Cheap Calls to the US

I was reading the budget thread and saw how many still had OneTel to call the US and thought I would share what I use.  I have 1899.com and right now callls to the US are just the 3p connection charge.  So you can talk all you like for just 3p.  Normally it is 0.5p a min.  The quality is good and I haven't had any problems with them.  I hope this helps someone as it has me.

I buy phone cards... right now I have one that gives my 2000 minutes for 5 pounds its a Eurocity card by vectone

I just recenly signed up for 1899.com.   I haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but it looks good. 0.0p to the States with only a 3p connection charge is unheard of! My son's birthday is tomorrow and I plan on having a very long conversation with him about his future plans now that he's a man (well, 18 anyway, but he'll always be my baby). 

  My husband bought me a phone card from the post office and every Saturday you can call the US for free between the hours of noon and 12am and it doesnt affect the minutes you have on the phone card either. 

Im on NTL. I pay 2p a min to the USA anytime but there's a £2 montly fee.

I have a BT Line and one with NTL (not showing off, the latter came free with cable installation  ). On the BT Line, I arranged for a so called "carrier override" with One.Tel, it means that all calls automatically go through One.Tel saving me the dialling of the 4-digit access code. On the NTL line, I connected a small gadget from Superline, called an "auto-dialler". It basically does the same thing, except you simply unplug it if you want to make calls directly thru NTL.

Calls to the US (home and cell phones) with Superline are 2.5p (incl. VAT) per minute, no monthly connection charge. They also offer a monthly plan called "Supercall" for £12.99 that includes 1200 minutes for national AND international calls which equals to a call rate of 1.8p per minute. The plan is currently only available for BT lines.

1899.com can be used by NTL and Telewest users.  Some of the costs are higher since it is accessed through a 0808 number.

teutonica-- Germany is one of the countries you can call for the 3p connection charge.

teutonica-- Germany is one of the countries you can call for the 3p connection charge.

Thanks for remembering where I'm from  ... the call rates with the providers listed above are the same, however! I'm still looking for a cheap rate for calls to cell phones in Germany (my mom doesn't have a landline phone), OneTel charges a whopping 28p/min, Superline 14p/min. Of course, the moment I saw your thread, I immediately checked out 1899.com for their rates but they charge 14p as well 

when i use the phone cards i call my kids on their cell phone in the USA and it dont cost anymore than it would to call a land line

teutonica--These companies are less then 14p.  You might want to check them out.

Telestunt   13p/min
(09119224141)
Budgetcom   13p/min
(09119221221)
Telesavers   13p/min
(09119226226)
CheapestCalls   13p/min
(09119221414)

when i use the phone cards i call my kids on their cell phone in the USA and it dont cost anymore than it would to call a land line

I know, that's the strange thing, no difference for connections to the US. However, if you have a look around, calls to European countries are charged differently by landline and mobile phones 

kolc --- thanks for your research, I'll check them out 

It may have been mentioned before on a different board but voice over IP (VoIP) is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family in the US if you have Broadband internet in your home.  You can purchase US VoIP service (small black box to plug in, that's it) from a company like Vonage for $15 a month for 500 minutes of outgoing calls (free incoming calls).  If you use a US credit card and address, you can keep it in US dollars and pick a US phone number in virtually any US area code you like.  Then, your family can dial your US number and it will ring in the UK and won't cost you anything (free incoming).  If you use some of your 500 minutes to call them, it figures out to about 3 cents per minute.  I think Vonage may be starting service in the UK as well but it will be in pounds and may be slightly more expensive.

 
Hubby just found this site- 
http://www.1899.com/
Welcome to 1899, home of the lowest national and international tariffs. This site will explain everything you need to know about calling with our low cost indirect access code 1899. Our goal is to offer the best possible quality at the cheapest possible rates.
   
Click here to register your telephone number(s) for free 
 
 
Latest news
26.01.2005:  Canada, Germany, USA for only 3p per call !!!
  1899.com has more super deals in store for you!

Call any landline in the following countries for 3p per call!!
-Canada
-Germany
-USA

You will only pay our 3p connection fee per call and no charge per minute! So, talk as long as you like for only 3p per call.


We have just registered -- I can't tell you much else of first hand experience but figure at 3p a call it is worth a try! I thought I would share it with everyone here. Hope it will save you all a lot of money--- I know I wish we had it before I moved over!!!

Helena

 

Hiya Helena
I've been using 1899 for about 6 months or so.. I love it.. I had been using onetel as it WAS the cheapest .. but with 1899's pricing i'd be nuts to not change to it .. only a 3p connection fee and i can natter on for ages with family and freinds in the states.. Can use it for calls within the UK as well..
Its been real reliable for me so far..
Kaylesh

Thanks! Great to hear from someone who is using it--- it's hard to believe it can be true at only 3p a call for as long as you want!

Helena