Long distance calls
To begin with, we looked at the tariffs of the MegaFon operator in search of prices for calls to other regions of Russia. It turned out that:
- On basic tariffs without a subscription fee, the cost per minute of a call within MegaFon is 3 rubles, and to other mobile and landline numbers - 12.5;
- “It’s simple” - 5 rubles each. any region of the country;
- “Warm welcome” - calls to Russian numbers - 9.9 rubles/min.;
- Line of tariffs “Turn on!” has a subscription fee for which you can get packages of minutes, internet and SMS, including long-distance calls. It is difficult to calculate the cost of a minute of regional communication here. However, if the prepaid package has expired, then on most tariffs of the line calls to MegaFon Russia subscribers will be free, and to other Russian operators 3 rubles/min.
It would not be amiss to note here that calls to the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol using Ukrainian numbering (+380) will cost much more - 35 rubles/min. So, when planning to vacation on the peninsula with a local SIM card, do not forget to worry about your loved ones: find favorable conditions for yourself.
MegaFon took additional care of everyone else: they offered a discount due to free . The service is valid for calls to almost all numbers in our homeland, when the caller is in the region where the SIM card is connected.
Disabling the option
If the use of the service is no longer necessary, then there is a need to disable it. To do this, MegaFon has provided several methods. Subscribers can use one of the following that is convenient for them:
- A method that does not require independent intervention is to visit the company’s company salon. In it, employees can help deactivate the service after a document is presented that confirms the subscriber’s identity.
- If you cannot go to the salon, you can disable the service yourself. To do this, you need to use the service request dial *105*0080*0#. When the command is dialed, you need to make a call and the service will be deactivated.
- You can also disable the service yourself using your personal account from the company. By registering in it, each client will be able to independently keep track of and control the SIM card.
- Call center operators will also always accommodate you and help you deactivate Call Russia. To call them, you should dial the short number 0500 or 88005500500. The second number is intended for clients of other telecom operators or people using a landline phone to make calls.
Deactivation of “Call Russia” does not always happen instantly. Sometimes it’s worth waiting up to a day for it to be turned off.
All provided data (prices, links and commands) are considered for the city of Moscow and the Moscow region. Information may vary for different areas. Therefore, it is recommended to clarify the data before any actions with the option.
Service cost
This option, as already mentioned, is provided free of charge: no connection fee or subscription fee is required. The price of this discount: increased cost of the first minute – 15 rubles. Moreover, from the 2nd to the 10th minute of each call you do not need to pay for the call, and from the 11th minute the price is only 2.50.
Keep in mind that here, too, the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are taken out of brackets: the cost of a minute of connection in these directions depends on the subscriber’s base tariff.
Those who communicate a lot abroad will find the connection useful. It allows you to save on calls and SMS when you are abroad on vacation. Advantages of the connected option:
- Valid between countries;
- Outgoing calls 89 rubles per minute;
- The cost of SMS is based on prices in your region;
- Allows you to save money on communication abroad. This option is especially useful for business representatives. Even on vacation abroad, they receive many incoming calls.
You can activate the service using your personal account. There the availability of other services and the remaining Internet limit are checked. You can top up your account abroad using a bank card, or “Pay for me”.
Upon returning from roaming back to Russia, you need to disable the option. There are three ways to do this: personal account, sending an SMS with the text “STOP” to the number 05001382 and the command *135# and call. The cost of the “Roaming, Goodbye” option is 349 rubles per day.
Who can't connect?
It is important to know that this service is valid only in the home region, that is, the area where the SIM card was purchased. As soon as you leave your region, territory or republic, you find yourself in roaming. And there are completely different prices.
A subscriber who has added archived options (currently closed for connection and transition, transferred to the so-called archive) will not be able to connect to the service:
- “50% intercity” - calls to mobile and landline phones in regions of the country are half the price.
- “My MegaFon” - calls to MegaFon network numbers with a 50% discount.
- “City Connections” - any intercity destinations at a special price of 1 rub./min within a package of 350 minutes.
