How much does roaming cost in Belarus: analysis of tariff plans

Traveling to all corners of the world, regardless of direction, you need to stay in touch and be available at any time of the day or night. Roaming in Belarus is offered by all popular operators in the Russian Federation, and each of them has its own optimal conditions for calls, Internet and SMS. Roaming is the ability to use your local SIM card abroad without changing your subscriber number.

Basic conditions

First, let's answer the question whether Megafon operates in Belarus - yes, the operator provides communication services in this country.

In this country, the tariff conditions will be like home! What does it mean? You can use the usual features, make and receive calls, access the Internet as if you were in your own region of Russia.

The cost of Megafon roaming in Belarus is low - only 359 rubles. Important Features:

  • It is written off only on days of use once a day;
  • Will be debited from your account if you go online, receive or make a call.

What rules do you need to know about if you go on a trip?

  • Minutes and traffic are spent from packages or paid at the usual home cost;
  • As soon as the minutes and GB run out, Internet access is suspended, and calls (incoming and outgoing) are charged per minute;
  • Calls to other countries, SMS and MMS are paid separately.

This is just one of the roaming options - quite convenient. There is no need to connect anything additional, you can use your smartphone without changes. Let's think about what other Megafon tariffs exist in Belarus.

How Russian authorities fought against roaming

Let us recall that in 2021, the Russian authorities began a campaign for the abolition of roaming tariffs when traveling within Russia. Deputies from the A Just Russia faction submitted to the State Duma a bill banning intranetwork roaming (occurs when a subscriber travels between different regions, but within the same network) and national roaming (occurs when a subscriber travels between different regions and networks of different operators, for example, in Crimea) . At the same time, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) issued a corresponding order to operators.

At the same time, the idea arose to cancel roaming between Russia and Belarus, since both countries form a single Union State. This idea was first voiced in 2021 by Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko . Then deputies of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) faction introduced a bill to the State Duma banning both intranet and national roaming, as well as roaming when traveling to Belarus.

At the same time, the Supreme State Council of the Union State made a decision on June 30, 2021 on the abolition of roaming when traveling between Russia and Belarus. At the end of 2021, a roadmap for the implementation of this decision, along with an action plan to identify and suppress “fraud” (fraud) in networks telecommunications were agreed upon and signed by the communications ministers of both countries. Practical steps in this area began at the end of 2021.

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Additional packages

Any subscriber can connect to an Internet package or a package of minutes - for a small fee you will get access to Megafon roaming in Belarus. In this case, the terms of the home tariff plan will not apply!

What offers have been developed by the operator? If you want to get traffic, choose one of two options.

1 GB for 999 rubles. No monthly fee for 14 days:

  • Use the command *105*1495# ;
  • Or send an SMS with the word YES to 05001507.

3 GB for 1999 rubles without subscription fee for two weeks. Let's figure out how to connect Megafon roaming in Belarus:

  • Dial *105*1495# ;
  • Write a message with the text YES to the number 05001508.

The installed traffic is consumed by the user independently; as soon as it ends, unlimited traffic is activated at speeds up to 128 Kbps. This indicator is enough for correspondence in instant messengers and social networks.

To understand how much a call to Belarus from Megafon costs, you need to talk about another roaming option.

30 minutes in popular countries for 2 weeks:

  • Outgoing calls to the Russian Federation and Belarus are free until the 31st minute;
  • After – 99 rubles per minute;
  • Outgoing to other countries – 149 rubles. per minute;
  • Outgoing SMS – 29 rubles, incoming – free.
  • Dial *105*1494# ;
  • Send SMS “YES” to 05001494.

60 minutes in popular countries for 14 days:

  • The conditions are similar;
  • An exception is that the cost changes not from 31, but from 61 minutes of the call.

To connect, write a message with the word “YES” to 05001495 or use the short USSD code given above.

A megaphone in Belarus with a Russian SIM card is quite affordable - you can regulate what services you need yourself!

We talked about prices for Megafon roaming in Belarus - you can get an idea of ​​the policy for providing services and choose an option according to your taste/wallet. Don't limit yourself in communication while traveling!

How much do calls, messages, internet cost?

