mellybrown

Why do they take out from your minutes for incoming as well as outgoing minutes???? I have been recieving messages about only having 10% of my 500 mins left blah blah, and I DO NOT make a lot of calls, so I log on and there are all my incoming calls eating away at my minutes!

I dont quite see how its fair that Im paying to receive calls as well as make them!?

Noorah101

I don't know how other plans work, but we have T-Mobile also, and ours is like yours is. It uses minutes both ways. But the type of plan we have, if you're calling T-Mobile to T-Mobile, it does not cut into your minutes. That way, since it's usually me and my husband mostly calling each other, we still have plenty of minutes leftover.

Rene

chartreuse

Before Steerpike comes along to say "that's how it is in the US and, like everything in the US it's much better than the UK" I'll chip in to say "that's how it is in the US".

It's called "called party pays" and while it's different from the "calling party pays" system that we're used to, you can't really say that one or the other system is intrinsically "better".

You think the US system is unfair to you, because you're paying to receive a call. But the person calling you (if they think about it at all) might think it's very fair that they don't have to pay a premium to call you, but just pay the same as they'd pay calling a landline.

Similarly, someone in the UK might think it's unfair to have to pay a fortune to call a mobile, but the person receiving the call (if they think about it at all) might think it's very fair that they don't have to pay just so some bugger can call them.

That's just how it is. Not better or worse, just different. The common factor it - the person who thinks it's crap is always the poor bugger doing the paying.

avanutria

I'm not sure it's the same as "called party pays" - if someone from a cell phone calls your cell phone, both the called and the caller get minutes deducted for the same call. (Unless you're on a special plan as noted by Noorah.)

But you're right, it stinks. Even before I went to the UK I didn't like it.

neil

I prefer it to the UK system, that was a nightmare if you had friends on different networks and had to call their mobiles from yours - the charges would rack up really quickly.

Bob

The difference I've noticed though, you can get really good plans in the UK for £20 a month, unlimited minutes and text and 750MB data....you couldn't even take a shit on a US plan for that kind of money.

Tarkak9

Little secret called Money. You pay for airtime, regardless who calls who.

I've had T-m for, crap, about 12 years... just see if there is a plan which works for you or see if they can tweek it for you and there tends to be cellphone wars... I pay $50 for unlimited use - day, night, w/e etc.. but I don't text nor do I fuss with 'free upgrade phones' etc.. I'm on a month to month as my contract expired years ago.

there is a no contract company out there (forget who it is) have unlimited calling and web etc for a flat cost of about 50/mo. I think they rent their lines off Sprint.

neil

You're probably right. I remember my plan wasn't very expensive way back when, but it would cost something like 50p a minute to call someone on a different mobile network. I guess that's why texting was so popular in the UK - no idea why anyone does it here though.

mellybrown

Tmobile only offer 2 plans now!!! I had myfaves the past 2 years and so never took note of my minutes because they were unlimited, but when I finally upgraded my brick I got to choose froma couple of crappy, expensive choices - but hey ho - Im not on a contract, I just have to pay off my phone before I can leave, and tbh all the companys are going to do th esame so I guess Im stuck with them - altho I wasnt amused with my $120 bill this month that already has me without any mins left!

HoosierDaddy

I count more than 2

Individual plans

Family plans

Just a heads-up for anyone thinking about T-Mobile. All of their phones will be free on June 19th if you sign up for a Family Plan.....
Link on SlickDeals

mellybrown

2...or a few...whatever lol

Dan B

I have T-Moe-Ball PAYG minutes too. I use it as a very good excuse to have very short conversations; I hate talking on the phone.

Dan725

But on the other hand....how cheap is it here to call a US cellphone, from your landline for instance? Next to nothing, same as landlines, because the costs (or minutes) are shared. In the UK, calls to cellphones are still expensive - as can been seen on any tariff.