In japan its even cheaper then that.

When your friends started laughing at you, you could have turned things around and laughed at them because they have to pay extra to call cellphones.

For the past 10 years or so I've CONSTANTLY heard how it's so much better in Europe cause incoming calls are free, since no one looks at the big picture. Someone is paying for that call, and I think it should be the person who is using the cellphone.

In Europe and elsewhere, the caller bears all the costs.

BTW this also applies for landlines. When you place a call, even a local call, your landline gets charged a per minute rate whether you call a cellphone or another landline.

http://www.tripso.com/columns/.....or-europe/

When traveling outside of North America, it pays to compare the costs of dialing to land lines and mobile phones. In North America, costs for calls are shared between the receiver and the caller; hence, there is no difference in price between calling a land line or a cell phone.

In Europe and elsewhere, the caller bears all the costs. It is far more expensive to call a land line from a mobile phone than to call another cell phone (and vice versa). If you know you are calling a cell phone, it is almost always less expensive to call from your cell. But be aware of this: The cost of calling a mobile phone from a land line can be 10 times more than calling land line to land line. So if you want people to call you from abroad, have them call a land line, not your cell. They will save a lot of money.

I was telling my friends back home in Europe how you pay when someone phones you (or use airtime minutes) and they start laughing at me.

Big Ang said:

I've never heard of a pre-paid cellphone plan having free incoming calls (Speakout or another company). Well, except for Rogers recently saying that you get free incoming calls from another Rogers prepaid phone.

Rogers Pay as you go
If your wife calling you. She pays 40c, you 0c - total = 40c/min
If your wife calling home. She pays 40c, total = 40c/ min

SpeakOut
If your wife calling you. She pays 20c, you 20c - total = 40c/min
If your wife calling home. She pays 20c, total = 20c/ min

That is from ads.
In reality 50 sec call from Rogers "Pay as you Go" charged by 80c
🙁

Around the time that you said you bought the phone all the cellphone companies were advertising free incoming calls on some of their monthly plans. Perhaps that's what caused the mixup?

I'm not sure if that was indeed an option that long ago. I've been with Speak Out since the summer.

However, airtime is deducted regardless if the call is incoming or outgoing. It doesn't matter, while the phone is being used, it is using airtime.

Also, there was a rumour awhile back saying calls between Speak Out customers are free, but that is not the case either. Here's a copy & paste from Speak Out's site:

"Speakout Wireless does not offer FREE Evenings and Weekends or FREE SpeakOut to SpeakOut calling. You get the same low rates regardless of when you make or receive a call making SpeakOut simple and uncomplicated because hey life is complicated enough, right?"