Hello there,

I am in Australia at the moment with my UK O2 contract phone.
Do I pay to recieve text messages??
The O2 website is so slow and not very easy to navigate, i can't find out.

Thanks

-Luke

No you do not

Does the same apply to a Vodafone contract, does anyone know? And not specifically Australia but any country?

Thanks,
Katie.

As far as I know, nobody is charged to receive text messages, anywhere

Great. Thanks.

No. If you are with Vodafone, you will be charged for receiving text messages if you are not in the UK.

Im not sure if you just mean you will be charged only in Australia. But ive been told by Vodafone that when i take my Vodafone Pay as you talk phone to America, i will not be charged to recieve text messages.

Whaaat? I went to Europe last year and received loads of texts from friends and family while I was away. My bill for that period was huge on account of being billed for texts received

Ah yes, but how many did you send?

taken from http://www.o2.co.uk/personal/abroad/...0,,134,00.html


"Text Messaging

Sending text abroad is a low cost way of keeping in touch, and there are no charges to receive messages when you are abroad.

to send :Zone 5
Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa
30p per text incl vat "

On Virgin it's free to receive text whilst abroad.

My work colleague was told yesterday by Vodafone that he will be charged 21p for each text message received on his Vodafone contract phone whilst he's in the United States.

Katie.

When i asked them, i was told that there would be no cost to recieve them. But im now going to expect to be charged for them. However i noticed you said contract. Im on Pay as you Talk. But im not sure if that would make any difference. But ive been told by Vodafone i wont be charged to recieve messages in the USA.

That's the problem, isn't it? Everyone seems to be told a different story.

Guess one option is to assume you *will* be charged then be pleasantly suprised if you aren't?

Katie.

Thanks for that! It is cheaper to send txts home than i thought. I was thinkinging it was more like 40p per txt.

It's ALWAYS free to receive text messages, pre-pay or contract, anywhere in the world.

As for charges on Vodafone contract whilst abroad that some people seem to be unsure about, have a lookie here

looking sharp.

All charges when roaming on a foreign network are hit and miss.

I have been billed and not billed for pretty much everything.

Sending texts
Receiving texts
Calling voicemail
Receiving calls (really bad in the US)
Making calls.

I have had charges turn up on the bill months after they were made.
I have had charges never show up.

It all depends on the billing arriving from the foreign network.
Personally I take the answers from any of the networks with a large pinch of salt. If I want to use my phone abroad then I will, and sod the bill.
Text messaging, even if you are charged for receiving them is still cheaper than making calls.

Simon.

I use my Vodafone (was contract for 3 years, now PAYG for 1 year) and have never ever been charged for receiving a text message in Finland, Sweden, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, South Africa, Namibia, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium or Estonia.

Mind you, that's not to say that things have changed in the last couple of weeks. I remember the good old days when text messages to foreign mobiles was the same as UK ones (it now costs double the amount)...

I've been charged for recieving messages on yodafone, and my parents were charged a phenominal amount on O2 PAYG when in Egypt and Goa - France isn't too bad though!

I've been to France, Germany, Prague, Poland, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Greece and Spain on 02 PAYG and have never been charge to receive a text.

Does anyone know if it still costs 49p to send a text? Also any idea how much it is to send an MMS?

I've never been charged for receiving a text, with either T-Mobile, nor Virgin. Virgin do state they are free to receive.