Home Phone Guides

Make cheap international calls

Updated: Thursday 6 January, 2011

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Do you use your landline to regularly call friends or family overseas? Calling international landlines on your home phone can be costly, but we have tips to help you reduce your bills…

If you’ve got friends and family abroad that you regularly call, you’ll know that international calls can be pricey. For example, a 10-minute call to India with Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) would cost over £10 (including the call connection fee), even at the weekend.

Calling abroad doesn’t have to be expensive though. Many providers offer discounts and add-ons that will help reduce the rates for international landlines. There are even some deals that include calls to foreign mobiles.

Some of the larger providers, such as the Post Office (www.postoffice.co.uk), include some international destinations in their free call allowance. If a provider does offer free international calls though, be certain to check the terms and conditions and the countries that are included, as calls are normally restricted to only 60 minutes and not all destinations will be included.

Using your broadband connection to make cheap international calls

Another way to make cheap international calls is to use your broadband connection to talk over the internet. Known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), providers such as Vonage (www.vonage.co.uk) and Skype (www.skype.com) allow you to make international calls for free if the person you’re calling has the same service.

For more information on VoIP and making internet calls, read our guide to VoIP providers. And read our other guide to find out which home phone suppliers offer cheap international calls.

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