Cheapest way to call Australia?

Skint_Catt

Hi all,

My half-brother has just got back in touch after 30 years of not bothering. He's in Perth, WA and we wondered the cheapest way (excl Skype as i'm on dial-up) to call Australia.

Thanks

Heinz

Using a BT landline:

3p connection (6p from 1/8/07) + ½p/minute via a gateway provider;

5p connection + 1p/minute via 18185.

http://callchecker.moneysavingexpert.com/intcallchecker/australia (scroll down).

Skint_Catt

Thanks - but one of them says I need to call a 0844 access code? isn't this going to cost?

Sorry - can do it inbound, but get confused from the Uk out!

Heinz

Gateway providers use 0844, 0871 etc. access numbers. For call costs of 5p/minute and below they use 0844 numbers.

In this case, using 0844 200 4040 or 0844 200 9595 will mean you dial the 11 digits of the 0844 number, listen to the instructions and then dial the full number in Australia (which, for Perth, starts 00618 because, although the dialling code for Perth is 08, you have to drop the leading 0 when dialling from outside Australia). The call goes out on your normal calls provider (BT in your case?) and you are charged 3p* connection and ½p/minute by BT.

* The BT connection charge is doubling to 6p w.e.f. 1/8/07.

utilitybroker

If you happen to be a Sky Customer their £5 a month 24/7 inclusive call package includes calls to Oz.

http://www.sky.com/portal/site/skycom/skytalk

Heinz

utilitybroker wrote: »

If you happen to be a Sky Customer their £5 a month 24/7 inclusive call package includes calls to Oz.

..... of up to an hour.

Skint_Catt

Thanks but no we don't have sky.

Ok 6p connection and then 0.5p per min. Sounds ok to me. It won't be a weekly thing, but every little helps Dad stay in touch even though he hasn't had so much as a Fathers Day or Birthday card for nearly 30 years :mad: but thats another story.

C xx

Heinz

In case you didn't know, Perth is on time zone GMT + 8 hours (BST + 7 hours) and it's 12ºC and raining there at the moment!

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=196

Skint_Catt

Ah, I thought it was 6 hours at the mo, but Dad spoke to him earlier anyway.

Thanks for all your help!

C xx

redux

If you can use the internet for calls, then an account with an Australian VoIP provider would give you long calls for just a connection fee.

Skint_Catt

redux wrote: »

If you can use the internet for calls, then an account with an Australian VoIP provider would give you long calls for just a connection fee.

As I said above I don't have Broadband and have been told it wouldn't work properly with dialup.