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Can anyone suggest a cheap method for phoning the UK?

We're with Fr telecom and we have a monthly agreement of about 9euros extra per month for  calls to EU countries but they are limited. We now have 3 members of the family in the UK! Great, but all of them call me for 5 seconds and say 'Mum, Mum, Mum! The bills on you! Phone me back because you're in France and we're in the UK and our credit is running out!" Familiar story, I'm sure!

I need the least complicated and most inexpensive method please. They can do mobiles and landlines. I can't do mobile, only landlines.

 Thanks,

Catherine

 

 

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Yes, I do but two out of the three don't have access to a computer. Third one is just setting it all up but isn't at home until very late.  

Skype is brilliant but not so good unless they all have computer access and are on line all day. It is quite hard to co-ordinate without this kind of access! I need a cheap option for a telephone connection. 

Catherine

 

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Skype actually claim their lowest call cost is 1.4p per min NOT 1.2p From Skype's home page "With Skype you can call phones anywhere in the world from as little as 1.4p per minute.". You have yo watch VAT and Skype (as many of their quoted prices do not include VAT/TVA, or VAT/TVA is in a light grey next to the excl VAT/TVA price - no total price given). This is actually not desperately cheap (particularly as you have to call from your computer and also have to pay in advance !!)

Ian

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We have the Alice ADSL package that includes all calls to UK, Europe & North America for an extra 9.95€ a month. There are others that have this too.

Also, we have an 0844 number for people in the UK to call us, it costs them 2p a minute to call you in France, if they're with BT or NTL. Not sure if you need to be with Primus for cheap calls to sign up for this, but it's worth looking into. We had Primus before getting the ADSL, but kept it for back up, in case Alice is playing up!!

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Jay Jay we too used to pay 9.95 for Alice Monde but a couple of months ago the calls became free with the ADSL package. You don't need to pay anymore unless you want to phone 100plus other countries. Have a check but I'm sure it must apply to you too. You have to go to a little box in your account and desactiver Alice Monde though.
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I use a combination of skype and Télérabais.  Télérabais costs 1.4 cents per minute nights and weekends and 2.8 cents per minute during the day.

Another option you might want to consider with skype is that besides being able to call a landline from your computer, you can also get a UK phone number for your computer, so that people can call you at national rates, just as if you were back home in the UK.

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[quote user="Deimos"]

Skype actually claim their lowest call cost is 1.4p per min NOT 1.2p From Skype's home page "With Skype you can call phones anywhere in the world from as little as 1.4p per minute.". You have yo watch VAT and Skype (as many of their quoted prices do not include VAT/TVA, or VAT/TVA is in a light grey next to the excl VAT/TVA price - no total price given). This is actually not desperately cheap (particularly as you have to call from your computer and also have to pay in advance !!)

Ian

[/quote]

It comes up as 1.2 when i dial the number, but as you say maybe its not including Vat.

Anyway i find it cheap and it works well for me.

EDIT: I also like the fact it is pre paid, plus calls to French landlines are free!

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[quote user="Ruth"]Jay Jay we too used to pay 9.95 for Alice Monde but a couple of months ago the calls became free with the ADSL package. You don't need to pay anymore unless you want to phone 100plus other countries. Have a check but I'm sure it must apply to you too. You have to go to a little box in your account and desactiver Alice Monde though.[/quote]

Thanks Ruth, I'm checking that out.[:D]

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try one of the betamax companies who (can) provide calls to the uk for free - just a 5p connection charge per call then you get 300 minutes a week free; it works by calling your number, and then the other number so you actually use your normal telephone.

see: http://www.inthevendee.com/inthevendee.php?inthevendee=voip for details on these options and links to the varioius betamax companies (voipcheap, webcalldirect etc)

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There is such a lot of choice out there! I think I'll start with Skype as I have that already. However, I'm just about to check out the Alice site and a few of your other suggestions. One of our neighbours uses Alice and compared to wanadoo it looks a bit cheaper!

Thank you everybody.

Catherine

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[quote user="samdebretagne"]Another option you might want to consider with skype is that besides being able to call a landline from your computer, you can also get a UK phone number for your computer, so that people can call you at national rates, just as if you were back home in the UK.
[/quote]

There are better and cheaper ways to do this. for example, get a UK local rate number (for free) so that people can call you from the UK at local rate. Thus you do not pay for the number (as you do for Skype's) and people calling you only pay UK local rate.

Ian

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My Dad moved to Brittany in March. I set up a draytel account for him www.draytel.org and it works very well. The plug in box cost £30, calls are 1p a min, top your credit up on line. You do need broadband for this. He has a UK local rate number, so friends and family can call, usually free as part of their BT calls.

I have set up my own account, (I'm moving to Pays de la Loire v.soon.) calls between draytel accounts are free, wherever you are. As I am still in UK, I have had need to call French land lines, also just 1p a minute, probably cheaper than FT! Reduced call costs also to most mobiles.

Very reliable service - recommended.

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