- “An hour for long-distance calls” - one hour for long-distance calls for 60 rubles. Funds from the account are charged only for the first minute of the call. The rest of the time is free.
The option is also available for connection on all tariff plans with the exception of the already archived “City Connection”, which provided 700 minutes of long-distance communication for 600 rubles/month.
How to activate the “Call Russia” option
If the option becomes necessary for use, then MegaFon suggests using the following connection methods:
- As with most options, there is its own service combination, which is responsible only for the “Call within Russia” option. To activate it you need to dial *105*0080#. After entering it, you should make a call, and the service will become active. It should be noted that this set may be slightly modified for different regions. Accordingly, it is better to find out the details from the operator. After activation, the client is notified via SMS.
- There is also a method to use the universal command *573#. After this dialing, the option menu will open, where you can find out the details or connect it. After connecting, as in the first method, the client is notified via SMS about successful activation.
- If you have free access to the Internet and a computer, your personal account will come to your aid. You should go to the company’s website and go to your account in the upper right corner. After a short registration, a message with a password will be sent to the specified number. When the subscriber passes authorization, it will be possible to activate “Call Russia”, as well as fully control all other options and tariff plan.
- Activation is possible through the MegaFon help desk. To make a call, you will need to dial the short number 0500. This number is suitable for MegaFon communication clients. When making a call from other operators or from a landline phone, dial 88005500500. Calls are free. The operator will always help and, if possible, activate the service. All you need to do is enter your password or passport details.
- Also, with your passport, you can go to the nearest MegaFon communication store and ask employees for help in activating the “Call Russia” service. The workers will be happy to help you connect. However, there is no charge for this procedure. To quickly figure out the nearest salon, you need to look at the map on the company’s website, but it’s easier to follow the link https://moscow.megafon.ru/help/offices/#offices.
- The last activation method is to use the voice menu and send a text message. Alternatively, you can call the toll-free number 0500980. This call will call up a voice menu in which you can activate the service using a robot. It would be easier to just send an empty message to this number. You can also write any number in the message. After sending, a counter message will follow with a report of a successful connection.
On the company’s official website, you can click on the service connection button, which is located under the description. After this, subscribers can choose a convenient activation method. It is recommended to use the link https://moscow.megafon.ru/tariffs/options/far_calls/call_on_russia.html.
It is recommended to activate this option. After all, the fee for it is not charged upon activation, and there is no subscription fee. But by connecting, its subscribers will not lose anything. But when leaving your home region, there will be only beneficial communication.
MTS
Inbox. As soon as you arrive in another city, all incoming calls from local numbers in that region automatically become free for you. And if they call you from Moscow, then be prepared to pay 5.5 rubles per minute for an incoming call.
Keep in mind, this may even apply to calls to a dacha if it is located in another region! I once called my parents and in half an hour 165 rubles were written off from their balance.
Packets and outgoing. The remaining minutes and SMS from the package automatically begin to apply to all calls and messages to numbers in the region of your stay, as well as for calls and SMS to MTS subscribers in any Russian region.
But if you call another operator not from the region where you are, then please pay 5.5 rubles per minute or 2.95 rubles per SMS.
Internet. Perhaps mobile Internet is the only option that received advantages rather than disadvantages after the “cancellation” of national roaming. Now if you have 2 GB of traffic, it will automatically be spent in any other region.
Options. MTS has two options “Home package Russia” and “Home package Russia+”; when you connect them, all incoming messages become free for the duration of the options.
The first costs 15 rubles/day, and the second 100 rubles/month. And for those who do not use package tariffs, the option “Russia is like home everywhere” is suitable for 7 rubles/day. When you connect it, all incoming calls also become free, and outgoing calls will cost 3 rubles per day.
Pros and cons of the “No overpayments” tariff. Calls"
The “Calls” tariff has many pros and cons:
The ability to make unlimited calls from the Megafon network without spending minutes from the main package.
Many minutes for calls to landlines and numbers of other operators, including long-distance.
Using instant messengers with a zero balance.
Distribution of Internet traffic without restrictions, the possibility of accumulating GB.
The tariff is valid in all regions of the Russian Federation (Crimea is an exception).
