Cheap international phone calls from the UK

Posted by: blythe on 27 October 2005

Having just returned from Australia, and as I have a number of friends who live there, I decided to investigate the call charges from the UK to Australia (and the USA as my eldest brother lives there).

Good old British Telecom (BT): To call Australia, landline to landline, during normal daytime, the charge is 24 pence per minute.
During BT's cheap or "off peak" period, evenings and weekends, they charge 9 pence per minute to a home phone.
To call an Aussie mobile phone the charge is, if I remember correctly, 34 pence per minute........

However, I have just registered with 18866.com and I can now call Australia and the USA, from landline to landline, for an amazing 2 pence per minute, any time of day, any day! (plus a 3p connection charge for each call)

using 18866.com and calling landline to Australian mobile is 15 pence per minute, which although still expensive, is half the price of using BT!

I feel chuffed that I can now happily chat to friends in Oz, or my brother in the USA, any time of the day, for only £1.20 per hour purely by prefixing the number I call with 18866 - I even get told by a nice lady what the price is per minute before she connects me!

Just thought I'd share this with other UK people :-)

Martin.
Posted on: 27 October 2005 by graham55
If you call Telediscount (08452 449449) from any UK landline, they claim to give international calls at UK local rates.

G
Posted on: 27 October 2005 by Tony Lockhart
Or try http://www.ratebuster.co.uk. Some decents rates there.

Tony
Posted on: 27 October 2005 by John Sheridan
amazingly it costs less to call Australia using my mobile than BT. Work that one out.

At home I just use http://www.dialabroad.co.uk (no, it's not an escort agency). Costs about 4p-5p/min.
If you and your friends have broadband connections then try netmeeting or skype. No extra charges there - and with netmeeting you get to see them as well!
Posted on: 27 October 2005 by Adam Meredith
Did anyone mention SKYPE?
Posted on: 27 October 2005 by John Sheridan
quote:
Originally posted by Adam Meredith:
Did anyone mention SKYPE?

no, I don't believe anyone did, why do you ask? Confused
Posted on: 27 October 2005 by garyi
'cause its about a penny a minute
Posted on: 28 October 2005 by Jay
quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
'cause its about a penny a minute


A penny a minute is pretty good if you ask me.

We use Alpha Telecom (or Skype) to call NZ. Think it's a penny a minute on landline and mobile now.

J
Posted on: 28 October 2005 by Willy
Between two computers Skype is free. I use it a lot to communicate with colleagues in the States. Also you can buy Skype-out credits to make calls from your computer to a landline. It's very cheap. One 20min call to a mobile in Michigan was something like 25cents (Euro).

Willy.
Posted on: 28 October 2005 by blythe
The trouble for me with SKYPE is the fact that one or both of you have to be on your computer. I enjoy the relative luxury of sitting with my cordless phone and or being able to wonder around the house whilst I'm talking....

I also sometimes call from the kitchen, sometimes the bedroom, sometimes the sitting room - can't do that on my computer easily..... (Yes, I have wireless broadband but head-sets etc. are a pain)
Posted on: 28 October 2005 by blythe
quote:
Originally posted by graham55:
If you call Telediscount (08452 449449) from any UK landline, they claim to give international calls at UK local rates.

G


I think BT UK local rates are 3 pence per minute, so to the countries I call, 18866 is cheaper.
Posted on: 28 October 2005 by garyi
I am sure some broadband wireless modems type things support Skype and similar, basically you plumb the cordless phone into it and calls go via the net.
Posted on: 28 October 2005 by Jay
quote:
Originally posted by blytheFrownYes, I have wireless broadband but head-sets etc. are a pain)


Blythe

I can use my powerbook and mobile phone bluetooth headset with skype, walking around the flat (within reason) quite freely....

Before you ask, there is no way in high heaven I would wear the damn thing outside the house!

J