international calls

[cablecrazy]

Hello Everyone! :)

I was just wondering if anyone can tell me if there is some sort of 'international call plan' I could add to my package, Ive just recieved my phone bill and It cost £10 for a 50 min call to washington, I call my sister there alot, and I could have sworn it was cheaper to call on NTL?

Thanks
Neil

[Kymmy]

Probably a hell of a lot cheaper to use a VoIP plan, I remember when I had orange BB and thier built in phone, tracked my mother-on-law all the way across Australia for a total of £0.00

[joglynne]

I use Budget.com (http://www.budgetcom.co.uk/index2.php) Mainly to Spain but occasionally to the USA and Australia. My last call to the USA cost 7p connection and then 1p a minute, the same as my weekly call to Spain.

[BenMcr]

You can add Talk International

Its £1.50 a month and then a call to the US is 3ppm with a 7p connection charge

[Gary L]

4p connection and 1p per minute
that's for calls to mobiles and landlines in USA.

54p :)

http://www.1899.com

it's amazing how much the difference in what it costs and what you can save over a year.

50 minutes a month without any plans on Virgin = £10
a year = £120
50 minutes a month with plan on Virgin = £3.07
a year = £36.84
50 minutes a month with 1899 = 54p
a year = £6.48

[m419]

Hello Everyone! :)

I was just wondering if anyone can tell me if there is some sort of 'international call plan' I could add to my package, Ive just recieved my phone bill and It cost £10 for a 50 min call to washington, I call my sister there alot, and I could have sworn it was cheaper to call on NTL?

Thanks
Neil

If you want a no fuss no hassle Talk plan through Virgin Media/NTL try the Talk anywhere plans.

Line rental and 200 minutes: £20 Talk anywhere 200
Line rental and 400 minutes: £28 Talk anywhere 400
Line rental and 800 minutes: around £36 Talk anywhere 800

You can use these minutes to call UK Landlines,UK Mobiles,0845,0870 as well as International landlines and Mobiles!

On this tariff,calls are equivalent to just 4p per minute and there is no call connection charge. Calls to 0500,0800 and 0808 numbers remain free and will not be deducted from minutes.

[Watching You]

I take it that because you have access to the internet that you are on line.

Like has been said earlier VoiP is the way to go, although I think calling the US is typically one of the cheapest places you can call on most plans. £10 for 50 minutes is pretty steep, even some of these calling cards are offering 2 or 3 hours for only £5.

I take it your sister is also on line, so the best option is for the two of you to sign up with Skype (http://www.skype.com), I used it whilst down under in Singapore, Aus, NZ & Thailand in August and my 6 hours worth of calls to some land lines and mobiles costs me in the range of €8. (£6.20 @ 17/10/08 rate)

These days it really is cheap to talk :argue:

[Osem]

We've been using

http://www.phonecheap.co.uk/index2.php

for quiite a while and have had no problems as well as saving a fortune.

UK mobiles @ 7ppm
UK landlines @ 1ppm
UK 0845 @ 2ppm
UK natl. rate @ 7ppm

plus good rates on most overseas calls.

e.g. 1ppm for calls to US landlines & mobiles

There's no need to open an account or pay up front, just dial the appropriate access number followed by the number you want to call. The calls will appear on your normal phone bill.

[joshua]

I use skype at home (pc2pc), but its much easier for me to make calls with my cell phone when on the move. For these occasions the best deal I could find (with the best quality!) is Manifone's (http://www.manifone.com/)
They provide you with local numbers for all your international contacts. So a local call grants you access to cheap international calling from your cell phone. No software is required, works with any phone, with any operator.

[Eabs]

Skype to Skype calls are now free and is a good option

[Tony.]

Skype to Skype calls are now free and is a good option

Especially if your mobile is with Three... Free Skype calls :)

[pjo123]

I use 18185 (http://www.18185.co.uk/mobilerates.php)

4p connection
1p a min USA landline
2p a min USA mobiles

---------- Post added at 00:32 ---------- Previous post was at 00:22 ----------

We've been using

http://www.phonecheap.co.uk/index2.php

for quiite a while and have had no problems as well as saving a fortune.

UK mobiles @ 7ppm
UK landlines @ 1ppm
UK 0845 @ 2ppm
UK natl. rate @ 7ppm

plus good rates on most overseas calls.

e.g. 1ppm for calls to US landlines & mobiles

There's no need to open an account or pay up front, just dial the appropriate access number followed by the number you want to call. The calls will appear on your normal phone bill.

Be careful though, Virgin charge more for 0844 etc numbers than BT. Are you sure Virgin is only charging you 7p per min for those calls to mobiles?

For example the USA 0844 861 rate isn't listed in Virgins phone rates. Whether that means they block it, I don't know.

But say, you want to call Spain, using phonecheap, you dial a 0844 200 number which phonecheap say you get for 0.5 p per min via BT. But Virgin charge 2.98 p per min for the call so beware.

