ANA123

We've been using a minute max card from the local newsagents (though I hear there are cheaper ones around) We have a local calls only telstra line then use the card for all of our calls. You dial a local number, type in your pin no. (which is on the card) then dial the UK no. Theres no connection charge and the call costs about 5c per minute. I was on the phone to a friend last night for 37 minutes and cost about $1.50. The amount goes off your card like a pay as you go voucher, calls dont show on your bill at all. This $30 one has lasted us a month so far and I call uk most days.

jayr

The problem is on using the $5.25 thing. With this you call 0018 rahter than 0011, your second half hour is 'free' so if make a call just under 60 minutes it cost 8.75c/minute.

However, if a call is under 1 minute they charge $1.10. Anything over $1.10 and it costs the full $5.25.

My shortest call attacting this charge was for 3 minutes, i.e. a call rate of $1.75/minute!

Given that I can't always forsee the call length in advance, I am being charged rates between 8.75 c and as much as $5.25/minute (i.e. a call just over one minute)

Hence my desire to find a non fixed charge, low variable charge option.

I notice I had four calls under 10 minutes which IF I'd known in advance I would have used 0011 and cost a total of $4.00. Instead these four calls cost me $21!!

hevs

we use a go bananas call card, theres no connection fee and the rate is really cheap about 2.4 cents per minute ish i think.
We buy them in $20 dollars a time, but you can get them in all different amounts.
A usual phone call is about 45 mins to an hour and costs roughly a dollar. BARGIN!
The phone cards last for ages. My telstra bill arrived today and it was only $70, the first one was nearly double that (in calls, not connection)

ABCDiamond

jayr,
I can see why you want something different.
That's where One Tel used to be very good. Pity they closed down over here.

mcmercer's option sounds a good one. And even Hevs Banana's at 2.4c

Ceri

I'm with optus - they have a load of different packages - you'll have to phone them up and see what package suits you best - but we pay only $4 an hour to the UK and that's with optus. 20 cents local calls , and $4 an hour to the UK ( we nominated the UK for our cheap calls ) .. if you go over the over the hour you pay per minute - so it's cheaper to put the phone down and re- dial. ( you pay I think a 25cents connection fee.. then the hours call is only $4 - it's called freetime .. no restrictions on what time of the day you phone.. it's all $4 for an hours talk to "mummy" in the UK)

cheers

parrot

We use Eurocity cards. You can buy them from most newsagents and they're $10 for five hours. you call a 1300 number, so the only cost you pay is the cost of a local call, which i think is 22cents. then you type in a pin and away you go.

Pants

I have been calling back to UK for about 2 years now and have used GOtalk in Queensland all this time but I have now found its cheaper via a phonecard from ALPHA..they quote 3.9C a minute and their is no conection fee. At least you can keep track of how much you are spending on the international calls.

Works for me and keeps hubby from doing deep sighs each time the phone bill arrives...

Cheers

pants

jayr

I checked out soem phonecard options over lunch and came up with this one:

Ozcall
Verification fee 59C
Call Uk 0.9c/minute!

On the telephone bill I was whinging about earlier, my international calls would have cost $20, including the verification fees and local call charge against the $86.45 I paid Tel - thieving bastards - stra.

On Supersaver with 22c flagfall and 2.5c/minute my costs would also have been $20

Trevglas

I use Gotalk for long distance and international calls.

You can either just dial a 4 digit access number then the number you want, or you can preselect Gotalk (ie your long distance/overseas calls automatically go through them).

We have an account with them and get billed monthly. You can also do it on a prepay basis.

Their website is www.gotalk.com.au

Here are their rates (by the way, I love the fact its cheaper to call the UK than your next door neighbor with Gotalk )

GOtalk Home Postpaid Rates

CALLING WITHIN AUSTRALIA

9.9¢ per min anywhere in Australia
29.9¢ per min for calls to Australian mobiles
14.9¢ per call for Local calls in Australia

17¢ per call for Local calls in Australia


INTERNATIONAL RATES
5.9c Per min to: Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, USA

6.9c Per min to: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland


[Big list of countries and prices snipped out]



Notes on per min rates:
Calls are charged in 6sec increments. The rates above are the standard per minute rates, 24 hours everyday and include GST. A 25c flagfall applies on national, mobile and international calls. Calls to international mobiles incur a 30c per min surcharge. Line rental, equipment hire and calls to special numbers (such as 1300, 1800 and 1900) are charged by your local carrier. Users must dial 1414 or 1456 before each local call in order to be charged by GOtalk, otherwise calls will charged by your local carrier. All rates are correct at 01/09/03

topcat

I've got a card from the newsagents. Around 19 hours of calls for $30 + Telstra local call connection fee each time.

It's impossible to compare all the newsagent cards as the conditions (connection fee or not, local call or free call, length of first minute, cents per minute, free follow on calls, calls charged per minute/second etc. etc) vary.

In the end they probably all work out very similar. It is annoying though to pay for the telstra local call (30c for me) and then discover the person I'm calling isn't in so I might pick up a different card next time.

I like the fact it's cheaper to call home from here than it was using BT when I lived a couple of hundred miles up the road!

wmoore

You have to register with Skype (free) and set up a username (like on this forum). Your rellies at the other end do the same. You put their username into your Skype as a contact and they put yours in. When one is online the other can see that they are and you can 'call' them. You talk through a microphone on your PC and you hear through your speakers. Pretty straightforward stuff actually. Quality isn't great if you're on dial up but OK on broadband.

jayr

Hey TC

You must be on Telstra Budget to be paying 30c per local call. Check your bill to see how many calls you are making each month. If it is more than 72 you would be cheaper off switching to Homeline Plus which is higher per month but lower (17.5c) call charge.

I've been doing maths on my phone charges all day, trust me 72 is the number of calls before it is cheaper to switch plans.

MrsDagboy

Holy snapping ducksh*t!!! 22 calls/month! :scared: :scared:

young_lad

I've been using this one for a couple of months now. The only time I had a problem with connection was on Mothers Day....

itsasecret

Do a search on the web for Voice over IP service Providers.
(VOIP) This is using IP networks to make voice calls over the internet, those providers will have the latest Gateways to reduce delay/jitter etc.. If you try and use normal dialup the quality will suffer and may put you off.

Look out for any providers that use "SIP" this will be the future for all of us who use the internet to make calls via MSN messenger on Windows XP.