FoneRent

Mobile tariffs continue to be a minefield that only those with an IQ of 150 plus and a degree in applied mathematics would be able to crack, so Vodafone employed its rather sharp billing team to test their combined IQ and unravel the latest round of mobile roaming cuts. Marketing hype or genuine reductions? Well not all is as it seems!

The main publicity has been for Vodafone UK and its Passport Tariff where they claim to 'Abolish Roaming'. Hmmm, not quite true.  Our peopel discovered that you have to sign up or request the Passport Service - it is not given to users automatically and then for every call there is a connection fee before you get your standard rates. That sounds like a roaming charge to us.

Finally, and this is where our boffins really pay their way, a FoneRent Billing Guru worked out that the average call from the EU to the UK was just 2 minutes, 21 seconds. And where does the Passport connection charge start to cost in/? Yep, you guessed it -  after 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Now we are not saying that Vodafone are not being straight but they are clever at marketing!

So buyer beware, if there are deals to be had, make sure you are eligible. If there are rates to consider, check your mobile calling profile.  And if all else fails or you are just not sure, remember the following:

Roaming's Mental - Take a Rental.

And you know where to get those, right?