Which is why I use 18185 as their rates are for calling vial a freephone number (I believe 1899 mentioned earlier also uses a freephone number)

[pjo123]

We've been using

http://www.phonecheap.co.uk/index2.php

for quiite a while and have had no problems as well as saving a fortune.

UK mobiles @ 7ppm
UK landlines @ 1ppm
UK 0845 @ 2ppm
UK natl. rate @ 7ppm

plus good rates on most overseas calls.

e.g. 1ppm for calls to US landlines & mobiles

There's no need to open an account or pay up front, just dial the appropriate access number followed by the number you want to call. The calls will appear on your normal phone bill.

To call UK landlines via virgin using phonecheap.co.uk,

it's 9.79 connection fee and 3.96 p per minute, not the 1p quoted on their site (1p is from a BT line not a Virgin one)

To call UK mobiles from phonecheap via Virgin,

it's 9.79p connection charge and 9.79p per min, not the BT rate of 7p per min quoted on their site.

0845 calls are 9.79p connection and 6.89p per min, not the BT price of 4p a min quoted on their website

National calls are 9.79p connection and 9.79p per min, not the BT proce of 7p a min quoted on their site.

Calls to USA landline are 9.79p connection and 3.96p per min, not the 1p quoted on their site


You have to be very careful of using any 0844 etc numbers from Virgin, always check Virgins prices first, they're nearly always more expensive than any price quoted for BT. That's why I always use the likes of 18185 where it's a freephone number hence the price they quote is the price you pay.


Use http://allyours.virginmedia.com/pdf/uk-nongeographic-calls.pdf to find your number.

First of all try 0844 followed by 3 digits, eg phonecheap.co.uk's number for UK landlines starts 0844861, but searching for that doesn't show any results so search for 0844 followed by 2 digits, 084486 and this shows you are calling using Virgins rate PG8 (always try searching for 3 numbers first as for example 0844871 has a different rate to 0844872, only search for 2 digits if there isn't one for the 3 digits)

Then go to http://allyours.virginmedia.com/pdf/003342_Residential_Cable%20October%20V5.pdf and near the bottom, you can find the price for the PG8 rate which is 9.79p connection and 3.96p per min.

Many thanks to BenMcr who helped me figure out how to find these rates.

[hansi]

I will be making calls to South Africa during the next month. If I go the Talk International way, can I just cancel it after a month or is there a minimum period that I have to have it for. Also, other than VOIP, what would be the cheapest method for me to use when phoning South Africa on my Virgin fixed line please?

[pjo123]

Also, other than VOIP, what would be the cheapest method for me to use when phoning South Africa on my Virgin fixed line please?

http://www.18185.co.uk/mobilerates.php

18185 charge a 4p connection charge for each international call, then it's 3p per min to South Africa.

I've used them for a couple of years now, never had a problem. Make sure you dial their freephone number 0808 1 703 703 to get the rates quoted.

[hansi]

Thank you

[mikael]

If you want a no fuss no hassle Talk plan through Virgin Media/NTL try the Talk anywhere plans.

Line rental and 200 minutes: £20 Talk anywhere 200
Line rental and 400 minutes: £28 Talk anywhere 400
Line rental and 800 minutes: around £36 Talk anywhere 800

You can use these minutes to call UK Landlines,UK Mobiles,0845,0870 as well as International landlines and Mobiles!

On this tariff,calls are equivalent to just 4p per minute and there is no call connection charge. Calls to 0500,0800 and 0808 numbers remain free and will not be deducted from minutes.

I have recently seen a service that allows Virgin Media users on Talk Anywhere plans to use their minutes to call a non-geographic top-up number. Once enough credit has been accumalated, then calls can be made via a freephone number. Some destinations work out very cheap, as using one Talk Anywhere minute can provide up to six minutes of international calling time. Being a new user here, I'm not sure if I should post the URL though, as I don't want to be accused of spamming!

[m419]

Thats not the point! If you post it,someone at Virgin Media will see it and they will either block the number or else make it non-inclusive.

[mikael]

That is a good point. Well in that case, if anyone does wants to know, I can pm the address then?

[dilli-theclaw]

I know it's a bit of a bump but I was wondering what the cheapest call rate virgin do to South Africa. I think it's 20p/min but I hope not as this would stop me switching if I move.

Cheers.

[progers]

I use 18185.com too

[nodrogd]

Try Moneysavingexpert.com's International Call Checker. (http://callchecker.moneysavingexpert.com/intcallchecker/)

Just input the country you are calling & your telecoms provider, & it will give you the cheapest calling options currently available. It's a good idea to check the call carriers website to make sure info is up to date before calling.

[zee123]

I would recommend changing to Talk Anywhere it gives you 200, 400 or 800 minutes to anywhere and it can also be to a mobile. It really is any country in the world but doesnt include calls to premium rate or Satelites.
Only downsides are that local calls will come out of your allowance and your minutes balance isnt real time. Currently they use a 24 hour arrears.
Something to be careful about is when you run out of minutes you will be charged for that call and it can mean a bill in the hundreds!

[BenMcr]

Talk Anywhere isn't available for new additions - hasn't been for a few years now.