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Christmas Day is less than three weeks away, so don't leave it too late to send Christmas cards to any far-away friends! While you're at it, you could save a pretty penny between now and the New Year by taking a few minutes to cut your calls costs. Here's how: 1. Pay 3p per UK call With a credit or debit card and a few minutes online, you can open an account with alternative call provider 1899.com. Once it's set up, you simply dial 1899 plus the number that you're calling for discount call rates. For example, BT charges up to 3p a minute for peak-time calls to national numbers (those beginning with 01 or 02). However, 1899 charges a connection fee of just 3p for calls of any length at any time to UK landlines. As I hardly ever call mobile or international numbers, almost every call that I make now costs just 3p. Eureka! 2. Get free evening and weekend calls A few call providers offer free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines without charging a monthly fee. For example, with Just-dial's Saver Lite package makes no charge for evening and weekend calls of up to two hours' duration. Primus Saver Option 2 does the same for calls lasting up to ninety minutes. 3. Call mobiles cheaply The cheapest way to call a mobile telephone is via a mobile which offers free minutes for cross-network calls. If your tariff includes these free minutes, then you can call another mobile at no cost. However, when calling a mobile from your home telephone, 1899.com is the clear winner, as it charges a connection fee of 3p, plus 10p a minute on weekdays or 3p per minute at weekends. 4. Get cheap international calls It can be unbelievably expensive to make overseas calls via BT and other major call providers. Why pay, say, 15p a minute to call the US, when you can pay a penny a minute? 1899.com and its sister companies Telediscount, Telesavers and Telestunt often provide the best rates. 5. Make completely free calls via your PC With a broadband Internet connection, you can enjoy completely free PC-to-PC calls anywhere on earth using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software. This industry shows such promise that market leader Skype was recently acquired by eBay for billions of dollars. Before you download Skype's software, check out its competition, such as Sipgate, VoIPCheap, and Vonage. Calls to landlines and mobiles using VoIP providers vary considerably, so tread carefully when going down this route. 6. Don't call 118 directory enquiries numbers! If you can't find someone's number, don't call any of the 118 services, as most are absurdly expensive. Instead, try BT's free directory service at 118 500, the 192 website or try a Google search. Here's to cheaper chatting at Christmas - and beyond! More: Have an interest-free Xmas with a 0% credit card | Start saving for next Xmas now!