USA call charges

[acdogvet]

Hello

I made a call to the US this evening from the UK.

I had WiFi Calling function on and I have the US covered with a zone 1 travel bolt on. So why was I charged £10 for this call. I thought using WiFi was the way to avoid these charges.

I am heading to the US tomorrow and had intended using her WIfI for calling home.

Thank you 

Andria

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

@acdogvet 

Calling any way whist in the UK is an international call.

Wifi calling won't avoid it unless you call through WhatsApp.

The travel bolt on is for use when abroad and will allow you free calls then.

Guide: Roaming MegaGuide 

USA - Roaming with O2 

https://www.o2.co.uk/international/calling-abroad-pay-monthly

[pgn]

@acdogvet - this bolt-on, £3/month, mentioned above, is the only way of reducing the cost of calling non-UK numbers from O2's network whilst in the UK, assuming the called party does not use something like WhatsApp (which uses data to route the call at zero additional cost to either party):

https://www.o2.co.uk/international/calling-abroad-pay-monthly

[MI5]

I agree, clearly....

[pgn]

Evidently.

[MI5]

Hilarius 

[japitts]

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@MI5 wrote:

Wifi calling won't avoid it unless you call through WhatsApp.

---

WiFi-calling is generally taken to mean using WiFi instead of mobile, as your radio access - thus making & receiving calls in the exact same way as if you were using mobile. The "exact same" extends to charging.

App-based usage is a different beast - where both your phone & the mobile network use data for everything. This is not WiFi-calling as common parlance would have it.

WiFi-calling allows calls to and from any working phone, apps only allow usage between users of that app.