What will be best to use?
 

Hi

When i move over next year hubby will be staying in the uk for 2 weeks of the month.
We speak to each other about 5 times a day now. What will be cost effective way of calling him when in Spain.

Thanks in advance xxx:)

Re: What will be best to use?
 

If you have a computer at both ends you can use Skype and talk (and video) for free.

Re: What will be best to use?
 

I use a Eurodirect card. You can buy them at the tobaconists. They are either 6€ or 12€ and, once you have started using it, they are valid for 45 days. I find it´s better for me to buy the 6€ one but it may be different for you if you are calling your husband 5 times a day. The 6€ one has a credit of 300 minutes. I don´t know about the more expensive one.

The other alternative is Skype, where you can call other Skype users for free. But that depends on what kind of a setup you have at home with regard to internet access.

I´m sure others will come along with alternative suggestions.

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Hi
He will have a laptop but it wont be homebased as he wont be at home he will be at work or in a hotel.

Is skype easy to use i have not had it before so would not know what to do lol. xxxx:)

Re: What will be best to use?
 

http://websearch.about.com/od/freedownloads/ig/Skype/

this should get you started.

its dead easy and VERY cheap, or in most cases, free. It is also available on some mobile phones
http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/allf...s/3skypephone/

:thumbsup:

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Hi

He will have a laptop with one of them things you stick in the side from o2
not sure what they are called as im not very good with technology lol.

xxx:)

Re: What will be best to use?
 

its called a "dongle" (!) seriously!

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Hubby obviously knows a bit more than me he laughed and said it was a dongle lol.

xxx:)

Re: What will be best to use?
 

You can also SMS to the UK through Skype for 0.08 cents, which is a lot better than the .60 cents Orange wants as per the contract!

Re: What will be best to use?
 

My friend´s OH is a truck driver. He has a laptop and he has a Skype phone attached to it via the USB port. She phones him for free every day from her laptop and Skype phone.

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Thanks for all your advice xxx:)

Re: What will be best to use?
 

I think it's nearer 11 cents but hey-ho! You can also send video feed which can be useful if you have children etc. etc.

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Hi
As my husband has his own business he will be in his truck most of the time apart from the nights in a hotel so this seems a good way of contacting him.

Thanks xxx;)

Re: What will be best to use?
 

No the 11 cents is the maximum roaming charge - so if I were a Brit on holiday here I could SMS UK for 11 cents max. But as I live here and I foolishly did not check the SMS charges Orange charges .60 but now I don't use it because I use Skype and save 52 cents every time. (and they add up!)

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Try using the eurodirect card with vodafone sim set to 60 mins for 1 min. This charges you 50 cents for 1 hour on vodafone to connect with the eurodirect number and takes 40 cents from the eurodirect card. That is 1.5 cents per minute using your mobile wherever you are.

This is most likely cheaper than a skype to skype call if you work out the online charges.

Re: What will be best to use?
 

www.call2.com , 2 pence per minute any landline to any land line (spain to U.K) :thumbup:

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Errrrr ...... how can it be cheaper than nothing? :)

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Mitzyboy

I take your point but you still would have ISP charges on contract and so a portion of this cost would apply. If either end were on PAYG the charge would be more evident.

I use Skype and voicecheap for free or virtually free calls but again I think there is some merit in using Vodafone/eurodirect as this is not location or equipment dependent (other than the mobile phone). Also you can make multiple follow on calls within the hour.

Sometimes the quality of a totally voip connection is less than perfect. Perhaps the use of fring and skype on mobiles will also start to change things. I notice masmovil offer 3 cents per MB and are soon to give users 20 MB per month free.

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Not that this will be of use to you missbad but for others here I use Freecall.
5p connection, call free.

Re: What will be best to use?
 

If he has a land line in the UK, get him to call you.

Our lot in the UK use Telediscount all the time. You dial 0844 861 7878, then you get a message telling you that it only costs 1p per minute. And there is no charge to establish the call.
then you dial the number you want in Spain.

You do not have to register with this company, and the cost for these calls is paid by whoever you pay your bill to. There is no seperate bill to pay.
You can use them only for phoning abroad, easy peasy...

Cheers

Re: What will be best to use?
 

Hi

He wont have a land line xx:)

Re: What will be best to use?
 

I use www.sipgate.co.uk when I registered I chose a UK geographical number [18 months ago] so it was a local number [0191] friends and family could call us up costing only the price of a local call. Guess what? Now Im in Spain with my 0191 number dect phone all our friends call for free with BT options 3 [ i think] or standard mobile minutes and using SIPGATE1000 I get 1000mintes every month for £5.90. :)

Most importantly the offshore installation I work on only allows UK destination based calls for free. So Im calling Hondon for free and the OH is never off the phone to her Mum.

Happy Days

edit: and my Nokia N95 automatically connects to sipgate when I walk into the house through the wireless network, another dect phone effectively.

edit edit: missed calls redirect to your chosen number or voicemail

Re: What will be best to use?
 

If your hubby has "free" talk minutes on his mobile (and can't get to a laptop to use SKPYE, etc) then he can CALL YOUR UK SKYPE NUMBER - which comes through to your PC/Laptop. This is what my contacts do.

Of course it inly works if your PC/Laptop is on.

Once installed you can buy a SKYPEIN telephone number for about €30 p.a. and it's classed as a UK landline number.

Even if he hasn't got 'free' minutes in the mobile contract - he'll only pay the land line charge.

UK Landlines to SKPYE Number is less than 1.5 p.p.m.

So all in all there are loads of ways to talk cheaply between UK / Spain....

... however that means some people call you and NEVER know when to get off the line ;);)