Are intl. pre-pay cards obsolete?

[squawk1200]

Originally Posted by davidtheprof

- friends and family in UK, etc get upset when they reply and pay $2-3/min, because they are calling US number

Would it be possible to have them message you (text or WhatsApp, etc) when they are ready for a voice call? That would save the cost of dialing back to the US...???

[snidely]

Originally Posted by davidtheprof

I've been using TMo's international roaming since it first came out, saves a lot of hassle. But:
- friends and family in UK, etc get upset when they reply and pay $2-3/min, because they are calling US number - so I'm looking for reasonable call forwarding so that I can give people a local number.

- if I'm on wifi calling abroad, I understand it looks like I'm on US network, which is fine for calling back to US, but for local calls to UK when I'm there, it costs me a fortune - right? had trouble getting a straight answer on this..

thanks

I can't believe it costs UK phone users $2+/min to call the U.S.!!! When you are in the UK on cell tower - it costs 20 cents/min to call U.S., UK or any of the 120+ eligible countries. When on wifi U.S. is free. Other countries (incl. UK) would be expensive. I think if you are paying extra for an intl calling plan - you get free or reduced rates when on wifi. Many users have reported being able to use Skype and Hangouts (etc.) to make calls for free - using the unlimited free data you get when on cell tower.

[davidtheprof]

thanks, yes, I have a pair of piranha sims, in fact, I often use their VOIP even without the sim! But I find their texting unreliable with the UK numbers, some issues about changing the primary. Same for Truphone. for the UK, I tend to carry 2 phones, the Tmo and a local orange sim I keep active. But the problem is more when I'm in France, Israel, Netherlands. I suppose once Euro roaming is free, we'll be fine with a UK Orange sim throughout Europe. Even if Schengen comes to a sad end!