COMMENT
Six Ways To Cut Your Call Costs!

By Cliff D'Arcy
September 9, 2005

I have some bad news for users of the ultra-cheap Call18866 telephone service: the firm has announced a 50% increase in the cost of calls to UK numbers.

"A 50% increase? Up by half? Blimey!" I hear you exclaim. However, Call18866 was the UK's cheapest call provider, so this means that the total cost of a UK geographical call will rise from 2p to 3p. An extra penny a call isn't going to break the bank, is it? However, Call18866 started out charging a connection fee of a penny per call, then 2p, now 3p, so a pattern is starting to emerge.

So, what can keen callers do to get more chitchat for less cash? Try these six tips!

1. Call UK numbers for 3p all-in

Despite its latest price hike, Call18866 remains cheapest provider of UK geographical calls. It charges a 3p connection fee and no further call charges, so a UK call of any duration at any time still costs only 3p (higher tariffs apply for international calls and numbers beginning with 07, 08 or 09). Call18866's sister company (they are Swiss firms, by the way), Call1899, charges the same rate for UK calls, but has lower tariffs for international calls, so it's a slightly better bet.

My Call18866 bill was about £2 last month, so it will increase by about a pound, which I can live with! Nevertheless, I still pay monthly line rental to BT, which amounts to £126 a year (£136 without Direct Debit), which is a swindle, in my opinion.

2. Cheaper landline-to-mobile calls

It can cost over 20p a minute to call a mobile number from a landline. With Call1899, you'd pay a 3p connection charge, plus 10p a minute on weekdays and a mere 3p a minute at weekends.

3. Cut-price international calls

Again, BT and other well-known providers are expensive when it comes to calling overseas numbers. Good old Call1899 offers the best all-round deal; other good bets include its sister firms Telediscount, Telesavers and Telestunt (clearly, this is one big family!).

4. Totally free PC-to-PC calls

If you have broadband Internet access, you can enjoy completely free calls to other PC users anywhere on Earth, using what's known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) software. Although Skype leads the way, check out rivals Sipgate, VoIPCheap, and Vonage. Note that the cost of calls to geographical numbers using VoIP varies widely, so choose your provider carefully.

5. Avoid expensive 0845 and 087x numbers

These non-geographical numbers, such as 0845, 0870 and 0871 claim to charge 'local or national rates', but that's not entirely true. Calling an 0845 number can cost 5p a minute at any time, which is far more expensive than BT's off-peak rates. 087 numbers are even more expensive, costing up to 10p per minute. So, those endless delays on hold could be costing you £6 an hour.

Your best bet is to find geographical alternatives at Say No To 0870 - I've found freephone or geographical numbers for all the organisations that I deal with. Note that 0800 and 0808 numbers are freephone numbers, which are my favourite kind!

6. Learn to hate 118!

Although the old 192 directory enquiries number was ditched in order to break BT's monopoly and open this market to competition, the whole process has become something of a pig's ear. Most 118 services are ridiculously overpriced, with even the cheapest (11 88 48) costing 29p for a call including up to three enquiries, and some firms charging 70p for a two-minute call. Even worse, if you agree to be connected by the 118 operator, you could be charged rip-off rates of 15p+ a minute after being put through. Ouch! I'd much rather use BT's free online service at 118 500 or the 192 website.

Finally, if you want to slash the cost of using your mobile, read Cut The Cost Of Your Mobile Phone Bill! Likewise, for cheaper Internet access, read Get Faster, Cheaper Broadband Today!

Happy nattering!

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