cheap phone calls from France to UK

[Labourdonnerie]

Can anybody tell me what is the cheapest way to make phone calls from France to the UK? The options we know of are to use (1) a mobile phone (English), (2) a phone card of some sort from a phone box, or (3) coins from a phone box. All of these work out incredibly expensive - is there any way to cut the cost?

[Deimos]

It’s a bit of a “pain” but, 0811 65 81 81 (from France landline) – you get a message and you then dial the UK number 00 44 etc.. Its charged as a cheap rate local French call. Full details (and for other countries “prefix numbers” see http://www.telerabais.com/index2.php. Note that there is peak and off peak rates (off-peak is cheaper than SkypeOut). A few negatives though e.g. you still pay for time used if the called telephone is engaged, etc. Check the web site for full details, etc. No accounts, no pay in advance, just use it when you want and gets charged on your standard telephone bill. Probably does not work to UK mobiles (or a different prefix).

Hope this helps.

[Simon47]

Just came across the website www.tlk2.com => look at the France - UK phone service.

[Labourdonnerie]

I should have made it clear that we don't have access to a landline in France - we are dependent on either a phone box or a UK mobile (tho would be prepared to buy a French SIM card if that worked out any less expensive overall)

[Nick Trollope]

[quote]I should have made it clear that we don't have access to a landline in France - we are dependent on either a phone box or a UK mobile (tho would be prepared to buy a French SIM card if that worked out...[/quote]

Coins in an FT phonebox is, in this case, the cheapest way. You should be able to use one of the prepay discount companies from a 'phonebox, unless they are barred (like in the UK "private" market..).

 

[Gail Smith]

Do you know anyone with a landline in france that you could use?

You could buy a Tele2 card which costs 7.50 Euros and then the calls are charged at local rate, about 1 cent per minute.  Make sure you get the card for europe.  You can use these cards to call from a payphone too although I dont know what the rates are.  I am sure there are other cards as well as Tele2 it's just that is the one we have used and our phone bill has been cut by about 75%.

Gail

[Hereford]

Possibly try a phone card and then the Coucoutel access code 0811 65 30 40. You then dial the UK in the same way as above posting. Calls are charged at local French call rate.

We have not actually tried it from a phone box but can see no reason why it would not work.

We find Coucoutel fantastic, it is the same local rate to phone loads of countries - we use it to Germany and Canada as well as the UK. Look at their website: www.coucoutel.com for other rates and calls to mobiles in the UK etc.

Hereford

[Inca]

Living France July Mag has advertisement for www.0044.co.uk Mobile sim card for France. You could check this site out!

Regards

Mike

[JohnM]

One way to cut the cost of your incoming calls is to get a French sim for you mobile (I know most people here know this, but I was amazed to discover how many people do not realise that if a friend in the UK calls you in France, you pay for the inter country bit). However, I do not know if that makes "calling home" any cheaper.