alternatives to Skype for making cheap international calls?

Fireheart223 -
I use the GrooveIP Android app and connect to my Google Voice account.  The app can connect via Wifi or 3G.  Calls to US numbers are free!

We had BT and were able to use 18185 (costs about £3.50 a month) and calls to the US cost 1/2p per minute....local landline calls in the UK are free.

Sadly we had to switch to Sky and 18185 (and other third party services) are blocked.  Would love to find one that would work with Sky...mainly for local daytime calls (night and weekend to landlines are free).

My husband and I had nearly this same problem when I was in the states and he was here in the UK. We both (now) work for a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) company and if both ends have compatible phones that are correctly configured, calls are completely free. For this though, you do need broadband, but you can remote in (and apps such as Fring and Bria also work on our platform quite well). Calls to US numbers from the UK through our platform are 1.5p per minute. Also, if your family in the states has free long distance, a US number with us (to route the calls through to your UK number) is £4.99 per month. I've probably made it more confusing than it really is though...

I loved being able to pick up my cordless phone in the states and dial "202" and get a direct line to my husband, or "200" for his mobile. All it cost for us was the price of two VoIP phones (we wanted cordless so we picked the Gigaset A580IP model, which can also be plugged into the landline).

I am NOT advertising for the company I work for, but if you'd like more info on it, please private message me, as I will NOT be posting the name of the company here.

We decided to get Sky's unlimited calling plan for £5 more a month.  Allows us free calls to the US.  Only restriction is you have to hang up after one hour, then call again.

We decided to get Sky's unlimited calling plan for £5 more a month.  Allows us free calls to the US.  Only restriction is you have to hang up after one hour, then call again.

Sounds like a pretty good deal. I think when I turned in our call records to the visa office to get my spousal visa they were surprised. We had been on the phone for 250 hours over the course of about two months. Without the free calls between us, we wouldn't have been able to afford the visa nor plane ticket! I'm glad you've found something that works for you. 

That's quite a tale.  My husband and I never even thought to produce phone records.  Fortunately there was enough other documentation of our relationship to satisfy Immigration.

We turned in phone records, Skype video call records, letters, photos, legal documents (birth certificates and marriage certificate), cards to congratulate us on our wedding, etc. ended up sending in about 200 pages of paper plus photos. I had trouble at Heathrow when I tried to visit the first time, so our solicitor wanted to help us have a completely airtight case and application.

Wow, that's intense.  What year was that?  We didn't go through anything like that (tg).  Just had to show our marriage license, photos and some e-mails.  Maybe because we're older it wasn't as difficult (that was 2007)

Fireheart223 -
I use the GrooveIP Android app and connect to my Google Voice account.  The app can connect via Wifi or 3G.  Calls to US numbers are free!

I know it's been a while since you posted this, but I just came across it yesterday.  I downloaded the app, and it works great!  Thanks!

I know it's been a while since you posted this, but I just came across it yesterday.  I downloaded the app, and it works great!  Thanks!

Any versions available for older phones like Sony Ericsson 810i?

Any versions available for older phones like Sony Ericsson 810i?

LMAO, I just had to reply to this...I have the exact same phone. I've had it since 2007. Daughter keeps trying to get me to get a new one, but I LOVE my phone.

Any versions available for older phones like Sony Ericsson 810i?

Sorry, no.  Android phones only.   

Wow, that's intense.  What year was that?  We didn't go through anything like that (tg).  Just had to show our marriage license, photos and some e-mails.  Maybe because we're older it wasn't as difficult (that was 2007)

I applied for a spousal visa earlier this year, 2012.

Mrs TM:  Sounds like they've made it a lot harder to apply since we did it.  Probably the Tories are trying to look tough about immigration.

kbeach:  I've had mine that long too and don't want to give it up.  I have a Virgin pay-as-you-go plan (am not glued to my phone) and I'm not even sure they have an Android in that plan.

Camascato:  there's not much in the way of apps available for my phone.  Even Google Maps have stopped supporting it (drat)

Using 1899.com they charge you 1p per minute even if you call from a UK mobile to a USA mobile, it's still 1p per minute.  I think there may be something like 3p connection charge.
There's no monthly fee, you can use it as little or as much as you like.