News 2002
Life’s a beach! Just don’t get burnt by the wrong network on holiday this summer, warns Virgin Mobile
22/07/2002
The price of international calls varies hugely from network to network, and many tourists remain unaware of just how much they could be charged for chatting while abroad.
From Spain, one of the UK’s most popular holiday destinations, the cost for a call back to the UK can vary from 55p to as much as £1.99 per minute. The cost of receiving calls is just as wide, with charges ranging from 30p per minute up to £1.50. But this is not the case with Virgin Mobile. It would cost just 55p per minute to make a call from Spain to the UK, and just 30p a minute to receive a call.
Virgin Mobile international calls are not only cheap, but transparent. Customers know that while they are drinking a glass of red wine in France, or knocking back an Ouzo in Greece, the cost they’ll pay is fixed for the country they are in, and not dependent on which network they are roaming on. With other networks customers are confused by a variety of different roaming charges which depend on:
- the host network
- peak/off peak prices
- call set up fees
- minimum call duration
- and the exchange rate
| Republic of Ireland | EU | Rest of Europe | USA | Canada | Australia | New Zealand | Rest of the World | |
| Making calls abroad back to the UK | 40p | 55p | 65p | £1 | £1 | 55p | £1 | Fixed prices from each country |
| Receiving calls abroad | 20p | 30p | 30p | £1 | £1 | 20p | 20p | Fixed prices from each country |
Some of Virgin Mobile’s call prices may seem similar to the ‘international option’ tariffs of other network operators, but the call price Virgin Mobile quote is the only price customers will pay. Other operators will charge a monthly fee of up to £2.99 for having an international option on their phone and charge some call rates which are still not as good as Virgin Mobile’s.
With Virgin Mobile you can also ensure that you stay up-to-date while you are away with all the latest UK news, sports stories, lottery results and more with VirginXtras text alerts which are free to receive in any country.
Paul French, Proposition Marketing Manager, Virgin Mobile said: ”The most important thing is to check charges with your mobile operator before you travel abroad. Our simple pricing structure ensures that our customers can calculate the cost of their international calls before they travel and Virgin Mobile customers will always have the peace of mind of knowing that the calls they make are some of the cheapest international calls around.”
What to do before you go?
Virgin Mobile customers should follow these simple steps:
- Check there’s network coverage where you’re going by visiting Virgin Mobile’s website, there are over 100 countries listed.
- If you are Pay As You Go, you’ll need to set up a Pay Monthly by Direct Debit account in order for your phone and voicemail to work.
- Set up a voicemail PIN before you travel. You’ll need to do this to gain access to your voice messages. Call your voicemail for instructions.
- A charge is made for receiving calls abroad. To avoid this, consider setting your phone to `all calls divert’ before you leave the UK. This means that you won’t be able to receive calls but you can access all your voicemail messages in one go instead (charged at the same rate as a call back to the UK).
- Don’t forget to consider taking out insurance for your phone.
- Remember to add international prefixes to the numbers in your phone book.
- Contact Virgin Mobile immediately if your phone is stolen to avoid being charged for misuse of your phone.