For this tariff there is a subscription fee of 359 rubles per day. If you don't receive calls, call friends, or go online, you won't be charged. You can use this advantageous offer every day or once a week; you don’t need to pause and reconnect.

Incoming and outgoing

For international roaming, a package of 60 minutes per day is provided. It is designed for incoming and outgoing calls to subscribers from Russia. From the 61st minute, a single tariff is established for all calls - 99 rubles. Outgoing to Belarus – also 99 rubles.

You can also contact a relative from another country, but the conversation will cost a little more - 149 rubles per minute.

SMS and MMS

Incoming SMS is free, and outgoing SMS costs 29 rubles. Multimedia messages are available: outgoing ones cost 30 rubles, outgoing ones 40 rubles. (to Russian numbers) and 41 rubles (in the CIS). If you need to send a file to a client of an international mobile operator, MMS is calculated at one price - 51 rubles.

Internet

A 1 GB package is provided for access to the network. There are no restrictions on data transfer speed. If the traffic runs out, Internet access is suspended. All you have to do is wait for the next subscription fee to be charged. Unused megabytes will expire and cannot be transferred to the next day.

Connecting Megafon international roaming abroad

provides the opportunity to use mobile services in many foreign countries. However, there are some nuances:

  • The basic roaming service must be activated. It allows you to use the networks of other operators to send SMS, make calls and access the Internet.
  • The opportunity to use communication services directly abroad is provided. It is connected additionally, on top of the main roaming.
  • “International roaming” does not require prior connection when visiting 152 countries of the world, since the service is activated automatically upon arrival in any country from this list. The most convenient way to clarify whether certain states are included in this list or not is by visiting the page https://moscow.megafon.ru/roaming/world/ . In the column “Find out the cost of services in roaming”, when you enter the name of the country, the cost of services on its territory will be indicated. If it is not included in this list, or does not provide communication services at all, then a corresponding warning will immediately appear on the page.

Note: for international roaming to be activated automatically, your account must have a certain minimum amount of funds.
At the same time, Megafon will not charge a penny for the connection itself.

It is not profitable for operators to cancel roaming

Director of the telecommunications services department at J'son & partners Kirill Kucherov told CNews that it is not profitable for the operators themselves to reduce roaming tariffs. “This is a decision imposed from above,” explains Kucherov. — It leads to a decrease in operator revenue because another roaming direction disappears. At the same time, no compensation for preferential roaming from the state is provided to either Belarusian or Russian operators.”

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“Whether the regime will be extended next year will be determined by the state,” adds Kucherov. “It is quite obvious that the operators will not extend this regime of their own free will, if only because this requires at least interstate agreements.”

Communication capabilities in roaming

The mobile operator provides subscribers located abroad, in most cases, with the same services as in their homeland.

These services include: the ability to send and receive SMS/MMS messages, receive and make calls, as well as use the mobile Internet in 3G and 4G networks.

Megafon subscribers are provided with the same high level of mobile support as in the Russian Federation. Consultation can be obtained by calling the specialized number: +7 926 111 0500 .
The cost of a call is 0 rubles. Calls should not be made to the short number 0500, since the number is intended only for Russia, and in other republics they may charge a fee for connecting to the operator.

How to call Belarus from Russia for free?

Today, many people have relatives and even just acquaintances abroad. At some point, there is a desire or even a need to contact them via telephone. And here the question arises: how to call abroad?

How to call other countries?

The answer to this question depends on several factors. The first thing we need to figure out is which phone number we are going to call: a landline or a mobile. At first glance, it seems that this is not so important, what difference does it make which number to call? But, oddly enough, there is a difference, and a huge one at that. The next step should be to decide from where we will call: from a mobile phone or from a landline phone, or from a computer? Many people don’t even know how to call Belarus from Russia for free. We'll talk about this next.

How to call Belarus?

If our call needs to be made to a mobile phone, then there is no problem, we dial our subscriber’s number and after a couple of seconds we already hear the familiar voice that we miss so much. If you have to call to a landline number, then to make this call we will need a small amount of information, which will include: country code, city code, and, of course, the phone number of the subscriber with whom we want to contact.


How to call Belarus from Russia?

