International calls from mobiles: Grab them for free article discussion

kirsty191277

I don't understand this and am a bit nervous of using the system? How can Rebtel offer free calls and what happens if my inclusive minutes run out? Are the calls really free?

Has anyone used this that can help me out?

kiwigirluk

To get cheap / free international calls from your mobile, you've got several options

1. T Mobile's product offer where you pay a subscription fee monthly to receive discounted rates. Similar offers are available on O2 My Country.

2. Call forwarding services; obvious appeal if you've lots of free minutes, but make sure you check your bill regularly as mobile providers identify these numbers and place them on the exclusions list. Still definitely enjoy them if you can find the right one!

3. Calling cards - two options here; virtual or physical phone cards

Note: for both, the best value will be using the 0207 access number, as the service provider has to pay for 0800 numbers, and will thereby penalise you.

Physical - be careful as often they over-promise and under deliver minutes, usually by connection charges (when your call connects), call completion charges (when your call finishes), daily or monthly maintenance charges, and as well, then they can change the rates! Often the bigger the discount the service provider has to offer the wholesaler/retailer, the more 'tricks' the card holds.

Virtual - these can be purchased by sending a SMS to a short code, and the service provider sends you back a 0207 access number and a pin. These usually have less 'middle men' than a physical card, so less tricks. Also, the t&c's on a website, giving you more time to check for tricks rather than relying on a poster in a window. Often there are promo offers, especially for the first time user.

4. Three (3)'s Skype - slightly limited if your friends are not on Skype, but if you get a lot of phone calls from one place, look into getting a Skype In number in the destination, and then your friends/family can call you for free via Skype mobile.

5. MVNO sims (PAYG sims not directly from networks) These products are from the same people who offer the physical calling cards. If you make a lot of UK calls, these can be very impractical; a) you need to unlock your mobile if you haven't already and b) can be very pricey if you're making lots of UK calls - either 1) you have to carry two mobiles, 2) run through lots of credit or 3) repeatedly change sim cards

Disclosure: I work in the telecoms industry

kirsty191277

So, is it safe to use Rebtel? Will I get a huge bill from somewhere?

tubaman_2

sorry i have looked at the rebtel site i must be thick i have a mobile as does my wife i am going to cyprus and we want to phone each other her from G/B and me from cyprus do i put my mobile number in and does she do the same or do we get other numbers fro rebtel HELP PLEASE im in the army and really want to phone

redux

tubaman wrote: »

sorry i have looked at the rebtel site i must be thick i have a mobile as does my wife i am going to cyprus and we want to phone each other her from G/B and me from cyprus do i put my mobile number in and does she do the same or do we get other numbers fro rebtel HELP PLEASE im in the army and really want to phone

I don't quite understand Rebtel myself, but it seems to be either a type of conference call, or a callthrough system, depending how it's used


But if you are abroad with a UK phone number, then there would be no point at all using Rebtel, as you'd still be charged roaming rates for the incoming or outgoing calls, whether via a local access or whatever.

Instead, either get a local SIM card, used in an unlocked phone, and let her call you using cheap calls providers found in the MSE Callchecker ...

... or go for cheap roaming options with UK networks, for example either Vodafone Passport or O2's My Europe Extra. If you're on a different UK network, you might get a payg SIM from one of these.

Passport charges 75 pence connection per call, then no further charge for incoming, and outgoing calls same tariff as at home, whether contract minutes or payg rates

My Europe Extra costs £10 per month, then incoming calls are completely free, outgoing 25 pence per minute. So you could do a quick ring then hang up, then she calls you back.

In conjunction with this, if the phone in the UK doesn't have enough inclusive minutes, I'd suggest a separate O2 pay & go SIM with Your O2 Numbers, which costs £5 a month then has up to 1000 minutes to 10 favourite numbers.

redux

kirsty191277 wrote: »

So, is it safe to use Rebtel? Will I get a huge bill from somewhere?

I think the problem is that not many people are using it and understand it, so not many replies.

If you have inclusive minutes on a contract, when you're calling from the UK, then calling a local access number will use those.

As I see it, the person you are calling get's an indication to call you back on a number local to them, so if that happened they might also be using their inclusive minutes from their country.

Sometimes the call just connects to the other number, and Rebtel charge their rate to the destiantion country. As I haven't used the system, I don't know exactly what makes the difference, but I assume it's something to do with whether the destination number answers or calls the number they get told to.

But I wish some actual users would post some replies which expand on this, as that's the bit I don't understand either


Another confusion which has set in in other posts I've read from time to time is that people have misunderstood its purpose a bit and tried using it to or from a British phone that is abroad. If that happens, then the phone abroad will still incur roaming rates. And for calling a UK phone abroad, it makes no difference to the caller where the destination phone is.

So Rebtel may or may not save you money, depending on what you want to do.

