certainly worked this way on the last few holidays I have had.

But we are both digressing - my argument was never about T-Mobile being better than O2 for SMS - you are absolutely correct, they aren't.

Just as they are also slightly worse than O2 and Three for the new roaming rates for voice calls.

The highlighted bit was this WONDERFUL way of sending textual based messages (messages with words, not actual SMS), back home OR inter-country, for really really cheap.

I appreciate the comment that not all have MMS phones.

But having said that, let's be fair - even my dear old mum has a basic nokia 6023 that cost just £35 on PAYG, and whilst the screen is not great, it's fully MMS compatible. Even my dad, ancient croak that he is, has my sister's old Samsung E400 flip - so can receive MMS.

Indeed, I don't think I know anyone in my relationship chain NOT owning at least a basic MMS compatible phone now. My middle son had a Nokia 5100 until Monday, but that was replaced with an I-mate SP5 then, so even he can receive MMS.

Finally, as my tone ALWAYS seems to challenging, and I don't mean it to be, let me close by saying you have probably added more info to this debate, than me the OP.

So cheers mate.

[Guest Confucious]

I use http://www.modaco.com/FREE-Utility-t246171.html - as I have push email and various other things that automatically update I just make sure all my connections are off!

As for your last comment to Darren - it takes 2 to have a debate, I'm sure he takes your comments in the spirit in which they are intended, between you you have covered the pros and cons of the networks and that's what makes a good discussion, it's not a case of either of you being right or wrong, you have both made valuable points which, I'm sure, will have saved many people lots of time trying to research themselves and hopefully made people aware of things to look out for, do thanks to both of you!

[Guest darrengf]

Good Evening to you both and hope you are well. I use many forums on the internet (although im a newbie on here, I have been doing forums for a fair few years now and came accross this by accident) and always try to help people in any way its the same at work. I pride my self on customer care, However from this topic I can honestly say ive learnt something as well which is thanks to you both regarding the mms and sms usage abroad on T-Mobile. This info has now been passed on and made a lot of people happy at work.

I do wish though the networks would be cheaper on the GPRS Roaming, Im sure that this is another thing that the EU will look into as it does seem extremely expensive.

I know when i was with Orange, GPRS used to be £20 per mb abroad. Ok its now come down to £8per mb abroad but that to me is still too dear.

I am now with O2 which to me have been a breeze, superb customer care and for what i need alot cheaper than what i was paying.

I also cant fault T-Mobile with there flext tarrifs, they are fantastic and they should be proud of what they have acheived in th mobile market. Web n walk is also another gr8 feature which o2 really does lack now (But i will keep at them :-))

What i like about these forums is that you meet great people like you 2 who do want to help and try to help in any way.:-)

Any way Im of for T now. If you need any thing else just ask.

Daz

Edited August 2, 2007 by darrengf

[Guest shadamehr]

Thanks mate, and much appreciated...

Your info has been a revelation!