The pain of Long Distance doesn't have to efffect your wallet!

Hello Friends,

I continue to read topic after topic with people discussing how much they pay in LD rates and calling cards etc etc...and I literally want to jump out of my seat and shout WHY??? 

I have posted this in other topics before but think it deserves it's own platform here. There is VoIP (Voice over internet protocol) Meaning, in simplest terms, calls are routed via the internet and link two phone numbers together from almost anywhere in the world & most def between the UK & US FOR FREE!!!

There are various companies out there which provide this to you, the two that we use and have successfully used for the past 2+ years are:

www.rebtel.com
www.talkster.com

HOW IT WORKS

With both companies you give them your phone number and the number you would like to dial. (Mobile numbers) and you are assigned a local number that links your Mobile to their Mobile.

When the call is connected, the person who made the call stays on the line.

Then the person you called hangs up and immediately dials back the local number they were provided (ie the number that pops up on your caller ID)

You wait on the line and within seconds your call is connected. Presto – All you pay is your plan minutes in your mobile contract. For US resisdents - if you have T-Mobil, Verizon and now AT&T you just put these number in your "my circle, My Friends, A-list" and the calls are now REALLY REALLY FREE!!!

OR

If you have free nights and weekends – and you speak during these times you are literally talking for FREE!!!

SO there you go

We have both services because like anything else with the internet it is not infallible, however it works about 98.9999% of the time. And recovers quickly if there is a fault on the line.

Please, I urge you all to look into this. I cannot bear to know you all are paying for calls or god forbid strapped to your computer on skype....just imagine driving in your car, talking on your mobile to your sweetie pie in the UK (or the US) and its like they live right around the corner 

Talkster is the easiest of the two, though neither take a rocket scientist to figure out.

Please, check it out, let me know if I have helped, I think, no scratch that, I know you will ask yourself WHY you didn't know about this before and weep for the money that you've spent on annoying calling cards and Vonage bills!

Peace ~

CMG x

I'll look in to this for sure! Part of why I don't call home so often is because it gets expensive and it's hard to set up time to "meet" on skype. Thanks for the info CMG!

Yes thanks to the OP I have been using talkster now for a month. Its legit and free mobile to mobile. Only thing is me and girlfriend don't have unlimited minutes so we just watch our usage..email and still use calling card on side..I have been saving money since its not my primary source now!

and it's hard to set up time to "meet" on skype.

so true!  Thanks for the talkster tip.  I am going to try that tonight!

Yes thanks to the OP I have been using talkster now for a month. Its legit and free mobile to mobile. Only thing is me and girlfriend don't have unlimited minutes so we just watch our usage..email and still use calling card on side..I have been saving money since its not my primary source now!

Syntax - I am so pleased talkster has been working for you and your GF What Mobile provider do you have? I cannot think of one now that doesnt have a preferred number program. You could add your talkster number to your preferred number list and then you are unlimited.

I think you said you were visiting her at xmas! Not much longer now, I know I am counting down the days until I leave too. Have a happy one!!!


CMG

Hmmm.... this would be good for using my mobile to call my best friend, too! 

Does this only work with mobiles?

Hmmm.... this would be good for using my mobile to call my best friend, too! 

I believe you can have up to 5 numbers on your Rebtel Account.

With Talkster - you do not have to set up an account so I imagine you can have as many as you like.

Does this only work with mobiles?

Aless - for the free smart call on Rebtel, yes it is only Mobile to Mobile. However, you can call from a landline but you have to enter in all your account info ie your mobile number and your pin number then it will ring your contacts mobile and then the ring you back as normal.

However; for a small rate you can call landlines in the UK for next to nothing. When you sign up for Rebtel I believe the give you $10 on your account. So calling a landline number is .019 per minute I think to the UK.

Hope this helps

as far as talkster - can you use a land line for it?

thanks

as far as talkster - can you use a land line for it?

thanks

Lizzy - I haven't tried land lines on talkster before, however; I just visited the FAQ's section on their website and it says, yes you can used on both mobile and land lines.

Best of luck, let me know how it goes, happy free calling

I tried to set up an account with Talkster. It gave me a New York number for my "local" number.
Hmmmmm....I live in Hawaii.
New York is not what I consider local.

I think I'll still try it and just deal with the phone calls eating into my long distance minutes. Any way I look at it, it's better than international rates!!

Up to now we have been using Call Global, which I think is pretty darn cheap. But Free is better than Cheap!!! 

Hmmm.... this would be good for using my mobile to call my best friend, too! 

I have an annual subscription on Skype (I think it was £20?) that lets me call any number in the US unlimited, and it also let me set up a Pittsburgh local phone number which is routed to my skype. (I think I may have paid a little extra for that - I don't know if that was included in the £20.) It's amazing! My mom and best friend call me any time they need me. Plus, I have skype on my mobile phone, so I can call them wherever I am for free.

I have an annual subscription on Skype (I think it was £20?) that lets me call any number in the US unlimited, and it also let me set up a Pittsburgh local phone number which is routed to my skype. (I think I may have paid a little extra for that - I don't know if that was included in the £20.) It's amazing! My mom and best friend call me any time they need me. Plus, I have skype on my mobile phone, so I can call them wherever I am for free.

I just did this too and it's totally awesome.  And it was great the first time I used it to call my brother's cell and he was like "How are you calling me from an 895 number??? Are you in the US?!?!"

Yeah, add me to the list of die hard Skype users

I have a US local number, a UK number and skype-in numbers in both the US and UK to access my account. Calling Tim in the UK from here is only .02p/min, and I find the quality on Skype to be much better than using 2 mobile phones.