Otherwise, for people who want cheap calls to phones of other countries, see the MSE Callchecker. For cheap roaming abroad, there is a thread at the top and an article Martin has written about it.

alexinmancs

I have used Rebtel a few times from my mobile (Orange Contract) because I don't have a landline at home but since I call home (Greece) from work usually I still have loads of credit from my initial £7.
Anyway, the system is very easy and clever (see details below), the rates are great, the sound quality is very good (much better than 0845 redirection services) and the website is very helpful.
A good trick that Rebtel has which will keep nosy mobile companies off the redirection trail is this:
Although Rebtels number starts with an 0151 (seemingly a national call) and if you ring this it takes you to the main menu, where you can place a call, the brilliance is in saving numbers. You can register a number you would call and they assign an 0151 number for that particular person!
Example:
My home in Greece is: 0030 1234 5678901. I register the number on my account page online and Rebtel assigns 0151 203 0501 as the automatic redirection code.
As a result whenever I call 0151 203 0501 from my mobile, I call my home in Greece but with Rebtel's rates and using my free minutes! This number can only be used through my mobile phone though so I have saved it there and nobody else can use it.

Personally I think it's quite a good system and even if I don't use it a lot I have found that when I do use it the quality of the connection is as good as it would be if I rang directly. I have used other redirection services and the quality was from OK to terrible so it's good being able to have an easy access good quality international service on my mobile
PS: On the MSE guide about cheap international call I can no longer see Rebtel, dunno why!

adewton

kiwigirluk wrote: »

To get cheap / free international calls from your mobile, you've got several options

1. T Mobile's product offer where you pay a subscription fee monthly to receive discounted rates. Similar offers are available on O2 My Country.

2. Call forwarding services; obvious appeal if you've lots of free minutes, but make sure you check your bill regularly as mobile providers identify these numbers and place them on the exclusions list. Still definitely enjoy them if you can find the right one!

3. Calling cards - two options here; virtual or physical phone cards

Note: for both, the best value will be using the 0207 access number, as the service provider has to pay for 0800 numbers, and will thereby penalise you.

Physical - be careful as often they over-promise and under deliver minutes, usually by connection charges (when your call connects), call completion charges (when your call finishes), daily or monthly maintenance charges, and as well, then they can change the rates! Often the bigger the discount the service provider has to offer the wholesaler/retailer, the more 'tricks' the card holds.

Virtual - these can be purchased by sending a SMS to a short code, and the service provider sends you back a 0207 access number and a pin. These usually have less 'middle men' than a physical card, so less tricks. Also, the t&c's on a website, giving you more time to check for tricks rather than relying on a poster in a window. Often there are promo offers, especially for the first time user.

4. Three (3)'s Skype - slightly limited if your friends are not on Skype, but if you get a lot of phone calls from one place, look into getting a Skype In number in the destination, and then your friends/family can call you for free via Skype mobile.

5. MVNO sims (PAYG sims not directly from networks) These products are from the same people who offer the physical calling cards. If you make a lot of UK calls, these can be very impractical; a) you need to unlock your mobile if you haven't already and b) can be very pricey if you're making lots of UK calls - either 1) you have to carry two mobiles, 2) run through lots of credit or 3) repeatedly change sim cards

Disclosure: I work in the telecoms industry

Hi Kiwigirl,
I plan to buy one of those MVNO sims and I have an old unlocked mobile. Do you know how reliable they are?

Fuzzy_2

alexinmancs wrote: »

I have used Rebtel a few times from my mobile (Orange Contract) because I don't have a landline at home but since I call home (Greece) from work usually I still have loads of credit from my initial £7.
Anyway, the system is very easy and clever (see details below), the rates are great, the sound quality is very good (much better than 0845 redirection services) and the website is very helpful.
A good trick that Rebtel has which will keep nosy mobile companies off the redirection trail is this:
Although Rebtels number starts with an 0151 (seemingly a national call) and if you ring this it takes you to the main menu, where you can place a call, the brilliance is in saving numbers. You can register a number you would call and they assign an 0151 number for that particular person!
Example:
My home in Greece is: 0030 1234 5678901. I register the number on my account page online and Rebtel assigns 0151 203 0501 as the automatic redirection code.
As a result whenever I call 0151 203 0501 from my mobile, I call my home in Greece but with Rebtel's rates and using my free minutes! This number can only be used through my mobile phone though so I have saved it there and nobody else can use it.

Personally I think it's quite a good system and even if I don't use it a lot I have found that when I do use it the quality of the connection is as good as it would be if I rang directly. I have used other redirection services and the quality was from OK to terrible so it's good being able to have an easy access good quality international service on my mobile
PS: On the MSE guide about cheap international call I can no longer see Rebtel, dunno why!

Sorry I am not sure I quite follow, seems you benefit as you are calling internationally from the UK.

I want to make calls from Turkey using my mobile, however I have just set up a number on Rebtel, and because I am on a UK mobile currently in the UK I have been given a UK number assigned to the number I wish to call while I am away, so therefore I will still incur the huge rates of Orange?

I stand to be corrected on how I can do this? Please can someone explain?

Many thanks - I leave on Sunday 9th

fsrandom

Vodafone Passport might be more suitable for you if you're going Turkey before the end of August, that's if you're calling the UK from Turkey anyway.