To make this call, we will need the information discussed above. If we are going to make a call from a mobile phone, it will look like this:

  • our combination will begin with the connection sign “+”, followed by the international country code, city code, and finally the subscriber number is entered.

If you make a call from a landline phone, the call will look like this:

  • “8”, wait for the connecting dial tone, after which we dial “10”, then “375”, the city code, and finally - our subscriber’s number. Calls are billed per second. The countdown begins immediately after the connecting beep.

Calls to Belarus for free


How to call Belarus from Russia at the best rates or for free? Thanks to modern technologies, people now have this opportunity. If you really want to save on a call from Russia to Belarus, then communication services from Skype are best suited for you. This program provides the ability to make free calls from the computer on which it is installed to another computer with Skype, regardless of the person’s territorial location. This call will be included in your internet fee. When making calls from Skype to regular mobile and landline numbers, a fee will be charged, but compared to the price set by modern operators, the program provides high-quality communication services for almost pennies. In addition, if you have a webcam, you can not only hear your loved ones, but also see them. We talked about several options for making calls abroad, you just have to decide for yourself - how to call Belarus from Russia will be most beneficial for you.

The cost of mobile communications abroad

The price of mobile services depends on the state in which the Megafon subscriber is located.

For Turkey, Spain, Italy and the Republic of Belarus, the payment is the same. Any incoming calls, as well as calls made within these countries or made to Russia, are charged at a single price - 79 rubles per minute. If you call from them to other countries, the cost will increase to 129 rubles/min.

There is no need to pay for incoming SMS, but for outgoing SMS the price will be 25 rubles per message.

Internet with the “Turn on” tariff will cost 99 rubles per day for all messengers; when connecting to other services, 10 MB of traffic will automatically become available for the same amount. Internet on a different tariff plan will cost 350 rubles for 50 MB of traffic.

More detailed information about prices for all services can be found on the company’s official website by clicking on the link https://moscow.megafon.ru/roaming/ .

Velcom

Austrian Velcom is the strongest competitor to MTS in Belarus with almost the same 2G/3G coverage. Velcom doesn't have 4G/LTE yet.

Tourist tariff plan

The Velcom prepaid card is called “Privet”. Like MTS, Velcom has a travel plan that does not require subscriber registration with the Belarusian authorities.

Their new travel plan sells for 15 Br in their stores called "Branded Centers" (location). 9.90 from this amount is deducted for 2 GB of Internet and 100 minutes for calls within the country to all operators within 10 days. The remaining 5.10 rubles can be used to purchase other services. The cost of 1 MB is 0.4425 Belarusian rubles.

Also, you can purchase an additional 2 GB of Internet and 100 minutes for 10 days for 9.90 Belarusian rubles by dialing the code - *127*1#. The SIM card remains active for a year from the date of the last top-up. To check your balance you need to dial *120#, and to check the number of MB - *127*2#.

To receive other tariffs, you must register with the authorities of Belarus. To manage the SIM card you need to know Russian.

Here is a good overview of internet tariffs for other Privet tariff plans in English. They are too complex to write about all of them, and many tourists will stick to the visitor plan without registration. The cost of Internet outside the tariff is 0.4557 Belarusian rubles per MB, you can also connect the following packages:

VolumePrice for 10 daysPrice for 30 days
50 MB1.67 Belarusian rubles2.13 Belarusian rubles
250 MB2.80 Belarusian rubles3.25 Belarusian rubles
450 MB3.25 Belarusian rubles3.92 Belarusian rubles
900 MB4.37 Belarusian rubles5.50 Belarusian rubles
1.8 GB7.74 Belarusian rubles9.76 Belarusian rubles
3.6 GBmissing18.74 Belarusian rubles

To activate you need to dial *121*1*6#. In 3G coverage, data transfer speeds are up to 42 Mbit/s. To check your balance you need to dial *120*3#. If the volume is overused, the cost of 1 MB will be 0.0336 Belarusian rubles.

