Jo_Paul87

Hi,
I would like your opinions on the best way to keep phone contact between the UK and NZ, we are moving out in June, and will be able to keep in contact with most people via Skype, but with having elderly parents with no computer this is not possible (or is it), does anyone use the Skype to landline setup, if so do you register this in the UK and get a UK based number or over in NZ ? as i understand that UK callers can call you from a landline for the cost of a local call ?

Or can anyone recommend a better system from the NZ side ?

Thanks
Paul

Genesis

We have a phone card bought from the local dairy. It costs us 2.14 cents a min to call the Uk..cheap aye?

Jan n Neil

Our telecom home phone cost $4.50 for an hour to the UK we can get it even cheaper by putting a code in but i can,t remember what it is

It is not expensive to call from here

Neil

adamlt1972

If you live in one of the select areas where Telstra Clear operates its full service (broadband, digital TV, phone line) you can buy a special add on to the service that gives you up to 600 hours talk time to a landline in the UK or numerous other countries per month. Costs about 30 a month on top of everything else, which means I get the whole lot for about $180 a month.
Check out their New Zealand website

adamlt1972

Apologies, I mis-typed there, you get 100 hours per month on that service.

MnB

Compass Talk & Save phone card costs 1.69cents per minute for calls to UK, from NZ landline, .....$10 dollars to buy initially then topped up whenever you need to.
B x

pricklykina

We use skype and phone. It took a long time to convince my folks but now they are skype fans

My preference is phone though. I don't use phone cards as can't be bothered but all phone providers seem to do cheap hourly rates to the UK. Even mobiles have special deals at times.

I figure that seeing my rellies would have cost be in petrol and wine etc...so shelling out for the phone is actually a lot cheaper

harrogate girl

When we arrived we used a card have to say it was quite cheap and you can also top them up this helps as some are quite a long number before you even get to the uk number!!!When I have clients that arrive or family I get them a card.
My main part of my phone bill calls only I use WorldxChange Communications Ltd for my local call and lots of UK call...
A 47.57 op cost me $2.66 and on this cost I can talk up to 2 hours.
A UK Mobil cost me $1.05 for duration of 1.24 mins in pk time.
A Local call is free.
A call from Woodend just outside Christchurch to Auckland duration 13.29 at pk time cost me &1.48
Payment is by DD, Internet Banking ,National Bank, or nearest Postshop or by Credit card auto.

Total cost of my call bill for last month was just $30.34 call to the UK on this bill was $26.97.
I have to date found them to be cheap from other users hope this will help

shirl

Get yourself a compass phone card, progamme in the access number into your phone and then you can use it continuously to call anywhere at a very cheap rate, We call USA, UK and Spain for 3.9c per minute including GST. We top up by $30 each time and get 10% extra time free.

jennifer45

$4.50 capped up to 2 hrs Telecom 48c per min otherwise.

$2 per 2 hours Vodafone.

We set up International freedom for an elderly relative before we left.
She rings friends and rellies all over the world now for a one off payment of £5 per cm. to BT.
As long as she ends the call at 59 mins she can call back as often as she likes!
and she does!!!!

cally49

0161 then 44 is the cheaper telecom code its around 0.8cents per min off peak and .18cents per min peak we have a telecom account and for $99 it includes the monthly rent charges gives us 10gb of wireless broadband free national phone calls (each can be up to 2hrs long) day and night and i am sure for another $30 you can get free calls to the UK so thats deff worth looking into.We can alsocall the uk under that plan for $4 plus gst for up to 2hrs per call.... Good luck..Cally

AndyR

We use Skype as don't have a phone line in the apartment, just broadband.

Took out a subscription with Skype last year, think it was $30 and gives us unlimited free calls to UK landlines in that. Used it loads and its great, but starting to use Skype Video chat more and more now as my folks are pretty tech savvy since we left.

Also had that setup with a UK number so other people could call us from the UK on a local UK number and gets through to our Skype. Problem is no one every calls us and instead does the video chat which is free anyway

sirplug

I have a friend who has Orcon for his phone and broadband. He pays $99 a month for phone and broadband and this gets him free calls to all of New Zealand and to 1 nominated international destination. So he gets free calls to the UK (landlines only). I'm 2 km up the road and Orcon don't cover my area!

So, it all depends where you're moving, as to what service you can get.

Have you thought about buying them a Skype phone (you don't need a computer)

http://shop.skype.com/phones/

lardyl

If you have a telecom Business Time account at home you can call UK, Oz, etc for up to an hour for $1.
I use the company line to call UK for business (of course).
Only problem with phone cards is you need a landline to use them and so pay rental on that and if you don't use all the credit within the period on the card you lose it. So for regular top-ups and use it's great. But we've lost $20 to $30 on the odd card as it doesn't get used for whatever reason.

Skype is great if the other people are IT-literate and with a cam it's even better. Plus using Skype to call to UK landlines is not horrendously expensive.

rason

Im going to be getting a mobile as i will be moving about a bit at first/homeless Think you can get Skype on a mobile or does anyone know if you can get decent deals to call UK?