Hi all,
can anybody help me please? We need to make some phone calls to Calgary, Alberta and was wondering if anybody can let us know the best way/deals, that are available please? We have Cable land line, cable broadband, any idea's would be graet

many thanks,
gibbos1

VOIP or phone cards

Try this:

http://callchecker.moneysavingexpert...cker/index.php

You might want to double check your cable provider's tariff for 0844 numbers first, but it *shouldn't* cost much more than 1p per minute.

I've got a head with mike set and use Skype. You can purchase credit with skype and calls are much cheaper.

Robin

Outside of the scope of "internet calls",

For the UK user...

http://www.call18866.co.uk/index2.php

Calls to Canada are 2p per minute, there is a connection charge of 5p. You don't always get the best line, the worst time I've experienced is UK late Sunday afternoon/early evening.

There is also Vartec Telecom (1363). Charges are more than 18866 but lines are cleaner. I use this one when 18866 is pants, never fail to get a good line. Cost I believe is 5p per minute.

No doubt there are others out there but these are the ones I have used.

Deb

Vartec -- apparently otherwise known as "Talk Now" from Carphone Warehouse (I didn't know this, it's been quite awhile since I signed up). This is the link for Q&A and registration

http://www.talknow1363.co.uk/index.asp?page=questions

Ah thanks guys, will have to have a look at them all.
cheers

Try www.telediscount.co.uk/index2.php

For Canada dial 0844 861 78 78 and follow the instructions. Charged at 1p(BT rates) per minute. Costs less than calling your mate round the corner!! Very reliable, good sound quality, sometimes cuts off after you've been on an hour or so, but maybe thats a good thing.

Our telephone calls are tied in with our broadband provider AOL and our calls to Canada are dirt cheap, I can chat to my family for ages before OH gets twitchy!!!

sorry about delay on repling to this thread. have been doing some research.

Many thanks for all your help peeps

Does anybody know where I can get some cheap webcam sets, that we can use with skype, from please?

many thanks,
Carl

This is the content of my PM to Gibbos and I thought it may come in handy for any others out there who want to call relatives regularly without having to worry about the minutes ticking away at cost.

Skype - download on line here- http://www.skype.com/download/, you can also use msn, I have both in case of connection problems either my end or my brothers end. It's free if you both have it. No charge for calls, and I also get some credit by credit card at a tenner a go, to phone Pete on his mobile when he is sailing, 11p per minute to call a mobile in the Caribbean, not bad huh?

As far as headsets are concerned, Have a look at Dixons, I bought a cheap webcam at Dixons for £6.95 but it's not very good quality, very dark, maybe it's the resolution or something. Headsets - Andy bought me a good quality logitech set from Germany because I use them daily, and have a slight hearing problem anyway, but the cheap set cost a tenner in Dixons a couple of years ago.

The prices to call non-skype users are available to view, and if you do buy credit then it's useful to know that you can change the default currency of euros, to pounds, I didn't realise that for the first few times that I bought credit, so it's worth exploring the site.

You can use any web cam or headset you choose and then program skype/msn to recognise what you are using. Both also have the facility to share photos too, which I use for sending and receiving ours and my brothers recent photos, it's a great way to keep in regular contact.

I'm sure that this info will be useful to others.

Robin

Re Skype - we've done the separate headset / microphone / webcam / telephone route and several combinations of the above - with varying degrees of success, clarity and user-friendliness !

Have just 'upgraded' to a Microsoft LifeCam NX 6000 - easy-peasy !
Tiny little unit that sits above your computer (laptop, not sure about desktop) and has a built-in microphone. So we can now sit completely hands-free/head-free - great camera too with good clarity and whole family can move in and out of shot easily - and hear everything that is being said.

Costs anywhere between about £45/55 on t'internet (but about £80 in PC world). Do seriously consider this one folks. I'm sure there are others out there on the market too - but over the past year or so we have 'wasted' money buying the cheaper options !