These services are enabled by default and are paid:

  • “Melofon” (callback signal): 0.04 Belarusian rubles/day (1.2 Belarusian rubles/month). To disconnect you need to dial *424*5*1#.
  • Voice mail: to disconnect, dial *441*1#.
  • "What's New" (spam messages): The service is free, but if you click "OK" on any of the spam messages, you will have to pay. To disable it, you need to go to the SIM card menu and select: “What’s new”, “Settings”, “Service enabled”, “Disable” and “Confirm”.
  • Possibility of entering a negative balance. To disable negative balance you need to dial *145*9#.
  • APN: wap.privet.by (for tourist line)
  • Username and password: privet
  • Website in Russian (for Velcom)
  • Website in Russian (for Privet)

How to reduce call prices?

Some tariffs that Megafon has developed specifically for users will help reduce costs.

  • Option "Whole World" . It does not provide for connection fees, but its cost per day is 99 rubles. For this amount of money, the subscriber is given 40 minutes to any numbers. After this limit, the cost of one minute will be calculated according to the tariffs of the host country.

The connection is made by dialing *131*1# or by sending an SMS with the text YES to the number 0500978 .

To turn it off, you need to send the text STOP to the same number.

More details about the tariff: https://moscow.megafon.ru/roaming/world/allworld.html .

  • The “Around the World” option will help you save a lot.

There is a fee of 15 rubles for connecting to the service. Every day 9 rubles will be withdrawn from the account for using it. At the same time, the cost of a call for most countries will be from 13 to 19 rubles per minute. More details here: https://moscow.megafon.ru/roaming/world/aworld.html .

To connect, dial the command *105*708# . Through the SMS messaging service, the connection is made by sending the word YES to the number 000105708 .
By sending the word STOP, you can disable the option.

Megafon SMS packages in other countries

Megafon subscribers have access to 2 packages: “50 SMS Europe” and “100 SMS Europe”. They operate in 46 European countries, and their prices are 195 and 295 rubles, respectively. More details here: https://moscow.megafon.ru/roaming/world/pakety_sms.html .

In order for these services to operate in other countries, you will have to pay 495/695 rubles.

The “50 SMS Europe” package becomes available after dialing *114*2*1# , and the “100 SMS Europe” package after calling *114*2*2# .

To check your SMS balance, you need to call a short number *558#.

Saving on Internet traffic abroad

  • The “ Online Vacation ” option makes it possible to save on the cost of traffic abroad. When connected via the command *105*0060#, or after sending the word YES to the number 0500960, the user is provided with each megabyte of traffic at a price of 15 rubles. You will also have to pay a one-time payment for connection - 30 rubles. Details can be found at the link: https://moscow.megafon.ru/roaming/world/online.html .
  • The “ World Online ” option from Megafon is a profitable solution when a lot of traffic is needed. For one day, the subscriber is provided with an unlimited amount of traffic. With the only caveat that when 1 GB is used up, the connection speed will drop to 64 KB/s. Information here: https://moscow.megafon.ru/roaming/world/bezlim_internet.html.

The connection is made by dialing the command *136# or by sending an SMS with the text YES to the number 05001190 .

You can also disable the service using the command *136# or by sending an SMS with the word “STOP” to the number 05001190 .

Maximum benefit

The Russian telecom operator Megafon has launched a free international roaming service operating in 130 countries. The operator's partner was the travel platform Booking.com. More than 1 million hotels in 130 countries around the world joined the campaign.

operates, in fact, all over the world - in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. The list of countries where you can use Megafon’s free roaming includes, for example, Belarus, Bulgaria, Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, China, Macedonia, Nicaragua, New Zealand, USA, Montenegro, Chile, etc.

The free roaming promotion will last a little over a year - from December 23, 2021 to December 21, 2021. Each Megafon subscriber can use the service an unlimited number of times during the entire promotion period. As representatives of the telecom operator told CNews, Megafon is counting on a long-term partnership with Booking.com. Perhaps, as a result, the timing of the promotion will be extended.

This is not the first time O has “destroyed” international roaming. For example, in the spring of 2021, it offered its subscribers, which allows them to call and send SMS abroad at the same prices as in their home region. Using the option costs 299 rubles. per day. As CNews reported, “Roaming, Goodbye” was offered for use when located in 40 countries of the world. These included, in particular, Austria, Germany, Egypt, Cyprus, Norway, UAE, Poland, Romania, Finland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Estonia and South Korea.

