JoGrist

Hi Has anyone found a cheap way of calling the UK from Oz at the moment we are Paying $5.25 for an hours phone call with Telstra. We also use Skype for internet calls and the quality is great although only one person can speak at a time to get good quality. For internet to land line there is too much of a time delay that it stunts the conversation. Not tried phone cards, so would appreciate any input or alternatives. At the moment I have everyone calling me from the UK as it is cheaper.
Thanks Jo xx

leejo

HI JO,
We use a phonecard called 'OZcall' which we bought at a local newsagents (there are loads of different ones), it costs $10 and then you top it up at the Post Office when the credit is running low. I am never off the phone home (Its good to talk!!) and the card lasts ages. There is a 40c connection charge and then it costs about 1c per minute. We find it is better this way so there's no international calls on our phonebill.
Hope this helps,
Joanne

rudo1ph

We have found phone cards the best too. We have one called Daybreak. No connection charge but 2.5 c per minute.

They seem to fall into 2 categories

Higher connection charge, cheaper per minute rate

No connection charge, higher per minute break.

I guess it depends on how long you spend on the phone as to which works out better for you.

Rudi

jayr

Telstra is a rip off, you may notice that if you call goes over 1 min then you get charged $5.25. Optus work differently, they charge you a per min rate up to a cap of about $4.50, once you have exceeded about 1hr 20min, they then charge you a per minute rate after that; Telstra would charge another $5.25.

I changed to phonecards when one month I had about $85 of international calls. Most were about 10 mins long and I was being charged $5.25. I priced the exact same call structure against phonecards and it worked out at about $10 in total.

I recommend getting a card WITHOUT a connection fee; you'd soon rack up a decent bill when you pay 40c just to reach an answerphone. I use Go Bananas, no connection fee and a rate of about 2c or 3c/minute. I reckon a $20 card (or voucher) lasts me about 2 months. By comparison with Telstra, a one hour call is going to cost less than $2.

Note: Don't buy Telstra phonecards, although cheaper than their landlines there are much cheaper alternatives like Go Bananas.

These cards are widely available, often they just print a slip with a pin number on it. You call up a local number (which of course you will be paying about 17c for unless you have one of those 100 free local calls deals), enter you pin, it tells you how much credit is remaining, you call your international number, that's it.

Alan Collett

Jo,

At home we use AAPT Smartchat. Calls to the UK are capped at about $1.50 for the first half an hour, and thereafter are about 21 cents a minute (I recall - am not certain).

There are also packages around where you pay a fixed monthly amount which includes all STD calls and (I believe) calls to the UK.

Have a read here:
www.phonechoice.com.au

Best regards.

JoGrist

Thank you all very much for your input, it is great help. I think we will have look at buying some phone cards.

Thank you all again.

brisnick

check out http://www.phonecardrates.com.au for phone card comparisons

bob and ginnie

If your home phone is with Telstra, and you have the "HomeLine Plus" option, you can have phone calls to the UK or NZ for $5.25 per half hour (with another half hour chucked in for free!) if you dial 0018+44 for the UK.
There is a cheaper option for of just $1 for 10 mins if you dial 0011+44 for the UK, then charged per minute if you go over the 10 mins. . . . (21 c per min)
This is great for those quick calls to keep you "in the loop" with rellies and mates back home.

rudo1ph

That sounds like a pretty expensive option!!! With my phone card - I have the cost of a local call and then at 2.5 c per minute (no connection charges) I can talk for an hour for $1.50!!!

jayr

Agree with rudo1ph. You may think the telstra thing is good but it isn't! See my earlier post - it's only good if you can extract maximum value, i.e. stay on for exactly one hour, that way it costs about 8.75c/minute. Make a 15 minute call (and you don't always know how long it will be) and you are paying 35c/min.

Get yourself a phone card and pay less than 3c/minute all the time, no matter how long the call.

For a similar reason to that above, I would advise avoiding phonecards with a connection charge - these are typically 40-60c per connection. By time you pay for the local call (22c? on telstra) you are paying a fixed charge of say 80c. This will only be good for you if you (always) make long calls. For most people if you call for about an hour or less the cards with no connection fee but higher per minute are best. You will find these for less than 3c/minute - try Go Bananas

Go Banana's !!

Best one I have found is a GPS Gold phone card, bought at newsagents in Perth City $20 for 2,000 mins !!!!!!

Jill