Call costs from Spain without Call Saver Options
| PAY MONTHLY | VIRGIN MOBILE | ORANGE | VODAFONE | O2 | T-MOBILE | |||||
| Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | |
| Making calls abroad to a UK Landline | £0.55 | £0.55 | £0.60 | £0.60 | £0.75 - 0.99 | £0.75 - 0.99 | £0.85 | £0.85 | £0.56 - 0.57 (All + £0.36 int'l charge) | £0.49 - 0.50 (All + £0.36 int'l charge) |
| Making calls abroad to a UK Mobile | £0.55 | £0.55 | £0.60 | £0.60 | £0.75 - 0.99 | £0.75 - 0.99 | £0.85 | £0.85 | £0.56 - 0.57 (All + £0.36 int'l charge) | £0.49 - 0.50 (All + £0.36 int'l charge) |
| Receiving calls abroad | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.66 | £0.66 | £0.94 | £0.94 | £0.82 | £0.76 |
| PREPAY | ||||||||||
| Making calls abroad to a UK Landline | £0.55 | £0.55 | £1.20 | £1.20 | £0.75 or £0.99 | £0.75 or £0.99 | £0.99 | £0.99 | £0.99 | £0.99 |
| Making calls abroad to a UK Mobile | £0.55 | £0.55 | £1.20 | £1.20 | £0.75 or £0.99 | £0.75 or £0.99 | £0.99 or £1.99 | £0.99 or £1.99 | £0.99 or £1.49 | £0.99 or £1.49 |
| Receiving calls abroad | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.60 | £0.60 | £0.75 or £0.99 | £0.75 or £0.99 | £1.49 | £1.49 | £1.50 | £1.50 |
Call costs from Greece without Call Saver Options
| PAY MONTHLY | VIRGIN MOBILE | ORANGE | VODAFONE | O2 | T-MOBILE | |||||
| Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | |
| Making calls abroad to a UK Landline | £0.55 | £0.55 | £0.60 | £0.60 | Cosmote / Telestet £0.99 Panafon £0.75 | Cosmote / Telestet £0.99 Panafon £0.75 | £0.85 | £0.85 | Cosmote £0.56 Panafon £0.55 Stet Hallas £0.51 | Cosmote £0.56 Panafon £0.55 Stet Hallas £0.44 |
| Making calls abroad to a UK Mobile | £0.55 | £0.55 | £0.60 | £0.60 | Cosmote / Telestet £0.99 Panafon £0.75 | Cosmote / Telestet £0.99 Panafon £0.75 | £0.85 | £0.85 | Cosmote £0.56 Panafon £0.55 Stet Hallas £0.51 | Cosmote £0.56 Panafon £0.55 Stet Hallas £0.44 |
| Receiving calls abroad | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.66 | £0.66 | £0.94 | £0.94 | £0.82 | £0.76 |
| PREPAY | ||||||||||
| Making calls abroad to a UK Landline | £0.55 | £0.55 | £1.20 | £1.20 | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.99 | £0.99 | £0.99 | £0.99 |
| Making calls abroad to a UK Mobile | £0.55 | £0.55 | £1.20 | £1.20 | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.99 or £1.99 | £0.99 or £1.99 | £0.99 or £1.49 | £0.99 or £1.49 |
| Receiving calls abroad | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.60 | £0.60 | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £1.49 | £1.49 | £1.50 | £1.50 |
Call costs from France without Call Saver Options
| PAY MONTHLY | VIRGIN MOBILE | ORANGE | VODAFONE | O2 | T-MOBILE | |||||
| Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | Peak | Off-Peak | |
| Making calls abroad to a UK Landline | £0.55 | £0.55 | £0.60 | £0.60 | Bouygues / Orange £0.99 SFR £0.75 | Bouygues / Orange £0.99 SFR £0.75 | £0.85 | £0.85 | Bouygues £0.80 Orange £0.81 SFR £0.81 | Bouygues £0.48 Orange £0.49 SFR £0.48 |
| Making calls abroad to a UK Mobile | £0.55 | £0.55 | £0.60 | £0.60 | Bouygues / Orange £0.99 SFR £0.75 | Bouygues / Orange £0.99 SFR £0.75 | £0.85 | £0.85 | Bouygues £0.80 Orange £0.81 SFR £0.81 | Bouygues £0.48 Orange £0.49 SFR £0.48 |
| Receiving calls abroad | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.66 | £0.66 | £0.94 | £0.94 | £0.82 | £0.76 |
| PREPAY | ||||||||||
| Making calls abroad to a UK Landline | £0.55 | £0.55 | £1.20 | £1.20 | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.99 | £0.99 | £0.99 | £0.99 |
| Making calls abroad to a UK Mobile | £0.55 | £0.55 | £1.20 | £1.20 | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.99 or £1.99 | £0.99 or £1.99 | £0.99 or £1.49 | £0.99 or £1.49 |
| Receiving calls abroad | £0.30 | £0.30 | £0.60 | £0.60 | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £0.75 (Gold) or £0.99 (Silver) | £1.49 | £1.49 | £1.50 | £1.50 |