Basic conditions

In order to take advantage of free roaming, you need to fulfill three mandatory conditions - be a Megafon subscriber, and also book and pay for a hotel through Booking.com. When paying, you must remember to indicate the phone number that will be used during the trip and to which the service will be connected. Free roaming is activated on a special promotion page posted on Booking.com, which can be accessed through the personal account of a Megafon subscriber. There is no fee for connecting to the service.

When booking and paying through the Booking.com system, you must indicate the name of the hotel and dates of stay. You also need to check the box for participation in a joint event with Megafon.

The “Roaming with Booking” option will be activated at 00.00 on the first day of your stay at the hotel, local time of the host country.

Additional terms and conditions of the promotion

According to the terms of the promotion, voice calls in this case are charged per minute, while traffic will be consumed per kilobyte, rounded to 100 KB. If the volumes of mobile Internet and call minutes allocated for one day have not been used, the remaining packages will not be transferred to the next day. If the package sizes are exceeded, the cost of mobile Internet in international roaming will be 9.9 rubles. for every 1 MB of transmitted or received data, while the cost of incoming calls, as well as outgoing calls to all Russian numbers, will be 60 rubles. for 1 minute of conversation.

In case of cancellation, the hotel reservation will be automatically deactivated, after which calls and mobile Internet will be paid according to the basic conditions of international roaming in Megafon. If, while abroad, the subscriber has booked several hotels with overlapping dates of stay, the service will be activated without increasing the volume of minute and Internet packages.

You can track the number of remaining free minutes and megabytes of traffic in the subscriber’s personal account.

What other operators offer

Operators MTS and VimpelCom (Beeline trademark) from the Big Three also have offers for their subscribers to reduce the costs of international roaming. For example, MTS has the “Zabugorische” option, when activated, you can use your home service package abroad.

As part of cooperation with the Visa payment system, owners of premium VISA cards can activate this service for 200 rubles. in a day. You can also get an additional 50 percent discount on it - it is available to owners of VISA cards from a number of Russian banks - Alfa Bank, VTB, Sberbank, etc.

MTS, like Megafon, also cooperates with the travel platform Booking.com. It is included in the list of participants in the MTS Cashback program, which allows the operator’s subscribers to pay for hotel stays with a 3% cashback.

Beeline also offers various options for Visa cardholders. Thus, from 2021, holders of premium cards Visa Platinum, Visa Signature or Visa Infinite, when connected, will have access to free unlimited Internet in international roaming in popular countries on any days before the end of the promotion, as well as voice calls from the 20-minute package for 200 rubles . per day, and this fee is charged only on days of use.

In addition to the above, Beeline has separate promotions for certain countries, implying completely unlimited Internet for 200 rubles. per day with payment only on days of use.

MTS (MTS)

MTS (or MTS in Belarusian Mobile TeleSystems), owned by the state-owned Beltelecom and Russian MTS, is the leading provider in Belarus. 2G coverage is 98%, and 3G coverage is 95%. 4G/LTE launched beCloud in 2015 and in 2021 the number of users was 1 million. In 2021, 4G/LTE coverage covers 180 cities.

SIM cards for all tariffs have a validity period of 180 if not used. You can “revive” your SIM card by sending an SMS while roaming or through the MTS website. From July 6, 2021, in all tariffs, with the exception of tourist tariffs and children's tariffs, roaming is provided when purchasing a SIM card. You can top up your account with a top-up voucher or through the website (using Visa and MasterCard credit cards).

Visitor tariff plans (guest)

MTS has various “guest” tariff plans that do not require the client to register with the authorities in Belarus, but when purchasing a SIM card, the subscriber must present a passport. While these plans offer good prices overall, they do not provide roaming calls.

The visitor's SIM card is sold in their stores under the name "MTS Center" (location map and list in English).

