International calls via alternative providers

Ian011

Some landline and mobile providers offer cheap rates for international calls. Some even offer a limited selection of inclusive destinations, perhaps on a slightly more expensive call plan.

Others charge extortionate rates for international calls but there are a number of ways of avoiding the expensive charges, by using an alternative provider.


Indirect Access from landlines

Indirect Access providers offer the chance to make international calls from a landline by first dialling a short code that starts with a 1 and then the international destination number. The most well-known service is 18185, but there are others. With these, you receive a monthly bill from the dial-through provider and pay nothing to your landline provider for the call.

These services work from BT landlines and from some other landlines that use BT infrastructure (such as Plusnet). Other landline providers do not allow calls to be made via this method.


Premium rate numbers from landlines and mobiles

Some dial-through providers offer their services via 'instant-access' 084, 087 or 09 numbers, thereby allowing callers to onwards dial an international destination without having to set up an account in advance. Call charges for these numbers comprise two parts, each separately declared.

The Access Charge element of the call cost pays the caller's landline or mobile provider to connect and convey the UK leg of the call. The Service Charge element of the call cost pays the dial-through provider for the international leg of the call. Both of these will be a 'per-minute' rate.

These services can be used from landlines and from mobiles. Where the Access Charge has been set at a high rate by the caller's landline or mobile provider, it may be uneconomic to use this type of connection for making international calls. There are, however, some cases where international calls can be made via these numbers at no incremental cost to the caller.


Inclusive 0845 and 0870 numbers

Some landline providers still allow inclusive calls to premium 0845 and/or 0870 numbers. In these cases, the caller's landline provider is paying out the Service Charge without collecting it from the caller. Although their Terms and Conditions often state that calls to 0845 & 0870 dial-through services are excluded (in which case you would pay both the Access Charge and the applicable Service Charge), in practice only a few of these services seem to be subject to this condition.

Some mobile providers offer add-on packages for calling 084 and 087 numbers. These deals see the mobile provider paying out the Service Charge, the amount of which could be far higher than the monthly package price. Again, the Terms and Conditions may state that 084 & 087 dial-though numbers are excluded, but in practice many seem to work just fine.

If you decide to make use of this feature, first make a few brief test calls and then keep a very close eye on your phone bill each time you make a call which you expect to be inclusive in your allowance.


03 and 080 numbers with additional charges

Many dial-through providers also offer connection via 03 or 080 numbers. With these, you pay for the international leg of the call through a separate monthly bill or via a top-up (usually via a short call to a premium rate number) in advance.

Use the 03 number when you have a package of inclusive calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers. Use the 080 number when you do not have any inclusive calls to 03 numbers.

When using the 080 number, the charge made by the international provider will be slightly higher than when using the 03 number. This is because the international provider has to compensate the caller's landline or mobile provider for the fact that the caller paid nothing for the call to the 080 number.


03 numbers with no additional charges

There are a small number of dial-through providers that offer an 'instant access' 03 number where there is no additional charge for the international part of the call. These services rely on the 0.5p per minute termination fee paid by the caller's landline or mobile provider. This fee is paid even where the call is inclusive for the caller. Accordingly, the list of destinations is very limited, usually landlines in Europe and perhaps a small number of destinations further afield.


Mobile shortcodes

Some dial-through providers also offer 'instant access' calls via a mobile shortcode. The call cost will be the same on every mobile network that the number can be called from. The usual arrangement is a series of numbers each one with a different call cost and a specific list of destinations available through each number.


Other calls

There are numerous ways of making calls to international destinations. The methods above can save considerable sums of money.

While the main use for dial-through providers is in calling international destinations, they are also useful for:
- calling UK mobile numbers if your call plan does not have inclusive calls to mobile numbers
- calling landline and mobile numbers allocated in CI and IoM.

Those who have inclusive calls to 0870 numbers can also find a variety of services that allow you to make calls to 0843, 0844, 0845, 0871 and 0872 numbers with a Service Charge of up to 10p per minute effectively at no charge.

scoobers

Useful post, I'm on Plusnet Anytime tariff and get calls to 0845 / 0870 number included, I pay £2.50 a month for 300 mins of calls to 084 / 087 numbers on my Vodafone mobile.
I use Call Happy 0870 access numbers to call my friends and family overseas.