Asda Mobile has cut its call prices to a flat rate of 8p per minute.

Call charges at Asda Mobile were previously 16p per minute for the first three minutes of the day and 8p thereafter.

The supermarket has also cut the cost of texting. A flat rate of 4p per text will start from 1 September. Previously, it was 10p for the first three texts of the day and 5p for texts thereafter.

Meanwhile, Vodafone hiked up its prepay rates from 15p to 20p per minute for certain numbers prefixed with ‘08’.

Vodafone’s contract customers will see charges for voice calls go up from 12p to 15p if they exceed their monthly allowances.

The operator has also trebled its minimum call charges on contracts from 5p to 15p. Prices for calls to numbers prefixed with ‘0870’ are also rising, from 15p to 20p per minute.

Asda Mobile claimed that it could save the average consumer ‘at least £53 per year’, based on Ofcom’s claim in a report this week that the average UK mobile user spends £17.59 per month. 

Ted Cadogan, head of Asda Mobile, told Mobile: ‘I do believe that prepay customers have historically been treated as second-class citizens and now they are getting better rates than most contract customers.’

Vodafone is the host network on the Asda Mobile virtual network service.

Who is offering what on prepay?

Asda Mobile
Calls 8p; Texts 4p

Tesco Mobile
Calls Five favourite numbers 10p, otherwise 20p;
Texts Five favourite numbers 5p, otherwise 10p

Vodafone
Daytime calls 30p; Evening and weekend calls 10p;
Texts 10p 

O2
Calls 25p for first three minutes of day/5p thereafter; Texts 10p

3
Calls 12p; Texts 12p

T-Mobile
Calls 15p; Texts 10p

Orange
Calls 15p; Texts 10p