new UM card with +1/+44 dual number soon

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by Stu

UM should allow you to have both numbers active at once and charge a surcharge to forward the US number to the +44 when it is out of the country. SMS forwarding would also be great.

With 44/1 you are definitely available on both numbers simultaneously no matter where you are. So there's no need for forwarding, as that's a basic feature of the service.
However there's a difference in pricing: When you are being called at the US number, you'll always pay a call setup-fee of € 0.19 + at least € 0.19/min, no matter where you are, while calls to your British number are free in many (especially European) countries (except for the call setup-fee of € 0.19).
So it's still 63% cheaper to get a (free) US DID-number from some VoIP-provider and forward incoming calls through poivy.com for € 0.07/min to your Britsh UM-number, than using UM's US number, for which € 0.19/min are charged when receiving calls.
For those, who are able of setting up such VoIP-forwarding, UM' 44/1 doesn't bring any advantage, except for being able of receiving SMS at a US number.
In my eyes 44/1 is rather interesting for non-Americans, who regularly travel to the US and want exceptional coverage (in the US 44/1 roams on T-Mobile and AT&T) while keeping a US-number for the long term.

[MATHA531]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

With 44/1 you are definitely available on both numbers simultaneously no matter where you are. So there's no need for forwarding, as that's a basic feature of the service.
However there's a difference in pricing: When you are being called at the US number, you'll always pay a call setup-fee of € 0.19 + at least € 0.19/min, no matter where you are, while calls to your British number are free in many (especially European) countries (except for the call setup-fee of € 0.19).
So it's still 63% cheaper to get a (free) US DID-number from some VoIP-provider and forward incoming calls through poivy.com for € 0.07/min to your Britsh UM-number, than using UM's US number, for which € 0.19/min are charged when receiving calls.
For those, who are able of setting up such VoIP-forwarding, UM' 44/1 doesn't bring any advantage, except for being able of receiving SMS at a US number.
In my eyes 44/1 is rather interesting for non-Americans, who regularly travel to the US and want exceptional coverage (in the US 44/1 roams on T-Mobile and AT&T) while keeping a US-number for the long term.

Just one quick note to the last comment.....you will get the "exceptional coverage" only if you have a quad band phone or a made for USA tri band as most of the AT&T system operates on 850 mhz.

[Stu]

I have a Voicetrading account which is pretty cheap to call UK Mobiles (including Jersey Mobiles). I have a number of friends who don't want to mess with all that and I don't want to become the "telephone company." For these folks an easy out of the box solution that just works is great.

United Mobile also works great for the corporate traveller with a conscious, e.g. the one who is a little concerned about gouging his company, but doesn't want to reconcile thirty statements to get reimbursed on his/her phone bills.

Additionally, US prepaids generally have a short shelf life. If this goes for a year between recharges, it would be great.

PS: Is poivy.com a Betamax brand?

[prion]

Originally Posted by Stu

PS: Is poivy.com a Betamax brand?

Yes it is....