How To Send Free and Very Cheap Texts
Mobile phones can be very expensive especially if you text a lot, however it is possible to send texts for free online and very cheaply on your mobile.
Free Texts Online
If you are near a computer then it is possible to send texts for absolutely nothing. There are a lot of sites that allow you to send texts for free, however most put advertising at the bottom of your texts. Although, the sites I mention below do not.
Your Networks Website
A few mobile phone networks allow you to send a number text messages from their websites for free. All you have to do in most cases is register with the site and you are ready to send. For example, if your with Orange you can currently send 30 texts a month from their site for free and O2 allows you to send 10 a month. These services tell the receiver at the end of the text what your number is, however its probably best to sign your name as well.
CBFSMS.com
CBFSMS is a really easy to use site, in which you just type the number of the person you are sending a text to and click send with no registration required. However, you have to remember to sign your name in your messages so the person receiving the text knows who it is from you. Another downside is that this service is often down. Although it does not put advertising in the texts that you send from it, this site makes its money through the advertisements on the site itself, but they do not really get in your way.
Link: CBFSMS
Very Cheap Texts
Obviously most of the time it is not convenient to text from the internet, however there are a number of applications which you can download for your mobile phone which enable you to send very cheap texts. These applications use your phones mobile internet connection at a fraction of the cost of a normal text message. This is because the networks charge you per MB of data transfer on your mobile internet and these programs use very little data. For example, according to the Fishtext site if your cost per MB was £4.00 (higher than most) then it would cost £0.0023 to send a standard text.
Fishtext
Fishtext is a brilliant new service, which works in much the same way that a normal text message does. Once you have downloaded the application you fill in a few details, then you are good to go. Fishtext charges you 2p per text and there is a charge to your network for the small use of the internet which is negligible (usually less than 0p). You get given 20p free when you sign up and after that you can top-up through the application with the minimum top-up being £5 (250 messages). You can also text other friends who have Fishtext for practically free (except the data cost). I have used Fishtext a lot and I really would recommend it. You can see a picture of Fishtext in use at the top of the page.
Cost: 2p per text (plus data transfer cost)
Link: Fishtext
FreeTxt
FreeTxt is much like Fishtext and integrates well with your mobile. However, not only is it slightly more costly at 3p per text, it is also ONLY currently available for certain Nokia phones. This service also allows you to text other people who have the service for nearly free (you still have to pay the small fee of the internet connection usually less than 0p).
Cost: 3p per text (plus data transfer cost)
Link: FreeTxt
How Much You Could Save
| Service | Cost per Text | Data Cost per Text | Total Cost per 250 Texts | Saving |
| Typical Network | 10p | 0p | £25 | NA |
| FreeTxt | 3p | 0.23p | £8.08 | £16.92 |
| Fishtext | 2p | 0.23p | £5.58 | £19.42 |
The figures for data cost are based on Fishtexts estimation of £0.0023 per text and obviously this cost depends on how much your network charges you per MB of data transfer.
Top Tips
- Be aware that some internet sites place adverts in your texts when you send a free text message with them and some even send you marketing texts.
- Look up how much your network charges per MB of data transfer when using services like Fishtext and FreeTxt.
Little Saver Rating
4 Comments... add one below
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September 19, 2008 6:44 pm
WOAH! this site is brilliant. I’m a fellow student so all these tips are proving invaluable. Keep up your hard work, I’m sure loads of people are benefitting.
September 20, 2008 3:53 pm
You could add Blyk (http://www.blyk.co.uk) to the list (217 free texts and 43 minutes free each month). The cost of these texts and calls are paid for by sending you adverts, and the sim cards free as well.
July 26, 2009 1:59 am
Have you guys tried Free SMS World?
October 7, 2009 8:59 am
you missed out Send A Free SMS. Just type Free Txts in to Google