Orange hike Pay As You Go call charges by 25%, text charges by 20% from July
May 29th, 2011
From the 1st July 2011, Orange are increasing the price of calls from 20p/minute to 25p/minute and texts from 10p each to 12p each.
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What changes are being made from the 1st July 2011?
As of the 1st July 2011, Orange are increasing the prices on calls, texts and voicemail for Pay As You Go customers as follows:
- Call charges increasing to 25p/minute. The price of standard calls is increasing from 20p/minute to 25p/minute. This applies for all outgoing calls to UK mobiles and UK landlines.
- The minimum call charge rises to 25p. The minimum call charge rises from 20p to 25p. This means you’ll be charged 25p for all calls you make which are shorter than one minute.
- Texts increasing to 12p per message. The cost of sending a UK-bound text message rises from 10p to 12p.
- Voicemail now costs 25p. The cost of the answer phone service rises from 20p/minute to 25p/minute.
To partially compensate for the price rises, customers on the Dolphin and Monkey plans will now receive 400 free text messages and 100MB internet instead of 300 free text messages and 100MB internet when they top up by £10. The free text messages expire after 30 days.
On the whole, these are fairly significant price rises for Orange Pay As You Go customers and very few people will benefit from the increases in the free allowances.
How do the new Orange call charges compare with other networks?
After July’s price rises, Orange becomes one of the more expensive tariffs for outgoing calls. Of the big five, T-Mobile probably offers the cheapest calls at 20p/minute and 100 free minutes with a £10 top-up (get a free T-Mobile SIM card). Looking beyond, budget networks such as Giffgaff and ASDA Mobile offer calls at 8p/minute.
| Network | Calls | Texts | Internet | Voicemail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | 25p/min | 12p | £2/day (100MB free with £10 top-up) | 25p/minute |
| Three | 26p/min | 11p | 11p/MB (150MB free with £10 top-up) | 16p/minute |
| O2 | 25p/min* | 12p | £1/day (500MB free with £10 top-up) | 15p/call |
| T-Mobile | 20p/min | 12p | £1/day | 12p/minute |
| Vodafone | 21p/min | 10p | £1/day (500MB free with £10 top-up) | 21p/minute |
| Giffgaff | 8p/min | 4p | 20p/day for 20MB then 20p/MB | 8p/call |
| ASDA Mobile | 8p/min | 4p | 20p/MB | 8p/minute |
* On O2 Pay As You Go, the cost of calls to landlines and other O2 mobiles drops to 5p/minute after the first 3 minutes.
For more information, see our guide to Pay As You Go tariffs and free Pay As You Go SIM cards.
How can I cut the cost of calls on Orange Pay As You Go?
Switching to the “Racoon” tariff will halve the cost of calls to 12p/minute.
You can halve the cost of your phone calls by asking Orange Customer Services to move you to the Racoon tariff. Racoon has a flat-rate of 12p for calls and texts but you won’t get any free allowances when you top-up. Also, it’s not suitable for smartphones (there is no inclusive internet with a top-up and internet is incredibly expensive on Racoon).
| Dolphin/Monkey/Canary | Racoon | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard calls | 25p/min | 12p/min |
| Text messages | 12p | 12p |
| Minimum call charge | 25p | 12p |
| Voicemail | 25p | 12p |
| Internet | £2/day | £4/MB |
According to Orange, “The Racoon plan does not come with benefits such as Bright Top Ups, Magic Numbers, Reserve Tank, and Phone Fund, but it does come with Orange Wednesdays.”
I’m leaving Orange. Can I keep my existing phone number?
Yes. You’ll need to ask Orange for a PAC Code and then you’ll need to provide this to your new network. Our PAC Code Finder tool can take you through the process of transferring your phone number. Please note that you may need to unlock your phone.
Where can I find out more about the Orange price changes?
Orange have set up a webpage detailing some of the key price plan changes. For a full listing of all the charges on Orange Pay As You Go from July, see the Orange Pay As You Go Price Guide (1st July 2011). Until the 1st July, the old call charges apply – refer to the 8th December 2010 price guide.
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About Ken
I'm a freelance writer specialising in mobile technology. I've been blogging at Ken's Tech Tips since 2005 with the aim of demystifying mobile technology for the rest of us.
Before writing about mobile technology, my background was in space & atmospheric physics. I have also worked in software development. Nowadays, I help companies to explain mobile technology to their customers. Please check out my portfolio or get in touch for more information. I'm also on Google+.
Man alive orange really don;t give you much for your money these days. It's almost like they dont want to be competative but suppose they do have coverage and the lock ins thanks to that.
ASDA Mobile calls are now 10p per min & text 6p per text
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the heads up on this; we'll have a write-up of this soon.
Cheers
Ken