calling from france to uk with no landline ??

[dejavu]

i have a holiday home in france which we visit just once a year these days for about a month. currently paying france telecom 16 euros per month to keep this available (we have no computers or internet access in france). this makes it pretty expensive so i am considering cancelling this line and using mobiles for calls to uk (maybe c 10-15 calls per visit) & local calls.

can anyone advise on what my lowest price options are and whther i will in fact save money or end up worse off ? (we use pay as you go mobiles in the uk)

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I guess it depends on how often you use the mobile when in France.

If you use it a max of a couple of hours per visit, then I would certainly go the mobile route.

Basically, will your calls cost more than the €192 per year you are already paying, plus the cost of calls back to the UK?

I use orange payg in France, and on the odd occasion I use it to phone abroad (normally the States), it costs about €1.50 per min. Not sure what it is to the UK, but it would be a bit cheaper than that. Think other comapnies would be cheaper too.

Edit ignore, next post below is better.

[Théière]

Yes, look up the threads on residency secondaire with france telecom. You will be able to suspend your line and disconect/reconnect at will.

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2285793/ShowPost.aspx

[Graham & Brenda]

There are other posts about PAYG 'phones but, basically, the cheapest for low users are Leclerc @ €1.50 per month or Lebara (no standing charge). All the others have time limited top ups.

[Will]

Many British mobile phone companies offer special packages for use abroad - this is one (presented solely as an example, I am sure other companies offer something similar or better). They might work better for part-time use in France.

On a standard pay-as-you-go basis, I've always found Virgin Mobile to be hassle-free and not expensive for use abroad.

Or you could look at unlocking your phone and using one of the special SIM cards, such as this.

[Chancer]

Lebara is probably the chepeast of the French mobiles at 9cts per minute to call England, in fact far cheaper than calling a French landline.

You will need to use it occassionally to keep the number and the credit, an SMS will do but whilst you can recieve you cannot send SMS's from the UK, if you are away from France for more than 90 days then you will have to make a short call.

[dejavu]

thank you for all your helpful replies. i will look into suspending my landline and follow up on local mobile suggestions as well because it would be pretty useful to have a mobile as well for use when out there to contact friends in france.

[amos]

I use this service to call my daughter on her mobile in Australia, it should cost you 7-8c per minute to use a french mobile to call a UK landline or mobile. www.justvoip.com, there are lots of similar companies out there if you search.

[Will]

I thought voip needed an internet connection in order to work? So with no landline, the original questioner will only be able to use the service in somewhere like MacDonalds?

 

[Quillan]

Not necessarily Will it says "MobileVOIP uses Wifi, 3G, GPRS, EDGE or UMTS". You simply download and install the app on to your mobile. I don't know what happens if you use a UK mobile in France using their 3G or GPRS as I know its very expensive to use these services here in France. I'm no expert on this I have to admit but I did a little browsing on my mobile once, about 5 minutes worth and it cost me a bomb.

[amos]

You don't need an internet connection to make the call, nor do you need to download anything to your phone. You do need to register and buy credit on line. You are then given a local phone no to call everytime you want to make a call. A recorded voice then invites you to dial the no you want to contact and before connecting you tells you the per minute charge. In my case for the cost of a local call from my landline plus 6.5c per minute I can call an Ozzie mobile. The cost of a 'local' call from your mobile will of course radically affect your cost so this service may or may not be beneficial to you... just a suggestion.

[Manuel F.]

Hi Deja Vu,

I used a french prepaid SIM card when I was in France two months ago. It is called LEFRENCHMOBILE

It allowed me to make phone calls from france to UK and USA at the local rate €0,36/min. Mobile and landlines.

It worked pretty well and all services were in English, including the website.

That could be the solution for you.

Manuel F.

[Paul D.]

[quote user="Manuel F."]Hi Deja Vu, I used a french prepaid SIM card when I was in France two months ago. It is called LEFRENCHMOBILE It allowed me to make phone calls from france to UK and USA at the local rate €0,36/min. Mobile and landlines. It worked pretty well and all services were in English, including the website. That could be the solution for you. Manuel F.[/quote] Calls are now €0.25/min from France and it seems that it is the same rate everywhere in Europe, can anyone confirm? If so that would be great

[Quillan]

Most companies are now offering SIM's with no contract for around 10 to 11 Euros per month and free International calls to most European countries and beyond. SFR offers it for 11 Euros per month and include free calls to 41 countries, all of France, 50mb download and access to their WiFi network throughout France. Minimum term is one month.

[Pierre ZFP]

Roaming charges have dropped today (01/07/2013) to a max of 24 cent per min within the EU zone

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23098623

I imagine a French PAYG SIM calling from France to UK will be similar or less.

No, just checked and a Leclerq call FR - UK will be 39 cents a minute thank you !!!

Better to get a Tesco SIM and get 24 cents/min, unless someone knows of a cheaper option?

[Jay]

http://www.lycamobile.fr/en/

0.05€ to UK/USA landline