Phone & Internet Guide
Saving money on calls - Tips
Saving money on Calling Abroad
Costs of calling abroad from your mobile can be very different depending on your operator, price plan, and country you are calling to. If you choose the right operator and plan for frequent calls abroad, you can save lots of money:
Cost of calling abroad (from CH) 120 minutes per month | |||
From CH to: |
Swisscom NATEL swiss |
|
Orange Me with 90 min + 0 SMS + 0 Gb |
|
CHF 97.- |
CHF 97.-/121.- |
CHF 48.50 |
|
CHF 97.- |
CHF 97.-/121.- |
CHF 48.50 |
|
CHF 97.- |
CHF 97.-/121.- |
CHF 48.50 |
|
CHF 97.- |
CHF 97.-/121.- |
CHF 48.50 |
|
CHF 169.- |
CHF 145.- |
CHF 48.50 |
|
CHF 169.- |
CHF 145.- |
CHF 48.50 |
|
CHF 121.- |
CHF 97.-/121.- |
CHF 48.50 |
US |
CHF 97.- |
CHF 97.-/121.- |
CHF 48.50 |
* Prices indicated are on fixed/mobile and contains the monthly fee + communication cost
Saving money on Monthly Fees
If you decide to take a price plan without buying a handset, some operators give you an extra discount on your monthly fee. Keep in mind that if you then want to benefit from a handset offer, you might need to pay the full monthly fee again.
Sometimes the contract duration of a price plan “SIM only” is shorter than the standard duration. At Orange for example it is a 3 months contract duration and then you can unsubscribe with 30 days notice.
Saving money on Roaming Fees
What are Roaming Fees?
When you use your Swiss mobile phone abroad, all major Swiss operators will charge you extra fees, called 'Roaming Fees'. Technically, these fees are charged because when you're abroad, your mobile uses other networks than your Swiss one.
The most frequent Roaming Fees are charged for receiving calls & SMSs abroad.
Tips to minimize Roaming Fees:
If you know you'll use your phone from abroad, select an operator / plan that caters for this. See Orange's Travel Option plan
Because Switzerland is small, Swiss phones - especially around the lake of Geneva area - often switch automatically to French or German operators, meaning you pay more. To avoid this, block the automatic change of network in your handset settings
Options: a way to spend even less
What are Options?
You can generally purchase 'options' to your selected monthly-subscription plan (or even your PrePay plan), which allow you better conditions on selected services. Options add a small additional amount to the monthly subscription fee, but can make it far more economical in the long run.
Popular options include those that reduce the cost of:
- Calling abroad and roaming (see above)
- Accessing the Internet
- Messaging, such as SMS, MMS or instant messaging
- Calling selected Swiss national phone numbers for free at any time
How do you get options:
- Go to one of your operator's shops
- Call your operator's customer service
- Subscribe online (not always available)
- Calling abroad and roaming (see above)
- Accessing the Internet
- Messaging, such as SMS, MMS or instant messaging
or at an
Orange Center.