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O2 - Free text to ANY network ANYtime

  • 31-01-2008 3:00pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 344 ✭✭


    Just found this on:
    Silicon Republic
    With the majority of Irish mobile users on prepaid price plans, existing and potential O2 customers will be happy to hear the mobile operator has a new price plan that offers free texts for life to any mobile network at any time.

    The new price plan, O2 Experience, is for prepaid customers who top up their phone credit by at least €20 per month and will be available from tomorrow, Friday 1 February.
    While new customers can sigh up for the O2 price plan until 30 April 2008, existing O2 customers can also switch over from the existing prepaid Speakeasy model.
    This free text offering makes O2 the first mobile operator to give its prepaid customers the option to avail of free texts, no matter the network or time they call at.
    The O2 Experience plan also provides for mobile users who do not text heavily: again, it is for those topping up by a minimum of €20 per month and they can choose the ‘free unlimited calls’ option allowing them to make free calls to ten O2 numbers of their choosing.
    Also, for those who spend a minimum of €30 per month, the free calls and texts come together as a bundle.
    Vodafone currently offers its prepaid customers free texts for life for a minimum top-up of €20 per month, but this is only for texts sent to other Vodafone customers.
    By Marie Boran

    I usually hate O2 because of their overpriced tariffs etc but I am very tempted to move from Meteor to O2 for this offer. :p


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 34,788 ✭✭✭✭krudler


    they kept this pretty quiet, hadnt heard anything about it


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    interesting...as a Meteor customer


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,197 ✭✭✭wba88


    very interesting, free calls AND texts


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19,082 ✭✭✭✭Random


    When I heard it was a billpay price plan I was impressed. Not as eager to jump for the prepay one.

    Great deal though, should stab Meteor in the eye and make them move along too.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,424 ✭✭✭fatal


    as a meteor customer i will be thinking of switching to 02 now


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  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 19,340 CMod ✭✭✭✭Davy


    If o2 were clever they could have offered this in the run up to Christmas rush, would have beaten what the others were offering, especially for younger people would be texting mostly, free texts to any network and the €20 would do on calls for the month


  • Registered Users Posts: 404 ✭✭colmranger


    I just had a quick look at the O2 site and i think this offer is only valid at weekends?

    http://www.o2online.ie/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Personal/Price+plans/Speakeasy+prepay/O2+Freedom


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 19,340 CMod ✭✭✭✭Davy


    colmranger wrote: »
    I just had a quick look at the O2 site and i think this offer is only valid at weekends?

    http://www.o2online.ie/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Personal/Price+plans/Speakeasy+prepay/O2+Freedom

    Thats freedom, a different package. the new package is called 'o2 experience'


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,598 ✭✭✭joe316


    what about billpay? they dont seem to get the same offer


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,897 ✭✭✭✭Mimikyu


    This post has been deleted.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,339 ✭✭✭tenchi-fan


    Quite interesting!

    Most people I know ported to Meteor in the past year, and a lot of them were o2 beforehand. Too bad o2 were so slow acting, they lost a lot of business they'll find very hard to get back.

    Even if they are offering free texts to any network, anything more than 25c per call to other networks will put a lot of people off porting back. Based on their previous pricing strategies, chances are they will have 50c peak calls to other networks.


  • Registered Users Posts: 41 Mikel Jr.


    sounds good

    may switch over if they also have a decent prepay data plan


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    makes o2 more attractive than meteor as they have 3g in most areas now! and much more online content than meteor.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 127 ✭✭apollodjs


    They have 3 new price plans LINK

    Some things to note:
    *** Calls to other Irish mobile networks 49c per min (Anytime).
    *** A minimum charge of 5c applies to all connected domestic calls.


  • Registered Users Posts: 515 ✭✭✭steve 0


    WTF:confused:
    A few obvious selling points but as apollodjs said according to the new price plans no matter what you sign up to if you want to call another network its 49c per minute all the time.
    Also voicemail is 15c all times now too, @ least on the old plans its reduced to 12c for the weekends.
    Do they really think this will attract people from other networks?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    seems they are not as attractive as meteor anymore! unless of course you cut your tongue out and dont make any calls but o2 continue to FORCE voicemail on customers at exhorbitant rates!

    also just noticed they now have a minimum call charge of 5cent! just another way to rip off loyal customers!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 127 ✭✭apollodjs


    Don't forget about the 5c connection fee for all calls even if you get through to someones voicemail and hang up you'll be stung for 5c Vodafone do this too but its 3c


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,667 ✭✭✭MartMax


    having read that 49c charges to another networks, i rather stick to my current 20c flat rate. plus i don't use text that much thou.

