Toggle Mobile

[NFH]

Lots of Toggle's published prices are wrong, particularly as they breach Regulation (EU) No 31/2012.

First you need to understand how GBP prices are calculated for UK-based operators. The price caps are specified in EUR without VAT in Articles 8(2), 10(2) and 13(2) of Regulation (EU) No 31/2012, and in order to convert the price caps to GBP, the EUR/GBP exchange rate is calculated in accordance with Article 1(7) by taking the average of the exchange rates published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 1st March 2014, 1st April 2014 and 1st May 2014, which is 0.82581. Consequently the price caps are £0.1569/min for outgoing calls, £0.0413/min for incoming calls, £0.0495 for outgoing SMS and £0.1652/MB for data. UK VAT of 20% is then added when roaming inside the EU VAT area, but not when roaming in parts of the European Union and wider European Economic Area that are outside the EU VAT area, specifically Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Gibraltar, the Åland Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, in accordance with Article 19 of the Value Added Tax (Place of Supply of Services) Order 1992. This is because the UK opted to exempt non-EU VAT area roaming from UK VAT under Article 9(3)(a) of Council Directive 77/388 ("the Sixth VAT Directive") so that it could charge UK VAT on services used in the UK but billed outside the UK (e.g. US-based services marketed to UK residents).

Have a look at Toggle's prices for roaming in Norway for example. It publishes a price of 7p for sending SMS, which breaches the price cap by 41%.

[dg7feq]

Originally Posted by NFH

£0.0495 for outgoing SMS...

Have a look at Toggle's prices for roaming in Norway for example. It publishes a price of 7p for sending SMS, which breaches the price cap by 41%.

current rate for norway:

Making calls 0.18£/min
Local calls 0.18£/min
Receiving calls 0.04£/min
Send SMS 0.05£/SMS
Data 0.67£/MB

Seems they changed some parts yesterday.

I never looked at the "outside toggle" rates before as i only use the card in toggle countries...

[peterdoo]

Well, the data rate of £0.67 is really far over the EU cap of £0.1652/MB. Four times higher !

The SMS sent in Toggle countries are listed with 0.07 £/SMS. Over the EU cap as well. Or making calls in the EU member country Croatia: £0.28/min.

On the outgoing calls from Toggle countries which still have good pricing, unfortunatelly more and more often the call is delivered without a caller number to the destination (EU mobile or fixed). This makes me impossible to reach many people that have a line configured in a way that does not accept anonymous calls.

At the end of the day the only advantage that remains for me is the additional number in Toggle countries. As caused by the other problems this has not removed the need for using a second SIM, I am considering returning to the usual double-SIM operation without Toggle.

As ChrisNeedsToKnow mentioned often, Toggle is a good idea, however with too many practical limitations that have not been solved over the time and will probably make it unusable at the end.

[bourbonkiller]

I've just checked for rates when going to Spain later this month and found out, that Toggle has launched (finally) roaming packages for their Toggle countries!

http://www.togglemobile.co.uk/roaming-data/en

1GB for GBP 20
2GB for GBP 30
3GB for GBP 40

This (if it works) is a very good reason to stay with Toggle!

[peterdoo]

Originally Posted by bourbonkiller

http://www.togglemobile.co.uk/roaming-data/en

1GB for GBP 20
2GB for GBP 30
3GB for GBP 40

This (if it works) is a very good reason to stay with Toggle!

For US and Australia this might be a good offer. However for the EU it is a great disappointment. With the spanish Orange SIM Mundo, I can get 100 MB/day @ 1 EUR. This is 1 GB at 10 EUR or 3GB within 30 days at 30 EUR only. In all EU countries except Spain. Toggle rates of 0,67 GBP/MB in the EU are abusive, far over the EU caps.

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by peterdoo

For US and Australia this might be a good offer. However for the EU it is a great disappointment. With the spanish Orange SIM Mundo, I can get 100 MB/day @ 1 EUR. This is 1 GB at 10 EUR or 3GB within 30 days at 30 EUR only. In all EU countries except Spain. Toggle rates of 0,67 GBP/MB in the EU are abusive, far over the EU caps.