Tourists coming to the country can choose from three tariff plans:

  • Unlimited (Unlimited)
  • Gastsiavy 7 (Guest 7)
  • Gastsiavy 30 (Guest 30)

Bezlimitsyshcha (Unlimited) - The cost of the plan is 16.37 Belarusian rubles per month. 50 MB/day is provided free of charge. If the daily limit is reached, the cost of additional MB is 0.50 Belarusian rubles/day. From December 2021 the price will be increased to 2 Belarusian rubles/day. Also, the monthly tariff price includes 400 minutes of calls to other operators. “Unlimited” Internet is limited by the obligation to use it only on mobile devices. Internet sharing and torrenting are prohibited. Streaming video is limited to 720p.

Gascyawy (Guest): Guest plans: Guest 7 and Guest 30 are available as weekly or monthly plans. Guest 7 provides 1 GB for 7 days for 6.18 Belarusian rubles, and Guest 30 provides 2 GB for 1st month and 1000 online minutes for 13.47 Belarusian rubles. In the second month of use, the data volume is reduced to 1 GB. You can also increase the data capacity of both guest plans by adding one of the packages listed below.

Other tariffs

To receive other tariffs, you must register with the authorities of Belarus. A mark at the hotel on the back of the immigration card will be enough; this is usually done at the hotel upon check-in.

Most voice and SMS SIM cards have the following Internet options:

  • MiniBIT: 50 MB per day for 0.238 Belarusian rubles/day, to activate you need to dial: *740#
  • BIT: 100 MB per day for 8.75 Belarusian rubles/month, to activate you need to dial: *741#
  • SuperBIT: 250 MB per day for 16.32 Belarusian rubles/month, to activate you need to dial: *742#
  • Unlimited VIP: 1 GB per day for 29.2 Belarusian rubles/month, to activate you need to dial: *743#
  • Picknick: 1 GB per day for 1 Belarusian rubles/day, to activate you need to dial: *744#

All of the above tariffs are designated as “unlimited”, because... When the limit of the provided data transfer volume is reached, the Internet speed “drops” to 256 Kbps. This resets at the end of the day. All packages are automatically updated. To cancel you need to dial *74?*0#.

The cheapest plan is called Internet, which is used primarily on tablets or modems, but also supports voice calls and text messages, but at an inflated cost. You can switch to this tariff by dialing *111*13#. There is no monthly fee, but you need to add one of the following packages for 30 days (overage cost is 0.02 BYR per MB):

  • Mini - 4 GB: 8.30 Belarusian rubles, to activate you need to dial: *534#, to deactivate: *534*0#
  • Midi - 8 GB: 10.47 Belarusian rubles, to activate you need to dial: *535#, to deactivate: *535*0#
  • Maxi - 12 GB: 14.57 Belarusian rubles, to activate you need to dial: *536#, to deactivate: *536*0#

To find out the remaining megabytes, use the code *558#, and to check the balance - *100#.

Disabling unnecessary services

These services are enabled by default and are paid:

  • “Toning”/”Melody of the day” (callback tone): 0.72 Belarusian rubles/month. Disabling has a one-time cost. To turn off, you need to dial *300# (0.006 Belarusian rubles) or send SMS “off” to number 300 (0.028 Belarusian rubles)
  • Voicemail: To disconnect, dial ##002#.
  • Stay Informed (Spam Messages): This service is free, but if you click OK on any spam message you will have to pay. To disconnect, dial *987*0#.
  • Possibility of entering a negative balance. To disable a negative balance you need to dial *150*0#.

More information

  • APN: internet.mts.by
  • Username and password: mts
  • Website in English (only some sentences shown)
  • Website in Russian (indicating all offers)

Cheap calls to Belarus from mobile phones

Using a mobile phone, you can make not only local calls, but also calls abroad. For this purpose, both standard and specialized tariffs are used, differing in affordable prices for international calls. What tariff should you choose to ensure cheap calls to Belarus? If we look at the offers from the mobile operator Beeline, the most profitable here is the “Welcome” tariff plan, designed specifically for calls to neighboring countries. For the MTS operator, this tariff is the “Your Country” tariff plan. As for the “green” operator MegaFon, it will offer its subscribers a “Warm Welcome” tariff plan.

Let's look at these tariffs in more detail and touch on the advantages of IP telephony. If you are interested in inexpensive communications with Kazakhstan or the ability to make cheap calls to Ukraine from Russia, then our website contains separate articles devoted to these issues.

