The massive cost of overseas calls
If you need to contact friends or family abroad it can cost a packet if you use your normal mobile or home phone provider.
For example, calling Australia from an O2 pay monthly mobile costs £1 a minute, while dialling an Australian mobile will cost 33.8p/min plus a 15.71p connection charge from a BT line.
But adds-ons, prefix numbers, apps and VOIP providers can considerably lower the cost.
Mobile add-ons
EE has launched a range of international calling packs and add-ons for mobile customers who need to regularly call people outside the UK.
EE is offering two packs. The International Pack includes up to 1,000 minutes to up to five landline or mobile numbers in 50 countries for £10 a month. Meanwhile the International Extra Pack includes 500 minutes to up to five landline or mobile numbers in 100 countries for £20 a month.
EE customers should read the small print before signing up to either pack – if you’re on a pay monthly contract you’ll have to agree to keep the pack for a minimum of 18 months.
O2 offers a similar bundle, called the 'International Favourites Bolt On'. For £10 a month users get 3,000 landline minutes and 100 mobile minutes to call their three favourite international numbers.
Make free calls abroad
If you sign up for a EE or O2 bolt-on to your mobile contract there’s no messing about with apps, different SIM cards or prefix numbers. You simply dial the number you want straight from your mobile.
However if you’re prepared to make a bit of effort you can call abroad for less from your mobile – and for free in some cases.
Free calls over the internet are made using 'Voice over Internet Protocol' or VOIP. In most cases to make free calls both you and the person you’re calling need to be using the same service. You can do this on Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G or your desktop PC.
Alternatively, landline users can use specialist cheap overseas ‘override' phone companies.
Best VOIP providers
Perhaps the longest established VOIP provider is Skype which allows you to make free voice or video calls to other Skype users.
You can use Skype on your PC (with a headset and speakers) or download the Skype app to your smartphone or tablet.
However, using Skype to call real phone numbers abroad incurs a cost – so make sure the person you’re calling has Skype.
Viber works in a similar way to Skype and some users report the call quality is better. Again, the other person will need to have Viber installed too.
Facebook users can use the Messenger app to make voice or video calls. The person you’re calling needs to have Messenger too. Calling them is as simple as starting a chat conversation with them and tapping either the voice call icon or video call icon.
Bear in mind that if you use any VOIP service on 3G or 4G it will eat into your data allowance. If you don’t have unlimited data, either keep an eye on how much you use or only use VOIP when you’re connected to free Wi-Fi or if you have unlimited data on your home broadband package.
Override providers
Landline override numbers normally involve inputting a prefix or override number before dialling the number you want to call. Depending on the provider and destination you can call abroad for as little as 0.5p/min.
Some override numbers require you to set up an account while others will bill you via your home phone bill.
Which override provider is best depends where you want to call – costs vary. You can compare what's on offer with cheapestinternationalcalls.com.
For example, it shows how calling a Bahamas landline can cost just 4p/minute with Just Dial or Auracall, or calling Poland costs 0.69p a minute with RebTel or 1p a minute with several providers including TeleNatter and Story Telecom.