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Phoning from Abroad advice ??

M

Macster

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Hi - my daughter is heading off to Thailand Oz & New Zealand for 8 weeks from tomorrow, and I'm still trying to work out the best way of keeping in touch while she's away.......

I know when she can pick up WiFi, she can send messages on WhatsApp or email us etc, with no costs.

BUT - it seems that every way we consider using her Mobile will be stupidly expensive ?
ie - Orange charge 45p/min to 'receive' calls, so even if we call her using a Discount router, it will still be expensive.
Should she get a local Sim card perhaps ?

Or an 'International Calling Card' to use from Landlines only etc ?

Any ideas anyone ?

Thx
 
Another vote for Skype, have it on my Android for when not at home to call daughter back in UK. Which bits of NZ is she coming too? SI is the best :whoo:
 
Forgot to say - she' talking an old Blackberry with her rather than risk her iPhone, - BUT Blackberry doesnt support Skype (or vice versa) :-(
 
I can't speak for blackberry, but I have an unlocked phone and can put a sim card in it wherever I go.

I have a collection of them.

Consider. Hong Kong to UK on UK mobile (Orange) about 90p+ p/m. Buy a 50 HK Dollar sim in Hong Kong (£4?) and spend ages on the phone to the UK, never run out........
Or, Canary Islands to UK on UK mobile similarly expensive. I bought a vodaphone (Spain) sim and it cost about 12p a minute.
New York? also cheap...can't remember but never ran out on a $10 sim.

I don't expect anyone will know until they arrive, but wherever I go, I buy a local sim, preferably aimed at international callers.
 
If you've got a smartphone as well then both of you could install the Viber app. This allows you to make voice calls over wifi (in much the same way as skype) without any charge. I use it quite a bit and the call quality is superb. Granted all of my calls are UK/UK but I would think it'd be similar worldwide as it's over wifi.

One thing though - make sure she sorts out her data package and settings on the phone before she goes. A colleague has just come back from the states and her husband forgot to do this on his iphone. They've come back to a £1,500 phone bill! There's no cut-off limit outside Europe on data useage (in Europe I think it's 16Mb before it automatically cuts out).
 
WE use First Telecom and have done so for about 10 years. You go to a public phone box and dial a free phone number and then dial your number. Obviuosly you have an account number and PIN code
 
I know she said she is not taking her iphone but if she does and it has facetime on it (iphone 4 and up) and you have facetime device at home (iphone, ipod or ipad) then all you both need is wifi and you can make contact for free, we did in the US recently and it was great.

*edit to add - I know you said calling but thought I'd add the above anyway. :thup:
 
Last edited:
Valentino said:
I know she said she is not taking her iphone but if she does and it has facetime on it (iphone 4 and up) and you have facetime device at home (iphone, ipod or ipad) then all you both need is wifi and you can make contact for free, we did in the US recently and it was great.

*edit to add - I know you said calling but thought I'd add the above anyway. :thup:
Click to expand...
Lion also has FaceTime so you can use it from your Mac if you're on the latest OS.
 
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