Travelling in the USA - making/receiving calls to the UK from a mobile?

expeditionist · 29 September 2008 at 3:54PM

Hi guys

I'm stuck and would appreciate some advice.

What's the cheapest way to make/receive calls to/from the UK from a mobile phone while in the USA?

I've found the USA Go-SIM (http://www.gosim.com/index.php?page=usa) and the USA Jolt SIM (http://www.oneroam.co.uk/sim-cards.aspx?igs=1&m=14&mi=95) which both allow users to make / receive calls for 18 pence a minute, but that seems very expensive in comparison to other global SIM destinations and each of the SIM cards expire if not used for 30 days which is no good for me because I'll be making several trips to the USA over the next 12 months with more than 30 days in between.

I looked at buying a local USA SIM on eBay from AT&T USA or T-Mobile USA but all their prepaid plans seem to have high surcharges for international long distance calls to the UK.

Am I missing something obvious - 6.5 million British nationals visit the USA every year - surely there's a better solution for Brits using mobiles in the USA?

Thanks for your help...........

Incapuppy · 29 September 2008 at 4:13PM

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/cheap-roaming-calls

M4RKM · 29 September 2008 at 6:37PM

i use a t-mobile sim card and have no problems with it whatsoever... i don't get clobbered for the "surcharge" as you call it for calling back to the UK, as i normally only call home, and there is a USA VOIP line there, so therefore it is like calling a local number... bargains galore!

M

sturll · 29 September 2008 at 6:48PM

Get the 3 Skype phone. Give one to whoever your calling and you have one. They phone you for free, you pay about 1p a min.

expeditionist · 30 September 2008 at 1:11PM

Hi guys

Thanks for all your replies.

A Skype phone would seem to be the cheapest way but the problem is that I have several people to keep in contact with and not one of them has a Skype phone - me neither.

I think I'm going to get a T-Moble GoPhone PAYG SIM off e-Bay.

Interestingly, the t-mobile site says that all refills last for 90 days, even the $10 ones, but there are lots of other web sites that say only 30 days - would prefer to top up with US$10 rather than US$100 - see here: http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/Default.aspx?plancategory=4

I'm wondering if anyone has any direct experience of credit expiring?

Additionally, the t-mobile site quotes rates at 10c per minute but that's not for international calls - calls to the UK are $1.60 per minute per the website: http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/prepaidrates.aspx - so I would need to find an access number as you suggest? Haven't looked into that yet.

markymoo - I'm very interested in your post - what VOIP number do you call to get calls to the UK for 10 cents a minute please?

However, I'm a bit confused - would I be charged US$1.60 to receive calls from the UK - that wouldn't work.

It's all a bit confusing!

Thanks again...........

benjus · 30 September 2008 at 1:46PM

Dialling from a fixed line is always going to be cheaper, but if you really want to use your mobile, you might consider looking at a VoIP service like Nonoh (www.nonoh.net). Nonoh has a geographical US access number (New York I think, judging by the area code) - you can dial this number then dial the destination number you want to call.

You would need to open an account with Nonoh, register your US mobile number with your account and buy some call credit first, but you could do all this from the UK before you go - you can have multiple numbers registered to the account so you can initially use your UK mobile then add the US mobile number later. The rates are very reasonable (UK landlines are free for up to 200 minute per week, and UK mobiles are about 8p/min). Obviously you would also pay the cost of calling the access number from your mobile (presumably $0.10 per minute).

bc3000 · 30 September 2008 at 1:55PM

get a call card while you're there and call landlines over here, or go on skype/msn on your computer if you have one!

M4RKM · 30 September 2008 at 6:45PM

the service i use for my voip, no longer signs up new customers, which defeats the object really of being able to help.. but... i have a linksys pap2 box connected to my router, which gives me 2 ports, to plug in a standard telephone, the pap2 connects to the voip service, and it is a standard phone... (repeating myself.. oops)

so, i dial from my t-mobile number the voip number which is also a NYC area code, and it connects to it, via the magic of the internet, and voila, i call back to the phone in the UK...

now, if i were in the UK, i can pick up that phone, dial a US number, (say your cellphone) and you would only get charged for the incoming call (ooh, did you know with most US Cell phones you get charged for incoming and outgoing calls?!)..

now, the service was called stanaphone, and i know it doesn't accept new customers now.... but at least i've explained how it works..