Life:)

The Turkish operator life:) is the smallest operator in Belarus. Since its network is still limited, you need to do a network scan before purchasing a SIM card: its 3G is still much more limited to populated areas, since the 900 MHz frequency is not yet in use. Where available, they provide internet at higher rates but with lower coverage:

2G/3G/4G coverage map.

.beCloud launched 4G/LTE resale for life:) in 2021, but 4G is only available in Minsk and can be used in special tariff packages shown below. You may need to replace your SIM card if it does not support LTE.

Tourist tariff plans

There are two tariffs aimed at tourists who need to register with the Belarusian authorities. A stamp at the hotel on the back of the immigration card in your passport is enough; this is usually done at the hotel upon check-in. Both starter packs are sold in their stores called salons (location) at a price of 2.50 Belarusian rubles with a balance of 1.50 Belarusian rubles:

  • Start
  • World in your hand

The "World in your hand" SIM card provides discounts on international calls and is aimed at tourists, while at "start", their regular domestic SIM card, calls and text messages within the network are cheaper. However, you can order the same data plans on both plans. To change the tariff you need to dial *110#.

Review of favorable tariffs for calls to Belarus

The “Welcome” tariff plan from Beeline is designed not only for guests of the capital region, but also for all those who need inexpensive international calls. It is provided without a subscription fee and offers subscribers favorable rates for calls to Belarus and neighboring countries. If the standard tariffs for other tariffs provide for a fairly high cost of calls, then here we will have a tariff of 30 rubles per minute . The “Welcome” tariff is beneficial not only for international but also for local calls. For example, we can connect a special option to the tariff and make calls “within the tariff” completely free of charge.

There are no special additions and options for the “Welcome” tariff that reduce the cost of calls to Belarus in the Beeline network.

Unfortunately, this tariff is only available to already connected subscribers, as it has been archived and is not available for connection.

As for the MTS operator, a specialized tariff plan “Your Country” awaits us here. It is provided without a monthly fee and allows you to call many international destinations as cheaply as possible. At the same time, the cost of local calls is quite high and amounts to 2.5 rubles/min. The cheapest local calls are calls “within the tariff”, the cost of which is 1 rub./min. The cost of international calls on the “Your Country” tariff starts at 1 rub./min, but calls to Belarus cannot be called cheap - a minute of communication in this direction costs as much as 25 rubles, slightly cheaper than Beeline. The indicated cost applies to calls to both mobile and landline phones in Belarus.

It will not be possible to reduce the cost of calls to Belarus using additional options - they are simply not available in the MTS network.

If you are interested in cheap calls to Belarus from a mobile phone, use the “Warm Welcome” tariff plan from MegaFon. It is provided without a subscription fee and provides its subscribers with favorable communication rates - calls cost from 1 rub./min. If we call to Belarus, then the cost of one minute will be 25 rubles / min with standard communication rates of 35 rubles / min - the benefit is more than significant. There are no additional options in the MegaFon network to reduce communication prices in this direction.

But the package tariff “Warm Welcome M” will offer more favorable conditions - 20 rubles / min. True, it comes with a subscription fee.

An analysis of offers from the Tele2 operator showed that this operator does not have any specialized solutions for calls to Belarus - subscribers can only use standard prices for international calls.

And a few more points to remember

If you have activated roaming but cannot register online, try restarting your phone. If this does not help, select the operator manually in the network settings.

If you are not going to use the Internet while roaming (which is usually very expensive), then be sure to uncheck the “Internet roaming” (“data roaming”) option in the settings of your smartphone/tablet. By default, it is not there. The fact is that in addition to important messages in instant messengers, a smartphone can “catch” mail of several megabytes or a program update. And when the price of a megabyte is tens of thousands of rubles, this will hit the budget.

Tariffing in roaming is always per minute, but do not drag out the conversation to 59 seconds - several seconds may pass from the moment you press the “hang up” button until the command reaches your home switch.

Money in roaming may be debited with a delay (only life:) promises instant billing in all countries), so don’t be surprised if your bill catches up with you after returning from vacation. By the way, USSD balance request in roaming is free.