Availability of profitable additional packages.
Same intercity tariffs for landline and mobile numbers.
No SMS package.
The tariff is not valid on the Crimean Peninsula.
Limitation of the Internet “piggy bank”.
Competitors have better rates for the same price.
The “Calls” tariff from Megafon is suitable for those who make a lot of calls to landlines and numbers of other operators.
Favorite number
This service allows you to set up free calls to one or two operator numbers. However, it is worth considering that although the option is open for new connections, it is not available in any current tariff. It is only available for some 2012 package plans. They include a package of minutes, but after using it, calls are paid, even on-network.
An option is activated for 30 rubles, and the user pays thirty rubles for adding or replacing the selected number on the network. There is also a fee for using the option. For one number it is five, and if two numbers are selected, then six rubles per day. Calls are free, but there is a limit. The total time available for calls is 24 hours a day.
Tariff plans for smart devices
The “Smart Home” tariff development is purchased complete with the “Life Control” device and provides unlimited free access to the website lifecontrol.ru. This product is necessary for the correct operation of Smart Home smart technologies.
The proposed conditions are excellent for their main purposes and do not require additional options.
Option “Internet in Crimea”
For those who like to communicate on social media. networks and messengers, search for information on the Internet or work via the Internet, the “Internet in Crimea” option is suitable. It is included in some MegaFon tariff plans. You can clarify the connection of the option in your personal account. The option can be enabled or disabled in your personal account or MegaFon contact center.
After the end of the main Internet traffic package, the option allows you to receive 60 MB packages for 99 rubles each. Activation of the option does not require payment.
Unlimited communication
Calls to MegaFon throughout Russia for 0 rubles are offered by the “Unlimited communication” option. It costs thirty-five rubles to connect, and has a daily cost of eleven. For a month of use we get three hundred rubles, which is cheaper than any package tariff “Turn on!”
What does the service provide to subscribers? Calls to MegaFon in Moscow are unlimited, and additionally to operator numbers in Russia for one hundred minutes a day. Thus, in addition to local unlimited, up to three thousand minutes are available to operator numbers in other areas throughout the month. This option will be the best choice for those who need maximum communication on the operator’s network and do not need Internet services from their phone.
All tariff subscribers can connect to such free calls to MegaFon without mandatory payments. The only disadvantage of this option is that it does not retain its conditions when traveling to other regions.
Reviews about the tariff
Maxim: “I connected as soon as it was launched. I definitely won’t change it for another one. I make calls mainly for work in other regions, I use the Internet mainly to send documents. So for me this ratio of traffic and minutes is very profitable.”
Elena: “Very good tariff. I call my mother all the time now. She’s a pensioner, she’s not friends with Skype or Viber, so you can only talk to her normally on the phone. Previously, I greatly overpaid above my tariff for such conversations, but now I communicate freely and don’t worry that I’ll end up in the red.”
Pavel: “I changed the tariff to “Calls” solely because of the minutes. I have my own small store, I often have to call suppliers in other regions, and communication was quite expensive. And now I’ve given 600 rubles and there’s no need to worry.”
Parameters and prices in some other regions of Russia
| Region name (including region) | Subscription fee, rub. | Internet traffic, GB. | Package of minutes, min. |
| Nizhny Novgorod | 450 | 5 | 500 |
| Chelyabinsk | 450 | 5 | 500 |
| Samara | 530 | 5 | 400 |
| Izhevsk | 370 | 5 | 400 |
| Vologda | 450 | 3 | 400 |
| Kursk | 450 | 5 | 500 |
| Volgograd | 450 | 6 | 400 |
| Moscow | 600 | 5 | 600 |
| Saint Petersburg | 500 | 5 | 500 |
| Novosibirsk | 400 | 5 | 400 |
| Ekaterinburg | 350 | 3 | 400 |
| Rostov-on-Don | 480 | 4 | 400 |
| Vladimir | 400 | 5 | 400 |
| Yaroslavl | 200 | 10 | 400 |
| Lipetsk | 450 | 5 | 500 |
| Kazan | 350 | 5 | 400 |
