Avoid United Mobile!

[Przemolog]

Originally Posted by MATHA531

I don't know if boring is the right word...spoiled is perhaps a better word...look

Last summer, I used UM for a trip through Europe...my ld company was only charging a 1¢ termination fee to have calls forwarded from my landline to my UM mobile for a total of 11¢/minute...I could call using cbw back to the USA for 14¢/minute...what could be better?

I used the word "boring" because you keep on repeating how cheap forwarding to +423 mobile used to be and how it's expensive now. OK, "spoiled" is a right word . However, don't you understand that this couldn't last forever because 11 or even 14 cents rate was below the costs. I don't know anything about the level of mobile termination rates in other countries but e.g. in Poland it's about 14 cents and until April 2007 it was about 20-22 cents (depending on the exchange rate). I doubt if termination rates in other European countries are much lower, if not higher. And, out of those 14 cents there should be profit for CBW, UM, FL1 probably some carrier(s) between CBW and UM and finally the termination rate of the roaming partner should be paid. No way - someone must have been a loser in this chain .

Originally Posted by MATHA531

Then as you know things changed drastically....termination fees to Liechtenstein mobiles shot through the wall..suddenly cbw was charging 59¢/minute for calls that I was used to making for 14¢/minute...termination fees rose to something like 31¢/minute on my ld carrier so the same forwarded call that last year cost me 11¢/minute was now 41¢/minute...ouch so of course I started looking for alternatives. I considered the Estonian mobiles but found termination fees were even higher and cbw didn't work...what should I say...should I be happy paying two or three times as much as I was used to.

I know how the rates changed but "there ain't no free lunch" or even "dirty cheap" . You should be happy that you paid so few for so long time .

Originally Posted by MATHA531

Now maybe I am spoiled but as with everybody else, I will always try to find what I consider reasonably priced ways of dealing with my communication problems and although clearly Estonian mobiles are a better deal than international roaming on either AT&T or T Mobile US, they are not a better deal than what I had on UM in the past.
So for me, travelsim is not a great deal; perhaps if I were new to this whole thing I might feel differently.

Yes, you might . The problem is there's one issue you won't skip: termination rates. If you want to use an international SIM, the cost of USA->free incoming countries connections will always be higher than mobile termination rates in those countries. And it doesn't matter if you are going an RPP (forwaring from a US number) or CPP (some calls you on your international number) scheme. If there are cheaper options, they are just loss-generating errors in price lists and will be closed sooner or later...