Agree, a common situation: you dial a number to make an urgent call, and suddenly you hear in the receiver: “Not enough funds, please top up your account and call back later.” And if earlier you had no choice but to run to the nearest terminal, today this problem is easily solved, in particular, thanks to a new service called "Call at the expense of the interlocutor." It is provided by all major Russian mobile operators. Its meaning is that you make a call, and the cost of the conversation will be paid by your interlocutor, of course, with his prior consent.
In order to use the "Call at the expense of the interlocutor" service, you do not need to send SMS to service numbers and activate additional services.
If you are a Beeline subscriber, you can make a call at the expense of the interlocutor by dialing the combination 05050 and the ten-digit (that is, without 8) number of the called subscriber. After your interlocutor picks up the phone, he will be notified that you want to talk at his expense. If he does not want to talk, he can simply press "Reject". This service is only providedin the home region. Cost per minute
call depends on the tariff plan of the subscriber paying for the call. The service can be used no more than 15 times a day.
Another cellular operator that provides its subscribers with the opportunity to make a call at the expense of the interlocutor - Megafon. The service "Call at the expense of the interlocutor" (official name - "Call at the expense of a friend") can be used up to 10 times a day. The cost of one minute is fixed and amounts - when the subscriber is in the home network - from 1 to 3 rubles, depending on the region, and 9 rubles - in roaming. To make a call, you need to dial 000, then the subscriber's phone number (including 8).
For MTS subscribers, the opportunity to talk at the expense of the interlocutor is possible with the “Help Out” service. How to use it? Dial the short number 0880, after which the automatic voice system will prompt you to dial the number of the subscriber at whose expense you want to talk. The number should be dialed in a ten-digit format, after which you press the pound key and wait for an answer. The cost of a minute of a call in the home region is charged according to the tariff plan, you will have to pay extra for roaming.
The convenience of the "Call at the expense of the interlocutor" service is that it does not require additional connection and is completely free.
Cons - a limited number of calls and the inability to use it to call a subscriber of another mobile operator, i.e., for example, a Megaphone subscriber can talkonly at the expense of another Megafon subscriber.
However, today, mobile operators are meeting their subscribers halfway and provide them with many communication opportunities with a zero balance. For example, all Russian operators have the ability to send so-called "beggars" - SMS with a request to call the subscriber back or replenish his account. It is also possible to take a "Trust Payment" - the operator replenishes your account with a certain amount, which after a few days is debited from your balance. You will pay a symbolic fee of 5-7 rubles for using the service.
