Pay as you go services

[jaykayess]

We are a family of four from India visiting the UK for a 20-day vacation in May. We'll be carrying our own GSM handsets and would like to buy 4 local SIM cards to stay in touch with each other. Our calls and texts will mainly be made to each other, plus some local numbers like our hotels, and the ocassional call / text back to India. Estimated usage is 100-120 minutes per person for the entire 20 days.

What are the best options for tariff plans? Something that permits us to:
(a) top up if required
(b) have no commitment charges, i.e., throw away the SIM cards at the end of our trip.
© receive incoming calls and texts at no cost

Note:
1. We do not have a permanent address in the UK.
2. We are all Vodafone customers in India.

Thanks for your advice.

- Jay.

[jaykayess]

Moving to top again - folks, I need advice - please help!

[AnnS]

Hi there Jay

Since your family are only going to be in the UK for 20 days, you will need PAYG SIM cards so you can top up and use the service for the duration of your stay.

You would be able to purchase the PAYG SIMs from any Vodafone store in the UK.

Here are three links which could be of help and interest to you.

Vodafone Simply

Freedom Packs

Vodafone International

You will also need to have sufficient additional credit for calling back to India if you add a Freedom Pack to your account and ensure you have International calling enabled on the accounts.

I notice you are using your own handsets, these need to be unlocked.

If you visit a Vodafone store, they will be able to help and advise with any questions you may have.

I hope this is helpful to you and enjoy your trip.

[jaykayess]

Thanks Ann, that was very helpful.
My own handsets are unlocked so no problems there.
I have 3 more questions which I hope you can help me with:
1. As a visitor, I won't have a permanenet address in the UK. What documentation will I need?
2. What happens to the SIM card once my trip is over?
3. For pay-as-you-go, can I use the initial 10 or 15 pound amount for making international calls?

[AnnS]

Hi there Jay,

Its PAYG, so you wont need any documention, the store assistant will have the SIMs available and will be able to put credit on the SIMs on your behalf.

Providing you have sufficient credit and the Premium Rate and International Bar lifted on the numbers, you will not have any problem calling home to India.

You can get your credit balance by calling 2345 from your handset, and if it is getting low, you will have no problem adding additional credit for your needs.

Once your trip is over, if the numbers are not used for 270 days they are disconnected.

[donnyguy]

Hey Jaykayess,

It's definately a lot easier to get prepaid service here in the UK rather than in India (I remember getting prepaid service with Vodafone IN who were known as Hutch back then... they demanded all kinds of documentation and still ended up cutting me off as I didn't submit in time).

In the UK, the line is activated with the first outgoing call and then you're free to call/sms globally so long as you have enough calling credit.

What I did notice is you said that the majority of the calls will be between your Vodafone numbers. You should definately check out the Vodafone Family section on the website. Basically one of the numbers pays £5 and this allows free calls between you and the three other numbers in your group. You'd just have to remember to cancel the subscription before you leave to avoid another £5 being taken the following month.

Also the VF-UK prepaid service offers roaming so you could take the sims back to India and use the rest of the credit from there if you have any left.

[Jenny]

Hi Jay,

A warm welcome to the Vodafone eForum! As you can see we’ve got a great online community here!

The information you’ve been given above is spot on so there isn’t really anything I can add to this.

Do let us know if you have any more questions though.

All the best,

Jenny
eForum Team

[jaykayess]

Thanks everyone for your inputs.

So let me see if I've got it right:

1. I buy four PAYG SIM cards from a store and get them loaded with freedom packs worth 10 pound each.

2. I pay an additional 5 pounds for the family plan on any one of the four cards, and get the other 3 numbers added as my family numbers.

3. My total cost is 45 pounds, all inclusive.

4. I can now use 100 minutes of talktime and send 300 texts from each of the four new connections.

5. If we call each other, my 100 minutes do NOT get consumed.

Is my understanding correct so far?

But I'm still not clear about the following:

1. Is there any cost for receiving calls - either local or international?

2. On the family plan, are texts to each other also free?

3. When I make an international call to India, will the call charges get deducted from the initial 10 pounds freedom pack that are on the card?

4. The call charges to India shown on the website (http://internationalcalls.vodafone.co.uk/callcharges.html) are 5p/min to landlines and 15p/min to mobiles. But another website (http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=template11&pageID=PPP_0024) shows much higher rates of 1.50 pounds per minute. Which is correct?

6. How much do texts to India cost?

[donnyguy]

Hi again,

I would check in the store whether you would benefit from a freedom pack (this gives you the free minutes and texts). The reason I say this is because you've stated you'll mainly be calling each other so that'd be free as you'd have the Vodafone Family option activated so you'd not be using the minutes.

It would probably be more beneficial to load £10 as calling credit only so you can spend it on calls / sms at the normal rate.

Texts to UK numbers (including the ones in your family pack) are 10p per message standard or would come out of your freedom pack texts if you went down that route.

Also just to confirm that you do not pay for incoming calls whilst using your Vodafone UK service in the UK.

Text messages to India are 24p

The voice rates to India are a good point. You need to add Vodafone International to get the lower rates. You call 36888 free of charge and the service is activated. You'll then get the 5p landline / 15p mobile rates when calling India. If you don't add the Vodafone International then you would pay the standard rate of £1,50.

[Claire_V]

Hi jaykayess

Donnyguy is correct and has beaten me to it! Vodafone international, Family and Freedom Packs are all great ways of getting best value for money.

Thanks Donnyguy for your help!

Any further information you need, then let us know.

Claire

eforum Team

[vroberts]

I'm also a bit confused about the Simple Plan and International.

First, is there any charge to add International to the Simple Plan?

Second, if calls to a UK number are 20p/min on the Simple Plan, I don't understand how calls to the US are only 5p/min. Why are they less than calls to UK numbers, or is the 5p/min in addition to the basic 20p/min charge?

[James]

Hi Vroberts,

I must admit this can be a little confusing at times.

The Vodafone international package simply means that With Vodafone International, calls to those overseas can cost as little as 5p a minute.

You simply pay this charge and it isn't a charge on top of the standard UK charge.

The plans are designed for those customers who use a lot of international calls, this helps keep the cost of these calls down as there is no additional charge to add this service, simply activate it by dialing 2345 from you PAYT handset.

James
eForum Team

[vroberts]

James,

Thanks for the prompt and clear reply.

I have another questions that perhaps belongs in another section of the forum, or even a different forum, but here goes.

We wil be spending 4 days in the UK and then about 10 days in the Netherlands. I assume that I should get a Vodafone NL card when we get to Amsterdam. Do you know if Vodafone NL has the same type of plan as the Simple + International Plan in the UK?

Vic Roberts

[George]

Hi vroberts,

I'm not sure of what price plans Vodafone Netherlands offer. I've tried to take a look at the Vodafone Netherlands website but don't speak Dutch so can't make any sense of it . I'd recommend contacting Vodafone Netherlands directly about this one.

George
eForum Team