International charge for 1 text to Australia

Forum|Forum|9 months ago
November 24, 2025
3 replies
173 views

I’ve sent 1 x text to Australia which should cost 30p according to the chart of charges, however I’ve been charged £1.50 on my bill.

Not sure why and there’s no breakdown on the bill, it just says International Charges - £1.50.

Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance.

Best answer by Lamiya C

Hi @Andrew9271 ,

You’re absolutely right, if you had used WhatsApp, there would have been no charge for sending that message. WhatsApp uses your data or Wi-Fi connection rather than the mobile network for sending messages, so it doesn’t incur international SMS charges.
If you often message contacts abroad, using apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, or other internet-based messaging services is a great way to avoid extra costs.

Kind Regards,
Lamiya

Lamiya C

iD Mobile Employee

Hi @Andrew9271 ,

Thank you for getting in touch. I completely understand why this seems confusing, and I’d be happy to clarify.
The cost for sending a text to Australia can vary depending on the type of message and how it’s processed.
For example:

-A standard SMS to an international number is usually 30p per message.
-However, if the message exceeds the character limit or includes emojis, special characters, or is sent as an MMS, it may be charged at a higher rate (sometimes multiple SMS segments).

This could explain why your bill shows £1.50, as the message may have been split into several parts. Unfortunately, the bill summary doesn’t show a detailed breakdown.

If you would like some further support with this, please get in touch via our Socials (Facebook or Instagram), Live Chat, Community or you can email us at socialqueries@idmobile.co.uk and outline the details of your query, we would love the opportunity to put things right.

Lamiya

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A

Andrew9271Author

New Contributor

Thanks very much for your reply. The text I sent was quite short but it does include 2 x emojis so that must be it.

Am I right in thinking that if I had used WhatsApp, there would have been no charge?

Lamiya CAnswer

iD Mobile Employee

Hi @Andrew9271 ,

You’re absolutely right, if you had used WhatsApp, there would have been no charge for sending that message. WhatsApp uses your data or Wi-Fi connection rather than the mobile network for sending messages, so it doesn’t incur international SMS charges.
If you often message contacts abroad, using apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, or other internet-based messaging services is a great way to avoid extra costs.

Kind Regards,
Lamiya

Did my comment help answer your question? If so, don't forget to mark the response as the Most Helpful Answer.