Best Bet: Calling US from UK

[Jon Westfall]

One of my friends is heading over to England for a few weeks and we're trying to figure out what the best way for her to call back over here is while she's away. Prepaid cards are one option, however I can also lend her a quad-band unlocked phone that she could slip a SIM card into. Any suggestions on the best way to call home from UK to US? Much Appreciated!!

Jon.

[ctmagnus]

I'd go for option number two.

[Darius Wey]

Are you after a landline-based solution or a mobile solution? If the former, I'd get your friend to look around for some prepaid calling cards. It involves calling a local number, and then consuming the calling credit at a per minute rate (usually cheaper than whatever the local telcos offer).

[Jon Westfall]

Are you after a landline-based solution or a mobile solution? If the former, I'd get your friend to look around for some prepaid calling cards. It involves calling a local number, and then consuming the calling credit at a per minute rate (usually cheaper than whatever the local telcos offer).

I'm actually after the cheapest solution! Being unfamiliar with calling from UK to US, I don't know if people have gotten the best deal with landline + phone card, or mobile + SIM. If anyone knows of a good SIM card or phone card solution, I'd appreciate it.

[Mark Kenepp]

I visit the in-laws a few weeks out of the year in Belfast. I have an unlocked SE p800 (tri-band 900/1800/1900) that I use with an O2 pay-as-you-go SIM card. They have an add-on service which includes reduced rate international calling. For a one-time fee (I think that it was around 7 pounds) I get calling to the US for about 10p a minute (plus other reduced rate international calls). The cost of using the phone is also 10p a minute for evening calls (after 8:00pm GMT). Since the US is five to eight hours ahead it is easy enough for me to get a hold of my contacts in the US after 8:00pm. So, my calls are 20p a minute (they may actually be even less, I honestly am not sure what the rates are but I know that they are no more than 10p for the after hours call and 10p for calling the US).

I did a lot of shopping around to find the least expensive solution for pay-as-you-go mobile service and at the time, O2 was the least expensive option.

I am pretty sure that the cheapest option would be to use a landline with a prepaid calling card. My sisters-in-law use this method.

Hopefully some of our UK based members will give you better information.

[Sven Johannsen]

What's the free WiFi scene like in the UK? Skype anyone? price is right.