Help on international and long distance calls (Oak Lawn, McHenry: taxes, cost)

[Wallyworld]

Hi to all,

I'm tired of being gouged by phone company to be able to call Europe and also on long distance calls here. Check this out - if I call from NW side in city to a friend in city by Oak Lawn, I GET CHARGED as a long distance call.

I want to drop package from AT&T, but I need to call relatives in Canada and Europe. What is best card to have for this? Also is long distance here on this card? Or do I need another card to call out to McHenry, IL. etc.

Thanks

[vandre]

Use the internet to make phone calls (Google offers free calls to the US and Canada), or if you don't have high speed internet at home, get a prepaid cell phone. There are plans (for example AT&Ts) that cost $2 a day unlimited calls nationwide. You only pay the $2 dollars if you actually use the phone that day...

http://www.google.com/chat/voice/

For international long distance I like to use Skype. They have a feature called d Skype To Go, it allows you to use any phone and take advantage of Skype low rates. It is actually pretty cool because they have this page were you enter the international numbers that you most frequently call, and it creates a virtual (i.e. fake) local numbers for each one. You call the local number, and it connects you to the international #.

[Golden Camel]

If you just want a calling card service and don't want to use an internet service like Skype, I recommend onesuite:
http://www.onesuite.com
Calls within the continental United States are 2.5 cents/minute, US to Canada is 1.9 cents/minute, most of Western Europe is in the 2 to 3 cent range (some countries are even cheaper than domestic calls). There are no taxes or fees (except a 55 cent charge if you call from a payphone). No minimum per call. And it is rechargeable (you can add more money anytime) so you don't have to keep getting new cards or lose the last few cents that are left on your old card. You can also register your phone number at their web site so you don't have to keep dialing the card number every time you want to make a call.

Yes, you can use it to make local toll calls (even local calls, but that would be silly). Suggestion: First try the service and see if you like it. Then if you do, call AT&T and tell them you want "No default long distance carrier and no default local toll carrier" on your line. (Make absolutely sure you ask for BOTH. There is a one-time service fee of about $5 for making the change. There is no fee after that.) Also tell them you want a "PIC (primary inter-exchange carrier) freeze" on your line. (If they don't know what you mean by a "PIC freeze" tell them "anti-slamming protection.") That way if you accidentally dial a toll number from your phone, it won't go through. You won't have to check in advance whether any random number you need to dial is a toll number. You will still be able to dial 800 (and 877, 866, 855, etc) toll-free numbers and 900 numbers (unless you blocked them too). And in an emergency, you will still be able to dial long distance by prefacing the number with a 10-10-xxx code.

Having a "PIC freeze" prevents a random long distance carrier from attaching itself to your line as the default unless you call AT&T to OK it first.

[orelaf]

I've used noble.com for the past several years. Their rates are as low as any and they are very tech-savvy. You can have their service integrated through their app into your smartphone and it will do all the dialing for you. If you don't have a smartphone you can still associate your phone number with your pin number and have your most frequently used numbers speed dial. To me it's a major feature because dialing long pin and international numbers is a pita.

Skype for a smartphone (if you have one) is pretty neat as well. You can make and receive calls without a computer, just like if you were making a regular phone call. Their international rates are generally higher than average though, so I only use it for Skype to Skype calls.

[Wallyworld]

Thanks for the replies.

[cristhiandc]

I found a website where you can check on your call history, and has no hidden fees. Almost all the companies are retailers and that makes them have either high rates or hidden fees. At the end I was always losing minutes. I recommend this site distancecalling.com

[glass_of_merlot]

Originally Posted by Golden Camel

If you just want a calling card service and don't want to use an internet service like Skype, I recommend onesuite:
http://www.onesuite.com
Calls within the continental United States are 2.5 cents/minute, US to Canada is 1.9 cents/minute, most of Western Europe is in the 2 to 3 cent range (some countries are even cheaper than domestic calls). There are no taxes or fees (except a 55 cent charge if you call from a payphone). No minimum per call. And it is rechargeable (you can add more money anytime) so you don't have to keep getting new cards or lose the last few cents that are left on your old card. You can also register your phone number at their web site so you don't have to keep dialing the card number every time you want to make a call.

I have used onesuite for 10 years! I love them. $10 and it last me forever. I call my parents in Sweden alot and relatives in Seattle and it is so easy. I can call from any phone as long as I know mu access code, which is usually my phone number. Love Onesuite!

[Lisah168]

This may not be directly related, but if you have an android and use calling card to make international phone calls, I found QikCard app to be the most advanced and convenient way to manage calls. Have been using it for a couple of months now...