pjb

Hi, My family and I have just relocated to Los Angeles from the UK due to my job.

I get a company mobile phone and won't be calling home that, my wifer however will call and text home a fair bit and so need to find the best package on offer.

She;s mainly be calling other mobiles and texting and while we'll look to use face time or viber as much as possible I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on which proviver offers the best internation call / text plans.

lordmuggins

I believe with Google Voice you can set up a UK number to attach. If you get the app, you can text/call from it for a few cents.

That, or if they're dealing with iPhone to iPhone, iMessage is free.

Phoodilicious

Between Whatsapp, Viber and Skype I stay in touch pretty well with most of my family and friends back in the UK. I just have Verizon 700min and unlimited data plan with 250 SMS messages (which I never use all of as I mainly use whatsapp, iMessage or Viber for texts).

penguinsix

Skype, Whatsapp, Line2, etc.

International calling and texting from mobiles in the US is still relatively rare. Of course there are some plans, but they don't benefit from the heavy competition and large user base. Many immigrants (who would use these plans most frequently) have opted for the cheaper online options like Skype and whatnot (and with SkypeOut you can SMS 'normal' phones in other countries) so that leaves basically businesses who need international SMS capabilities buying the plans (at rather high rates).

The other thing to note is that the US is rather large, and as such your options in that corner of the US where you live and work might be somewhat limited (i.e. you might only have 2 or 3 reliable mobile carriers as the others will have dropped calls and low signal).

Basically, over the long run, you'll probably save more buying a smart phone and using the online SMS functions than you will with a regular phone paying international SMS rates.

Kar98

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/c...-Talk-Text.pdf

Unlimited international texting and calls to landlines, 34 cents a minute to call mobiles. $10 a month, plus the $50 month for unlimited domestic talk, text, data.

00derek

Skype unlimited subscription US to UK cost me about $70 and lasts for a year I think. Call quality is sometimes iffy, but overall good.

JockBrocas

i was thinking on using metro pcs, anyone used that. I believe its a resonable service for us brits here in the us.

Ja5on

I use rebtel, if you use call back then it's free calls mobile to mobile....it does use your free mins tho so you have to be on an unlimited plan with your carrier.

I used it when me and my wife lived apart, we would call each other around 2 hours a day and it never cost us a penny!

JockBrocas

Hey jason, how much was this plan?

Ja5on

http://www.rebtel.com/

That's their website, it's a call through service so they give you a local number to call and then charge per minute for the call....... But if you stay on the line and get your friend to call you back on the number that comes up on their phone (A local number for them) Then the call is free.

So your both paying for local calls, if you have unlimited mins with your carrier or free local mins then you don't pay anything. If not it just comes out of your free mins.

Ja5on

Also I just looked at it again since I set it up a few years ago......Now if you both have the app installed you don't have to use the call back, you can just call each other and it will be a free call..........(other than the mins that come out from you carrier).