Cheapest landline to mobile short call.

fantaboulous

I make lots of short calls from my BT Home Phone to UK Mobiles during weekday evenings,and bill is getting higher each quarter.

Has anyone got any ideas how i can reduce it please?

Heinz

Welcome to the MSE forums fantaboulous.

What do you mean by 'short'?

Less than a minute, less than 5 minutes or what?

fantaboulous

They tend to last less then a minute.

Heinz

As you'll see in the MSE UK Callchecker, there are a number of gateway providers offering 0844 access for 5p/minute. From a BT landline, you have to add 3p 'set-up fee' and bear in mind that you start being charged as soon as the 0844 part of the dial string is complete. That means it's probably unlikely that you'd get away with less than 13p for even the shortest of successful calls. I suppose you could get very lucky and just pay 8p but that'd not allow a meaningful conversation of any sort!

Remember too that you get charged at least 8p even if the mobile you're calling is engaged or switched off.

Personally, I stick with 18185 for my calls to mobiles because, although there's a 4p connection charge and whole minute charging (at 6p/minute), there's no charge if the mobile's engaged. A successful connection would result in a 10p minimum call charge (4p connection + one minute @ 6p).

qadri

if u use a company like Swiftnet [0800 **** ***] they have NO minumum or connection charges & they bill per second - so if you route via them all your 0844/0845/0870 or ANY call to any mobile etc... you'll be charged only fractions of pennies..
above 0800 **** *** is a new client/applications direct number & u get better rate than going direct or thru their website or u can call em on 0870 numbers (but thats not for MSE users.... HEE HEE)

Heinz

Looking at their prices (e.g. 8p/minute plus VAT at all times to Spain) and noting that they do not show prices for 084/087 calls on their website, I'll give it a miss thanks.

qadri

heinz...

1. advised NOT to look at their website but to call that number!! their website is so outa date its a joke...

2. you dont need to use them to make any calls -- just to dial their 1xxx before making YOUR choice of call to 0844/0845/0870 or to uk mobiles etc [which was the original enquiry of this poster] & then benefit from their no min charges etc.....

who cares if the 0844 etc.. is billed by BT / Talktalknor swiftnet etc/... the important thing is to have NO minimum charges

callers cant lose!!

Heinz

I think MSE forum users will make up their own minds on whether to bother in view of the fact that, using the (Spain) example I quoted above, the price would have to be divided by at least eight to become competetive.

Anyway, I had a most odd conversation with someone on that number just now.

"Hello."
"Hello."
"Who's that?"
"I'm calling you, if you are a company, I'd expect you to answer with your company name."
"There are several companies within the group. Which one are you calling?"
"Are you telling me all your companies have the same phone number."
"How can I help you?"
"How much do you charge for calls to Spain?"
"If you're asking about Swiftnet, we are currently charging 2.99p per minute plus VAT."
"But your website says 8p/minute."
"Yes, it's sadly out of date."
"Don't you think it'd be a good idea to update it?"
"Yes, it's sadly out of date."

So, they've only got to divide the price by three (and knock of the VAT) to be competetive now.

Hmm.......

qadri

huh????

if they charge 2.99+ for calls to Spain with no min charge- firstly thats not thaaaaaat bad!!
& by the way YOU SAID 2.99+vat divided by 3 = 1.17p!! I CHALLENGE YOU TO FIND ANY COMPANY THAT PROVIDES A DIRECT DIAL SERVICE OR 1xxx AT THAT RATE WITHOUT A CONNECTION OR MIN CHARGE(& dont offer me any 0844/0845 numbers - u know exactly what i'm asking u for...!!)

2. no one asked u to make calls via them!! just to use their 1xxx
(i wrote before: . you dont need to use them to make any calls -- just to dial their 1xxx before making YOUR choice of call to 0844/0845/0870 or to uk mobiles etc [which was the original enquiry of this poster] & then benefit from their no min charges etc.....)

3. why do u disparage all posts that disagre with you?

i'm only trying to be helpful to the original poster....:cool:

qadri

SORRY - JUST NOTICED U MENTIONED DIVIDED BY 8!!

that makes the call to Spain less than halp a penny!!

SHOW ME ANYONE......

as i said: I CHALLENGE YOU TO FIND ANY COMPANY THAT PROVIDES A DIRECT DIAL SERVICE OR 1xxx AT THAT RATE WITHOUT A CONNECTION OR MIN CHARGE(& dont offer me any 0844/0845 numbers - u know exactly what i'm asking u for...!!)

it seems unfair to provide possible misinformation on these boards or 'wrong' other companies.... You have to compare like with like..

if u want to really just use 'cheap' examples - use a 07744 number & CALL SPAIN LANDLINE for nothing!!

hurrah

http://www.thephone.coop/residential/telephone/homeuser.html

have a min call charge of 4.7p operate second billing,and have a good reputation.