- vonage - they offer US numbers as an add on, so if you already have vonage, you could add on a US number...

flutterbyuk25 · 30 September 2008 at 6:57PM

I used tracphone when I was working in the US this summer. I bought a cheap mobile for $15 which came with the SIM card. They sell the phones in most large supermarkets, and top ups are widely available for purchase. I worked in the middle of nowhere in New Jersey and the local StopNShop (think Spar shop) sold them.

You buy top ups in batches of mins - 60mins was $20, 120mins was $30 and they tended to send you offer codes for additional free mins next time you topped up. They have other types of top up bundles too.

To call internationally you had to ring a set number then just dial 011 county code city code tel no. Very easy to use. The cost was then just the actual minutes you used on the phone, plus about 40seconds to actual dial this number and input the tel no you are ringing. Texts costs 33seconds.

And remember it costs to send/make and receive both calls and texts in the US!

This worked very well for me as I was in states for 3 months, but if you are only there on holiday for couple weeks then I would just buy prepaid phonecards.

x

expeditionist · 30 September 2008 at 10:18PM

Thanks all for your further replies.

Wow - why is this so complicated - are the telecom companies trying to make it deliberately hard for the 6.5 million British nationals who visit the USA each year, or what!

Firstly - I realise that I can go to an internet cafe and call the UK using VOIP over the internet (won't be travelling with a laptop myself) and I also realise that I can buy a calling card when I get there and call the UK from a landline using that calling card.

However, I have several people who want to be able to call me at any time and so this thread was aimed solely at defining the best way to make and receive calls to and from the UK from a mobile while in the USA.

Thanks markymoo - but my internet connection at home is hard wired through an internal broadband modem so I can only connect to the internet through my computer when my computer is turned on so that rules out the use of VOIP in the way you described – would have to buy a router and the other equipment you mentioned and sign up to whatever service I need - apart from the cost, I'm not sure I have the techy knowledge to install a set-up like that either, me being just a country fellow! - roll on the days when all mobiles are skype mobiles and everyone calls over skype from their mobile!

flutterbyuk25 - I'm interested to know what the cost is to receive calls from the UK using your method? The USA t-mobile SIM pre-paid international rate (http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/prepaidrates.aspx) for calling the UK is US$1.60 for outgoing so does that mean that with a USA t-mobile SIM I'll have to pay US$1.60 per minute to pick up a call from the UK?

It seems to me that I can get a USA SIM from t-mobile via e-Bay, and that t-mobile would charge me 10 cents a minute to dial a local USA access number to a VOIP service such as http://www.dialnow.com/en/calling-rates.html#letu and that DialNow would charge a VOIP account with them at half a cent per minute for calls to UK landlines or 7.5 cents per minute for calls to UK mobiles.

Next thing I have to find out is if I buy a USA t-mobile SIM off e-Bay and it comes unactivated without any credit - can I get an activated USA number and top it up before I leave the UK and how?

Apart from that, my conclusion is that at cheapest it costs about 6 pence (10.5 cents) per minute to call a UK landline from a USA mobile and about 10 pence (17.5 cents) per minute to call a UK mobile from a USA mobile and that SIM card credit with t-mobile USA lasts for 90 days.

I haven’t found a way to receive calls cheaply on a mobile in the USA which is a shame because I can receive calls for free or at minimal cost in many countries with my Story Telecom Travel Talk SIM card – but not USA - if we missed anything and anyone has ideas for receiving calls in the USA without being charged so much, add it to the thread please…

Thanks all... hope this comes in useful...

M4RKM · 30 September 2008 at 10:25PM

yes, my way is rather techy and complex... had it for years now, so not going to change... never got skype as it ain't really VOIP, as it doesn't give you a phone number included (just a little rant!)

anyywayyy....

to receive calls on a t-mob sim, it is the standard rate...

this really is the best thing, get people to call you, they pay the international rate to the USA, (which can be got for really really cheap) and then you just pay 10¢ a minute...

texting the UK is the same cost as texting the US, so that works out a really good way of keeping in touch.. send your friend a text, then they call you.. boom.. cheap!

when i bought my T-Mob sim on ebay, i made sure the guy who i bought it off set it to activated, with an NYC number, and also the DOB that he registered with it... meant i could call up and change the details etc with cust services

Travelling in the USA - making/receiving calls to the UK from a mobile?

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