Vodafone nicely slices international roaming prices – cool!

by Alex Zaharov-Reutt

Monday, 28 July 2008

Page 2 of 3 Naturally Vodafone are emphasis the new tariff’s “simple and easy-to-understand pricing platform for customers looking to use their mobile phone for voice calls while travelling overseas and covers the key destinations throughout the world for Australian travellers, such as New Zealand, the UK, Singapore and China.” And, once again, Vodafone’s press release says it’s an “opt-in tariff, meaning subscribers can simply request that it be added to their existing plan either before or during their trip – so when travelling overseas, for fun or on business, it’s easy to lock in some of the most competitive mobile roaming rates available to Australian customers.” Vodafone say the Traveller tariffs are “based on four new, geographically-orientated country zones, making it easier and simpler to understand.” These zones are: Zone 1: New Zealand (NZ) and Singapore (SG); Zone 2: Europe; Zone 3: Asia Pacific (AP) and North America (NA); and Zone 4: the rest of the world (ROW). The pricing for each of these regions is as follows: The zone names are abbreviated as per the zones above, and the term SCR is my own abbreviation for “Standard Call Rate", which would be whatever the standard call rate for your plan currently is, something that varies from plan to plan. Post-pay tariff (in Australian dollars): Price Per Minute     Zone 1          Zone 2           Zone 3          Zone 4                            NZ & SG         Europe           AP & NA         ROW To make a call      $1 + SCR       $1.50 + SCR   $2 + SCR      $4 + SCR To receive a call    $1.00             $1.00             $1.00            $1.00 To send an SMS    $0.75             $0.75             $0.75            $0.75 (SCR: Standard Call Rate) Compared with Vodafone's normal international roaming rates, the "Traveller" rates are definitely better value. Originally I thought the $1 to receive a call was a flat charge, over which I was very impressed. Sadly it's not - it's $1 per minute. That's a shame as the press release didn't make it fully clear, and I've received a call from Vodafone to inform me the charge is indeed $1 per minute and that they are updating their press release to rephrase it so there is no ambiguity. An impressive addition is this statement from Vodafone: “Customers can call from any network while overseas to enjoy Vodafone Traveller’s great rates and do not specifically need to switch their device to the local Vodafone or partner network.” No more accidentally connecting to the wrong overseas mobile network! Vodafone says it doesn’t matter. Wow – that is a handy thing for people overseas that might have otherwise been tripped up and set up for even larger bill shock. This is something Vodafone’s competitors should urgently copy. Hugh Humphrey, General Manager, Business Markets, Vodafone Australia said: “As the world's leading international mobile communications group, Vodafone is uniquely placed to offer Australian customers the most affordable voice roaming tariffs”. Humphrey continued: “Vodafone Traveller offers a clear pricing structure, making it easier and more cost-effective than ever for Australians heading overseas to connect with their business or friends and family back home, without worrying about unexpected charges on their bill.“ So, what’s the special deal Vodafone is promoting for the Olympics? Please read on to page 3. << First page <   1 2 3 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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