    Mart


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,339 ✭✭✭tenchi-fan


    mart_max wrote: »
    having read that 49c charges to another networks, i rather stick to my current 20c flat rate. plus i don't use text that much thou.

    Mart

    Same here! Can't believe they're charging 49c at all times to call non-o2 customers, that's the most expensive rate they've charged in years.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,441 ✭✭✭✭jesus_thats_gre


    The other networks will come out with similar offers soon. That I am sure of.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,427 ✭✭✭Lady Lainy


    yeah they have me on flate rate too but i never ring ppl and when i do its land line to land line. i text everyone like non stop, its great for ppl like me. cos i used to have the 800 text bundles and i'd go thru that like water. that including the 250 text messages online. so i'd easly go through 1200 - 1500 messages a month. i get bored and its a long distant relationship with my boyfriend so we text and talk alot.

    O2 also doing O2 Experiece + Favourites,

    Where you nominate 10 ppl to get FREE CALLS & FREE TEXTS to for life. Though the catch with that option is that all nominated friends have to be on o2.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,224 ✭✭✭Walkman


    Although I am a happy 3 bill pay customer they really need to change their 3 pay pricing now. They are the only network not to have at the very least free calls OR texts to their own network.
    They are pricing themselves out of the market, not something they can afford to do..


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,191 ✭✭✭The_Hustler


    From the looks of it, with the €30 top up option to get free calls and texts, the texts are just to your nominated numbers. The free texts to any network seem seperate.

    http://www.o2online.ie/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Personal/Price+plans/Speakeasy+prepay/My+favourite+numbers


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,788 ✭✭✭✭cormie


    So what options do I have if I'm on the 20c flat rate any time any network option with regards texts? I'm currently getting texts for 5c with the 400 bundle, so every call I make is just 20c per minute and every text I send is 5c (in Ireland).


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sully


    I text about 1,300+ a month according to o2. Iv been on their max text bundle (800 a month) at a rate of about 40euro per month. That was a huge saving but I always ended up spending a good bit more cause 800 texts were always gone half way through the month. I make very little calls.

    This new price plan will be a huge saving for me. I cant see myself spending much on credit (outside of the 20euro a month) as 90% of my phone use is texts. I was just getting started on o2 Freedom - so the prices for calls will end up around the same for me. I only really call o2 numbers and landlines.

    For people who do a fair bit of calling - to non-o2 numbers - you will make your savings on texts but still end up spending a lot of credit due to the price to call other networks.

    In short: The price plans are of main benefit to those who text a lot, and not so much those who call a lot.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,390 ✭✭✭Stench Blossoms


    I am flipping that my 800 text bundle was added to my account on the 31st of Jan. That's an extra 20e that I could have done with.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,897 ✭✭✭✭Mimikyu


    This post has been deleted.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,532 ✭✭✭JTMan


    As always be careful with any Telco tariff. woo2 are using a headline discount while pushing up all other charges. This tarrif plan is bext avoided by most usage profiles ...

    On this new tariff woooo2 have
    One of the highest cost per minute for calls - 49c per minutes - 150% more expensive that Meteor Anytime Plus
    They are still the only networks to charge you for your own voicemail - Free on Meteor Anytime Plus
    International texts are 25C per minte - 75% more expensive than Meteor Anytime Plus
    International calls are typically 150% more expensive than Meteor Anytime Plus.

    For most usage profiles Meteor Anytime Plus with 20c calls represents the best value package on the market. For a small number of usage profiles it is worth taking advantage of the free texts while paying a lot more for everything else.

    As always with these complex telco tariff games ... beware


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19,082 ✭✭✭✭Random


    You're on Prepay - it's so easy to switch between networks that I'd suggest you try it out for a month or so and see what your spending is then - see if it makes a difference to you.

    *provided you don't have some for life deal that you can't get back, but I think it was just some older Meteor people had plans like that.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,232 ✭✭✭neilled


    foggy_lad wrote: »

    also just noticed they now have a minimum call charge of 5cent! just another way to rip off loyal customers!

    We have full number portability here. Nothings forcing you to stay a loyal o2 customer. If you don't like it you can always take your business elsewhere. When i was with o2 online (aka genie) in the uk i got stung for a 5 pence minimum call charge a month. I lived with it because of the various freebees that were offered, mainly the 300 inclusive texts per month and the lowest international texting rate.


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