I totally agree with that. These data packs are way too expensive. As long as toggle doesn't offer inbound MNP and so I have to use a second domestic SIM for voice which gives me much cheaper domestic data, I am not ready to pay this premium. Also I won't even need so much data volume as long as I have to use a second domestic SIM for my busines number.
That said I would be ready to pay GBP 7.50 for 500MB but not more. Now that AldiTalk offers that 150 minutes pack for voice calls from EU and EEU countries and Switzerland to all these countries (which converts into € 0.033 if fully consumed) I rarely use toggle abroad. Actually I mostly use toggle for international calls from Germany, so toggle has lost pretty much of its attractiveness for me.

[UKSTEVE]

It's worth remembering that the Toggle data deals are valid across country borders, so if you are country-hopping you pay for one 30-day session for the countries concerned.

In terms of convenience, since I use Toggle for voice calls in my dual SIM handset when outside the UK, it's pretty good.

+Steve

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by UKSTEVE

It's worth remembering that the Toggle data deals are valid across country borders, so if you are country-hopping you pay for one 30-day session for the countries concerned.

Sure, but toggle SIM cards can store only 9 IMSIs and you cannot replace an IMSI, so the data volume is limited to the first 9 countries out of currently 13 toggle countries you first request a local number from. Further to that although toggle covers Europe's largest markets their geographical footprint is still patchy. Lastly with toggle you pay for a whole month of far overpriced data but few people will actually be travelling the whole month. On average I personally do not spend more than a week per month abroad.

For roaming in Europe I will definitely stick to my German AldiTalk SIM card which is much more flexible and better matches my requirements.
Their "EU Internet Paket 150" gives me 150MB for € 4.99 valid for 7 days in all EU countries + EEU countries + Switzerland. This converts into € 33.26 per GB compared to € 24.93 for 1GB with toggle. That's a premium of 33% but I can buy my data volume in smaller chunks and so don't run the risk of buying too much volume.
Further to that they offer the "EU Sprach Paket 150" for € 4.99 which includes 150 minutes from the same countries as above to mobiles and landlines in all these countries + Germany. If you fully consume those minutes you end up with a price of € 0.033 per minute. Even if you don't buy this pack, calls to these countries + Germany are charged with modest € 0.11/min and incoming calls are free by default. Unless you call a destination outside of Europe AldiTalk is much cheaper for voice.

That said toggle would only be interesting for me if I travel to a toggle country outside Europe, which leaves only the US and Australia.

[bourbonkiller]

sorry guys, but some of you are really insane. Talking of "overpriced data" for a 20 Pound / 1 GB package valid throughout the Toggle Mobile countries is just ILL.

Here is a overview of some roaming charges from different providers:

• 3 AT - 1 GB / 30 days / EUR 50
• Swisscom CH - 1 GB / 30 days / 79 CHF (66 EUR)
• Vodafone DE prepaid: 700 MB / 2 weeks / 25 EUR
• T-Mobile DE - 150 MB fast data (but flat without speed) / week / 14.95

Thanks for UKSTEVE's comment. I really like my ALDI / Medion Mobile SIM, and I really hate her when I use it specially in Germany and have no coverage with E-Plus. But trying to sell a advantage of 4x150 MB for 19,96 EUR in 28 days over 1 GB for GBP 20,00 valid for 30 days is like looking at our world through pink glasses.

If you don't need 1 GB per month, don't buy it - but making it bad by calling it overpriced is just not fair. We are not discussing billing cycles or personal needs here. We simply look at 1 GB Data-Roaming for 30 days and for that it's bloody cheap. Can anyone show me a cheaper offer for 1 GB Multi-National Data valid for 30 days?

I can see Inquisitors point quite clear, I have a 250 MB roaming package on my 3 AT contract and it's more than enough for what I need on my mobile. But there is my swiss mobile (20 CHF per month for 1 GB) and if I travel to Germany the local data package and when I am in UK maybe another local package. That all sum's up and could be easily covered by 1 GB of Toggle Multi-National Data. And at the end it will be cheaper and only one Simcard to top up.

I have bought that 1 GB Package and will post my thoughts on it as I will travel in Switzerland, Spain and Germany in the next 30 days.