Get Free International Calls!

The way we make international calls has changed vastly over the years. I remember the days when you had to toddle down to your local newsagent to buy a card, scratch off the silver panel on the back with a coin and dial a multitude of numbers before getting connected to your nearest and dearest.

Since then, times have changed.

These days you can pick up your landline and make cheap international calls without keying in all those numbers, and if you’re savvy enough can even make free calls from your computer.

International calls can also be made cheaply on the move. Just last week, Lycamobile entered the market, with promises of call charges to countries such as Australia, India and Poland, from just 4p per minute.

Lycamobile also gives you £1 extra credit for every £5 top up, £2.50 for a £10 top up and £6 free for a £20 top-up.

Lycamobile SIMs are currently sold in over 85,000 small retail outlets such as newsagents and convenience stores. Although I’m told you won’t be able to stroll into your local WHSmith or Woolworths to pick one up just yet, you can find a local retailer by entering your postcode on the website.

Lycamobile are not the first to offer this service. In fact, Orange which powers Lycamobile’s network has its own international pay as you go ‘Camel’ tariff, which offers similar cheap call rates around the world.

As a quick comparison, here’s how the two networks size up when it comes to calling eight random destinations:

As you can see, in most cases Lycamobile is cheaper than its hump-backed rival. However, there are a few cases where the Camel tariff is cheaper, such as calling mobiles in certain European countries.

Texting is also a plus-point with Lycamobile. A text message to an international mobile number costs just 10p with Lycamobile, compared to 15p with the Camel tariff and around 20p for most tariffs on the 'big five' networks.

The network also offers free calls between Lycamobiles, which is good if you like to natter away to others who also use the service. However, there is a connection charge of 15p per call, a maximum call time of 30 minutes per call and a fair use policy of 3,000 minutes per month.

Despite this plethora of benefits, I still see Lycamobile as an additional SIM you can slot in your phone to make calls, as opposed to an all-out replacement for your current one.

As I stated in Slash Your Mobile Costs by 74%, the cheapest flat rate PAYG tariff is provided by Asda, with domestic calls costing 8p per minute to any UK landline or mobile, and texts costing 4p.

Roaming from your landline

If you regularly call abroad, and don’t mind making those calls from the comfort of your own home, You could always opt for one of the call packages offered by a traditional home phone provider. Here are some of the deals available at the moment:

*The Orange package also includes 8Meg broadband. To compare this with other packages, BT Option 1 broadband added to the above BT deal would cost an extra £7.95 a month for the first three months, and £15.99 thereafter.

For a fixed monthly fee (or in some cases, just by signing up), you can get access to free calls to a range of countries. These options are definitely handy if you frequently make international calls. However, be sure to check whether countries you call are included with your plan.

For example, if I had relatives in Japan, China and Malaysia I’d be better opting for the BT package, whereas those frequently calling mobiles in the USA should look to Tiscali as their first port of call (in all cases BT or alternative phone line rental remains payable).

Surf and speak with Skype

Of course, for the computer savvy among us, there’s always Skype.

Skype allows you to make free calls from your computer or Skypephone to any other Skype user around the world. A Skypephone costs from £39.99 to buy and you can make unlimited Skype calls from it (subject to a fair use policy of 4,000 minutes), as well as calls to mobile numbers and landlines using your regular top-ups.

I’ve had the pleasure of owning a Skypephone, and the call quality is pretty good – with the odd hiccup of course. You can find out more about Skype and how it works by reading this article.

Alternatively, you could also try Jajah, which offers free international calls from your landline when you register. Simply enter the landline numbers you wish to call to get started.

The countries you can call for free are slightly more limited than those offered as part of a home phone package -- but when the word ‘free’ is involved, who is complaining?

Of course, those wishing to stick to tradition can still buy a calling card, and I would also love Fools to post their own favourites at the bottom of this article.

For now, hopefully these tips should give you a little food for thought, and perhaps a few extra pennies in your pocket too.

More: Ditch BT and Save £118 A Year / The Cheapest Way To Read This Article