If you run out of money and your home operator has blocked you (it doesn’t matter, just outgoing or completely), then in roaming you will see the message “no network” (and you will not be able to call or write a message). Fortunately, there are now a lot of ways to pay off debt (the easiest is to ask relatives or friends).

Be careful and always stay in touch!

Ukraine (the local operator is indicated in brackets in the table, prices in BYN)

Incoming calls

Calls within the host country Call to Belarus Calls to other countries Outgoing SMS Internet,
MTS (PrJSC MTS Ukraine)
velcom (Kyivstar JSC)
life:) (lifecell)

Türkiye (the local operator is indicated in brackets in the table, prices in BYN)

Incoming calls Calls within the host country Call to Belarus Calls to other countries Outgoing SMS Internet,
MTS (Vodafone Telekomunikasyon AS)
velcom (TURKCELL)
life:) (Turkcell)

After analyzing the table, it becomes clear that the cheapest roaming is with the operator life. Even in Russia (the “homeland” of MTS) life tariffs are lower. Roaming services from velcom are the most expensive, and in some directions (Ukraine) they exceed life tariffs by 2 times. MTS has shown itself to be a strong middle peasant in terms of tariff levels.

If you need to primarily make calls to Belarus, the best choice is life. If you need to write SMS to Belarus, you can look towards MTS or life. It is profitable to receive incoming calls in Russia on MTS. It is interesting that roaming in Crimea is not provided by any operator of the big Belarusian three.

Roaming packages

But not everything is as scary in roaming tariffs as it might seem. Each operator has prepaid roaming packages/services. There are interesting offers there.

For example, velcom offers “Roaming. Vacation" for 23 rubles. 43 kopecks And includes 30 minutes of incoming/outgoing calls to all networks, as well as 20 outgoing SMS.

Life connects for 19.90 rubles. It includes 30 minutes of calls and 30 SMS. Life turns out to be more profitable again. “Excellent roaming” from MTS offers favorable rates from the 2nd to the 5th minutes - 1.24 rubles / min.

In addition, MTS has prepared an “Internet Abroad” package for those who exclusively use the Internet, 50 MB for 10.99 rubles, valid for 30 days.

Life has a similar package, it’s called “Internet at home.” For 5.90 rubles you can get 50 MB of internet in roaming. Almost 2 times cheaper than MTS.

Do not forget that from June 15 the EU is for its residents. This means that, for example, a resident of Lithuania, traveling to Finland, will no longer be in roaming, but will pay the same tariffs as in their own country. Fantastically convenient! By the way, in 2021, subscribers of mobile operators within (!) Russia still have roaming. They plan to cancel it only by September 2021. Thank you, there is no roaming when traveling from Minsk to Brest in Belarus.

The abolition of roaming in the EU is a big step towards liberalization of the cellular communications market. All that remains is to envy the residents of the EU.

What does this mean for Belarusians? Almost nothing. EU roaming rates may rise slightly as operators decide to recoup their revenues. But this increase was most likely included in the tariffs before June 15, so there will not be a sharp jump.

Roaming Adviсe:

1. Don’t forget that when you arrive in another country, you need to choose the right network to make calls at the lowest rates.

To do this, you need (if you have an Android smartphone) to go to Settings - Other networks - Mobile networks - Mobile operators - Search and there select the network with which your mobile operator cooperates.

2. There is a small life hack for those who travel abroad, but do not want to pay for expensive roaming SMS messages. They can be sent through the mobile operator’s website completely free of charge. The main thing is to activate the “Receive SMS from the site” function in advance.

3. Never turn on mobile Internet (unless you have purchased a package with traffic in advance) while roaming - this is the most expensive service. In just 30 seconds of synchronization, your smartphone can write off all your money from your account.

Have a nice holiday everyone! Share your lifehacks on the topic of roaming in the comments.

Full country nameRepublic of Belarus
CapitalMinsk
CurrencyBelarusian ruble (BYN)
Rate to US Dollar100 BYN = 53 USD
Telephone code+375
useful links

There are several mobile operators in Belarus:

  • MTS (owned by Beltelecom OJSC and MTS Russia)
  • Velcom (Privet, owned by Telekom Austria Group)
  • Life
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