[getti]

I saw them in work today but cant comment on them til tomorrow.

Very impressive though

[whatleydude]

What time tomorrow and how?

[solo12002]

I saw them in work today but cant comment on them til tomorrow.

Very impressive though

Well I heard either 20p each way or 15p each way.

Trust you to get us guys aroused and then do nothing lol

[getti]

25p to make
10p to receive

[3GScottishUser]

If the above is accurate then it's a big improvemnt but I think I'll be sticking with Vodafoine's Passport when roaming in the EU/EEA.

Passport costs 75p to make* or recive a call. That flat rate covers incoming calls up to 60 minutes in duration and outgoing calls* are charged at the user's normal domestic tarriff including use of bundled minutes in their price plan (Stop the Clock does not apply when roaming).

The cost of calling in Europe has dopped on all networks thanks to the intervention of the EU who have acted to stop what was nothing more than customer abuse by MNO cartels.

Everybody wins with these price reductions.

[solo12002]

" 25p to make
10p to receive"

confimed by three this morning on the BBC.

Well done three another step in the right direction. With these prices they have beaten all the other networks which range from 38 to 35p for outgoing and up to 19p for incomming.

I really liked the fact that mr Rusell admitted that networks had been over charging us for years and that he felt these prices could drop further, even going on to say that as yet text messages and data prices need looked at.

Well done.

[bsrjl1]

Will VF have to change Passport as if you make a 1min call, it's going to work out more expensive than the EU maximum rates...

[Ben]

Will VF have to change Passport as if you make a 1min call, it's going to work out more expensive than the EU maximum rates...
Yeah, I was thinking that... maybe apply usual charges up to a certain point - make it a capped price thing rather than an instant fee.

[3GScottishUser]

No.... I have had the Vodafone marketing materials and Passport is a customer option. As such you can simply reject it and return to Vodafone World rates which = 38p/min to make a call back to the UK & 19p/min to receive.

It's a matter of customer preference. Light users might gain some benefit if they just want to say 'hiya' but there has to be a big attraction for being able to chat to up to an hour for the 75p inbound charge (compared with 3's revised charge which would make a 60 minute inbound call cost £6.00). Similarly any outbound call over 2 minutes is going to be better value with Passport even taking into account the usage of inclusive UK talktime.

Anybody who wants to opt for World Rates rather than retain Passport can change by calling Vodafone free from their handset on 19072.

[getti]

also remember though in Austria, Italy, and outher EU countries where 3 has a network there will be NO roaming costs

[3GScottishUser]

also remember though in Austria, Italy, and outher EU countries where 3 has a network there will be NO roaming costs

Indeed which is good but those are not really primary UK holiday destinations (Italy maybe) and one has to be careful that you are actually using 3's own network and not roaming onto any of their 2G fallback providers where standard roaming rates apply. Naturally the same applies to Vodafone as they have preferred network partners for Passport.

3 only have networks presently in Italy, Irish Republic, Sweden, Denmark and Austria.

[solo12002]

" 38p/min to make a call back to the UK & 19p/min to receive"

Which begs two questions, was the EU rate not set at 35p and 15p?? secondly if three and other networks card drop this further ie Teso 35p and 15 and Three 25p and 15.

How come vodafone is riipping us off?

[3GScottishUser]

Vodafone are hardly ripping anyone off when they have the option to join a free scheme that allows customers to receive calls in over 30 countries at 75p for 60 minutes. That compares with £9 for Tesco and £6 for 3. Similarly the Passport option makes sense if you consider a 30 minute call home from Spain. It's 75p + your normal inc minutes charge (about 15p/min on average) = £5.75 vs 3's 25p/min = £7.50.

It's all about usage patterns of course but if you want the cheapest way to chat and not worry about the cost then Passport has a lot going for it. Its easy to understand too and your 'paid for' inclusive minutes can be used outwith the UK unlike most other schemes which charge separately.

I think UK VAT inclusion explains the differential re the EU pricing directive and the network's pricing levels.

[3g-g]

...and one has to be careful that you are actually using 3's own network and not roaming onto any of their 2G fallback providers where standard roaming rates apply.

Are you sure that's the case? I'm pretty sure if you move onto any of the 2G fallbacks as a 3 customer you're just charged the same, as far as you're concerned as a punter, is that it says "3" as the network display. That would be rather underhand and poor of Three if suddenly, even though it says 3 on the display your subject to full international call charges! Three customers aren't charged any different when they roam onto Orange 2G, as far as they're concerned it's all Three to them, I don't see how thay can suddenly make the change for international roamers, there'll be outrage if it is the case!

[3GScottishUser]

3 like home is only applicable when using 3's own 3G networks. If you fallback onto any 3rd party 2G network (where 3 has national roaming agreements) you get charged 3's new Euro roaming rates where they have international roaming agreements.

Notice how 3 have carefully listed countries like Ireland, Italy and Austria in their Euro zone pricing details, that is to cover the times when you go our of 3's own coverage and it does'nt matter which of the national networks you roam onto the cost remains the same.

This is similar to Vodafone's Passport where you have to make sure you are using one of their published roaming partners although in their case it is irrelevant whether you use 2 or 3G.

3 Like home is also fairly restriced on PAYG and in some Scandanavian countries 3 have nothing in place to allow PAYG customers to roam on GSM.

Just one of the peculiarities of being a 3G only operator I suspect.