Calling abroad with any telecommunications provider can be a pricey and sometimes perilous task, with astronomical costs incurred if you aren’t careful.  Usually, it pays to do a little research as many operators will have specialized packages which can be suitable for your needs and O2 are no different.

In this article, we’ll examine how O2 customers can get the best out of calling abroad, and look at some of the leading international call providers who are challenging the market and driving prices down.

O2 International Extras

First up, let's examine O2's service for international calls, International Extras. This is a very simple method of calling any of the countries that they offer services to, regardless of whether you have a monthly subscription, or as a pay-as-you-go customer.

Once you have selected the country you wish to call, you can purchase a select number of minutes by sending a text message to O2.   

Outlined below are some example prices for countries covered by the O2 International Extras plan.

While this is a simple system to use and understand, and is easy for users to gauge, there are some issues. Firstly, the range of countries currently supported is not the greatest and secondly, you’ll need to make sure you have enough credit for every call you wish to make in case you run out mid call.

O2 vs Other Providers

Price is a vital factor when making international call, so how does the best value O2 International Extras package compare to other providers?

While the O2 International Extra’s package offers better value than SIM Card providers an online telecommunications provider like Rebtel allows users to access much cheaper call rates, with savings of over 6p per minute in some cases.  Quite simply, internet companies use digital (instead of satellite) technology which is much cheaper to maintain.  These cost savings are then passed on to the customer.

Using an app is also relatively straightforward, once you have registered and entered your contact details. The smartphone boom has resulted in great apps that provide a whole range of features, as well as transparency and the ability to manage exactly how much money you are spending on international calls.