Phone calls to the U.K.
Aug 18th 2009, 2:55 pm
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2009
Location: Olathe, Kansas.
Posts: 44
Phone calls to the U.K.
Simple question..... How and who has the cheapest phone calls to the U.K.
We currently use A T & T, we pay $5 a month and that gets us calls to the U.K. for 7 cents a minute......We would like to forgo a "home" phone altogether. Would love some feedback.
Thanks.
Paul
We currently use A T & T, we pay $5 a month and that gets us calls to the U.K. for 7 cents a minute......We would like to forgo a "home" phone altogether. Would love some feedback.
Thanks.
Paul
Aug 18th 2009, 3:17 pm
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
Hubby only has a work crackberry and a personal cell, which is now mine 
He/we use Tel3 http://www.tel3.com/
We've been using for the past six years. Now, I'm sure that there'll be people on here who say the 1.5 cents a minute is a fortune etc, but we have had absolutely no problems with this service. Occasionally the line is a bit unclear, but I don't know if that's a feature of Tel3 or of international calls. He's puts 20 bucks on via credit card every not so very often.
Just before any call, an automated voice tells you how much credit you have left in minutes to the destination you are calling.
I always think it's mildly amusing - and indeed frightening LOL - when I call my parents (in Oz) and I get....eg... "Thank you for using Tel3. You have 638 !!! minutes remaining"
He/we use Tel3 http://www.tel3.com/
We've been using for the past six years. Now, I'm sure that there'll be people on here who say the 1.5 cents a minute is a fortune etc, but we have had absolutely no problems with this service. Occasionally the line is a bit unclear, but I don't know if that's a feature of Tel3 or of international calls. He's puts 20 bucks on via credit card every not so very often.
Just before any call, an automated voice tells you how much credit you have left in minutes to the destination you are calling.
I always think it's mildly amusing - and indeed frightening LOL - when I call my parents (in Oz) and I get....eg... "Thank you for using Tel3. You have 638 !!! minutes remaining"
Last edited by Ozzidoc; Aug 18th 2009 at 4:26 pm.
Aug 18th 2009, 3:26 pm
#3
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2003
Location: Avon Lake, OH
Posts: 5,270
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
I use onesuite. It seems to be cheap and easy. A lot of companies offer very low per minute rate, like 1c or less but charge you a connection fee and/or a monthly fee. It may work out cheaper to use of of these if you make a lot of very long calls or use all your credit in a month but for me a slightly higher per minute rate and no connection or monthly fee works best.
Last edited by Duncan Roberts; Aug 18th 2009 at 3:28 pm.
Aug 18th 2009, 3:30 pm
#4
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: St Pete, FL
Posts: 346
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
For me it is Skype. You don't even have to have a PC if you are prepared to buy a Skype Phone like I did. If you just want to make outgoing calls then you just have to buy Skype credit (no monthly fee or connection fee to my knowledge). It lasts for a long time before expiring and calls to UK landlines only cost 2.5c/min. Calling mobiles is where Skype fees lets you down. Check the cost list here:
http://www.skype.com/prices/callrates/#listing-U
You have the option to buy a Skype In number. This is a proper phone number that people can call from a regular phone. I have a UK (london) and a US (local St Pete) Skype In number and they both will make the same phone ring. Saves people from the UK paying a lot to call you.
Google have just set up a similar system (no UK incoming number). Allows you to call the UK for a low rate but still need a normal phone to make the call from (mobile or home). I'm signed up but not actually used it properly.
http://www.google.com/voice/
http://www.skype.com/prices/callrates/#listing-U
You have the option to buy a Skype In number. This is a proper phone number that people can call from a regular phone. I have a UK (london) and a US (local St Pete) Skype In number and they both will make the same phone ring. Saves people from the UK paying a lot to call you.
