How to make cheap mobile phone calls home from abroad
BT and Virgin have both launched apps that allow you to use your landline calling plan on your smartphone to call home for less from abroad. We look at these and other options for keeping in touch.
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BT SmartTalk
BT's new SmartTalk app works by linking the customer’s smartphone to their BT home calling plan. Customers can then use the inclusive call allowance on their calling plan on their mobile wherever they are.
There’s also the chance to save when calling outside of your inclusive minutes as BT’s standard landline rates will then apply, instead of expensive mobile rates.
Another advantage to the app is that some BT calling plans include 0845 and 0870 numbers. So, using SmartTalk, you can call these numbers free from your mobile. And numbers that are free on BT landlines, such as 0800, can now be free when you call them from your mobile phone using SmartTalk.
The app, which is free from the App Store on iPhone or Google Play on Android, works best over wi-fi. In theory it works over any mobile data connection but you’d be at the mercy of data roaming charges if you used 3G.
Virgin Media SmartCall
Rival Virgin Media has designed a similar app to BT SmartTalk with a similar-sounding name: SmartCall.
It launched in November to “select customers” and is expected to be made available to all Virgin Media customers soon.
It will work in a virtually identical way to BT SmartTalk by allowing Virgin landline customers to use the unlimited calls from their home phone talk plan on their smartphone over a wi-fi connection.
BlackBerry Messenger
If you're on a BlackBerry, you can save on overseas voice calls from your mobile with BlackBerry Messenger.
The latest version, BBM7, allows users to make free voice calls to other BlackBerry users over wi-fi.
BBM Voice allows users to either call a fellow BlackBerry owner directly or instantly switch from text to talk and back again. There's also a split-screen feature so that users can talk and text at the same time.
Skype
Skype became a major threat to the landline market a few years ago when it enabled users to make free calls over the internet for free.
Inevitably there are a number of Skype apps available for iPhone and Android which allow smartphone users to make Skype calls from wherever they are.
The apps are best used on wi-fi (if you use 3G you’ll be charged for data roaming) and allow users to make video or voice calls over the internet for free if the other person has Skype too. If the person you’re calling doesn’t have Skype you can make cheaper international calls to landlines or mobiles using Skype Credit.
If you just want to send text messages rather than make voice calls, Whatsapp is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS.
Already used by pretty much everyone under the age of 25, WhatsApp Messenger is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia. It allows users to send text messages over wi-fi rather than the mobile network. This means text messages won’t come out of pay monthly customers’ text allowance and PAYG customers won’t be charged. Travellers can avoid charges for texting to and from abroad.
In addition to basic messaging WhatsApp users can also create groups, allowing you to send each other unlimited images, video and audio media messages.
No wi-fi?
All the above apps need a wi-fi connection to offer free or cheap calls. If you use the apps on 3G abroad you’ll be charged for data roaming – and this can be expensive.
If you’re travelling somewhere where you’re unlikely to find wi-fi then a PAYG SIM could be the answer.
A local SIM card will offer much cheaper calling rates, both within the country you’re in and to the UK, than using your normal tariff.
Bear in mind though that an international or local SIM will mean having a different mobile number while you’re away and your phone will need to be unlocked for the SIM to work.
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I used the BT smarttalk app recently when abroad. Providing you can get free wi-fi it worked fine and no horror bills when I got home. Another advantage is that at home you effectively have a fixed phone line and (up to 5) free wi-fi lines, so multiple calls by different people can be made at the same time. If only they could get over the time difference from Australia it would be perfect - ce la vie! BT made absolutely sure that I knew a wi-fi phone had been added to my account - I got a phone message, an email and a letter - talk about belt and braces!
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Viber (available from viber.com) is another useful free mobile phone app for making free voice calls overseas (or within the UK too) and works in a similar way to Skype. Its certainly available to iPhone and Android users. As well as making calls, you can also group message up to 40 people anywhere any time, so long as all users also have Viber installed. To make free calls, Skype requires you to know the user name of the person you want to connect to. Viber on the other hand will automatically go through your phone's contact list and adds those whom already have a Viber account to your Viber's contact list. Launch Viber, select who you want to call from you Viber contact list and then wait for the person on the other end to answer. Refresh the Viber contact list to check and add new users. Simple! Viber does not support video calling so far. However, if this is a must have, then try the Tango app for smartphones. It works in a similar way to Viber (using your phone's contact list to search and create a separate Tango users contact list). So far its not as widely used as Viber or Skype, but they all have to start somewhere!
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25 March 2013