The Free CALL ABROAD Add-on for Cheap Calls/Texts from UK

[XRaySpeX]

International Calls & Texts From the UK

Making International calls & texts from the UK are always chargeable & are not included in any allowances. Some might mistakenly believe that they count towards roaming allowances but when in the UK you are not roaming.

International calls & texts can be rather expensive but EE has a free add-on that anyone, on PAYG or contract, can apply for to give these calls & texts at a fraction of the standard rates. To do so just text CALL ABROAD to 150. It will then last forever on your account.

However it has recently become almost impossible to find out these CALL ABROAD rates from searching the EE website Help pages. For that reason I have decided to publish them here, as follows.

Pay Monthly CALL ABROAD Rates 

PAYG CALL ABROAD Rates

Since writing this EE has introduced the £2 International Pass on contract as its Call Abroad add-on.

New Pay Monthly £2 pm CALL ABROAD Rates 

Note: No reduced rates for texts.

[SLA2000]

@XRaySpeX 

I talked to EE over the phone. I asked if the free addon was available on a new contract -the answer was I would have to get the pack for £20+ which I am not prepared to do. It was only available on PAYG SIMs.

If you don't believe me you can search a country here(Japan as an example):

https://ee.co.uk/help/add-ons-benefits-and-plans/call-or-going-abroad/calling-abroad-from-the-uk/cou...

https://ee.co.uk/help/add-ons-benefits-and-plans/call-or-going-abroad/calling-abroad-from-the-uk/cou...

They are forcing contracts customers to use the £21 pack with new contracts. I made a complaint but have no confidence they actually care. So after 16 years with EE(and a decade between T-Mobile and Orange before that),I will probably be looking for a new network.

[SLA2000]

@XRaySpeXRang EE again and found a more knowledgeable CS person - appears you can add it on if you phone them. So got it added onto the new contract. Told them to make sure the pay monthly webpage shows this option(which it doesn't now).

[The-Vicar]

Sadly this is no longer available & calls /texts are extortionate to other countries 😭😭

[XRaySpeX]

@The-Vicar : Who says?

• It's still in the Price Guides.
• Texting ADD INT responds "For the free Call Abroad add on that reduces the cost of calling and texting over 70 countries, reply CALL ABROAD.".
• The Text Service accepts CALL ABROAD & responds that it's active.

[The-Vicar]

you stated "EE has a free add-on" however it is NOT free, I did as you showed & texted CALL ABROAD then  got a response to confirm this and a link to add  International add on which costs £11.40 monthly ,sadly then it is not Free , or maybe i am misreading this? I texted CALL AUSTRALIA  to 150 & message back was "500min International add on is the best recurring add on at £11.44 per month 

[XRaySpeX]

@The-Vicar : I think you are!

The CALL ABOARD add-on itself is free to obtain & gives you the right for ever to cheap calls & texts to many countries for which, of course, you pay for at the cheap rates.

The  International add-on for £11.40 is an additional offer you don't have to take up that would give 500 free minutes / month (but no texts) to 50 countries. Depending on the amount of  International calls you intend to make you would need to do the maths.

[The-Vicar]

OK I will test it tomorrow by texting Australia to see if the rate is cheaper than the existing 73p per text 

Thankyou 

[AnotherPeter]

@XRaySpeX I am wondering whether you can point me to a current PDF showing the rates for "CALL ABROAD".  I have just added this to my "£1 Data Pack" (no longer sold but still available for existing users).

The text message I received in response says I "can now make calls from the UK FROM just 1p per minute or 10p per text".

It also says "to see all our rates click here www.ee.co.uk/callingabroad

When I go there I have to search by country.
Searching Switzerland shows (for Pay as You Go)
Standard Rates: Mobile 18p, Landline 18p, Text 6p
Call Abroad Rates: Moble 19p, Landline 8p, Text 6p

But when I search USA I get (for Pay as You Go)
Standard Rates: Mobile £1, Landline £1, Text 25p
No Call Abroad Rates listed, instead they offer me an International SIM

Kind regards

Peter

[XRaySpeX]

@AnotherPeter : Sure! It's in EE non-standard charges price guide

Linky don't compute! Corrected (URL was curtailed):

@AnotherPeter wrote:

It also says "to see all our rates click here www.ee.co.uk/callingabroad

[Straight]

It is disingenuous of EE not to mention this free add on up front when searching for international call rates and only show the paid for packages