Google have just set up a similar system (no UK incoming number). Allows you to call the UK for a low rate but still need a normal phone to make the call from (mobile or home). I'm signed up but not actually used it properly.
http://www.google.com/voice/
Aug 18th 2009, 3:34 pm
#5
The Kwisatz Haderach
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: North Wales
Posts: 8,080
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
We just dropped our international long distance plan and went with the local phone company, no monthly plan charge and we are paying a penny a minute to the UK. Check what the normal charge would be with the local land line Co.
Aug 18th 2009, 3:53 pm
#6
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 3,338
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
For me it is Skype. You don't even have to have a PC if you are prepared to buy a Skype Phone like I did. If you just want to make outgoing calls then you just have to buy Skype credit (no monthly fee or connection fee to my knowledge). It lasts for a long time before expiring and calls to UK landlines only cost 2.5c/min. Calling mobiles is where Skype fees lets you down. Check the cost list here:
http://www.skype.com/prices/callrates/#listing-U
You have the option to buy a Skype In number. This is a proper phone number that people can call from a regular phone. I have a UK (london) and a US (local St Pete) Skype In number and they both will make the same phone ring. Saves people from the UK paying a lot to call you.
Google have just set up a similar system (no UK incoming number). Allows you to call the UK for a low rate but still need a normal phone to make the call from (mobile or home). I'm signed up but not actually used it properly.
http://www.google.com/voice/
http://www.skype.com/prices/callrates/#listing-U
You have the option to buy a Skype In number. This is a proper phone number that people can call from a regular phone. I have a UK (london) and a US (local St Pete) Skype In number and they both will make the same phone ring. Saves people from the UK paying a lot to call you.
Google have just set up a similar system (no UK incoming number). Allows you to call the UK for a low rate but still need a normal phone to make the call from (mobile or home). I'm signed up but not actually used it properly.
http://www.google.com/voice/
Aug 18th 2009, 3:59 pm
#7
You aint seen me, right?
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: US of A, TN
Posts: 3,573
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
I'm another Skype user. I just use it with my laptop with Skypein and Skypeout. Just waiting for my mom to get a computer and I'll just use the free bits of Skype.
Aug 18th 2009, 4:23 pm
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,259
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
Simple question..... How and who has the cheapest phone calls to the U.K.
We currently use A T & T, we pay $5 a month and that gets us calls to the U.K. for 7 cents a minute......We would like to forgo a "home" phone altogether. Would love some feedback.
Thanks.
Paul
We currently use A T & T, we pay $5 a month and that gets us calls to the U.K. for 7 cents a minute......We would like to forgo a "home" phone altogether. Would love some feedback.
Thanks.
Paul
Nothing a month subscription and about 3 cents a minute to landlines in the UK (and most of the rest of the first world), also US landlines and cellphones.
You can even 'buy' an 0845 number for a one-off fee of £6.99 then folks back home can call you for about 5p a minute.
Of course you need broadband internet for this all to work.
Aug 18th 2009, 5:15 pm
#9
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,605
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
We have a land line as part of our cable TV / Internet bundle. It's "free" unlimited local and long distance and something like 5c a minute to UK landlines.
However, it's nearer 30c a minute to mobiles and the thing to beware of is it's not good with non-geographic numbers, e.g. 0870 is charged at the mobile rate.
However, it's nearer 30c a minute to mobiles and the thing to beware of is it's not good with non-geographic numbers, e.g. 0870 is charged at the mobile rate.
Aug 18th 2009, 5:26 pm
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: St Pete, FL
Posts: 346
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
On the flip-side UK 0800 numbers are free on Skype.
Aug 18th 2009, 5:36 pm
#11
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Milwaukie, Oregon
Posts: 9,966
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
Aug 18th 2009, 5:42 pm
#13
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: St Pete, FL
Posts: 346
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
go to saynoto0870.com and look up the geographic number the 0845 number connects to. Then you can call at normal rates.
Aug 18th 2009, 5:51 pm
#14
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,605
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.
go to saynoto0870.com and look up the geographic number the 0845 number connects to. Then you can call at normal rates.
Aug 18th 2009, 6:33 pm
#15
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Milwaukie, Oregon
Posts: 9,966
Re: Phone calls to the U.K.