Advice for Making Overseas Phone Calls

The high cost of international phone calls can be a financial shock and generate anxiety about the future if your business needs to communicate with suppliers or customers overseas, or if you have a loved one living or traveling abroad. The impact on your phone account may be significant due to the disparity in calling rates between countries, but there are steps you can take to minimize the impact in the future.

Accessing Foreign Mobile Phones Overseas:

It's important to use extreme caution when making phone calls to mobile devices in other countries. When making calls from a mobile device (cell phone, pager, etc.) in the United States, many international carriers operate on a "calling party pays" basis. The tariff charge for a call made from a foreign wireless phone to a landline in the same country may be significantly higher. The "InternationalusSpecial Services Termination Rate" is the formal name for this tacked-on fee. Rates for international calls should be detailed in your phone service's rate guide. Because of this, complaining to your local provider about what you may perceive to be high prices on your phone bill will likely not change anything.

Direct dialing, which involves dialing 011 followed by the relevant country code, city code, and finally the local number, may provide a more favorable total calling rate depending on the nation being called. In cases where local plans impose an excessively high rate for a country you need to routinely call, dialaround services may be worth considering as an alternative. A 10-digit number may be used to access these services.

A dial-around number can be used in many different countries to make calls to the United States without having to switch long distance providers. Savings might be substantial thanks to the low international rates offered by these businesses. Nevertheless, dialaround services are not available in situations where you need to dial 8 or 9 to reach your dial tone, such as in an office or hotel.

Calls Can Be Placed With the Help of an Operator:

Unless it's an extreme necessity, you should never, ever utilize an operator to make an international call. There are always going to be exceptions to every rule (collect calls, direct calls between people, and third-party billing come to mind), but it's always best to avoid such and utilize direct dialing or a dial-around service wherever possible. The first birthday I spent in Indonesia was spent talking to my kid on the local operator for almost an hour to wish him a happy birthday. That happened before I even entered the industry. There was more than $100 on my phone bill. I would have spent little more than $15.00 for a dial-around service, which was unavailable at the time.

Here are some things to keep in mind while placing a call through an operator:

To make a call, start by dialing 0, then the number you want to reach, like 0-123-456-7890. The speed of the connection will increase as a result of this. Depending on your chosen carrier, this approach may be more cost-effective.

When making an international call, the customary procedure is to first dial "0" or "00" and then provide the operator with the phone number you intend to reach along with any further information they may require, such as whether the call should be made collect or directly between individuals.

In the Case of Prepaid Calling Cards

Prepaid calling cards are another option for cutting costs while making international phone calls. Calling cards with pre-paid minutes are convenient to carry about and can shield you from unscrupulous phone companies. You should think about the billing increment of your call and the expiration date of the card, as well as any connection costs, maintenance fees, monthly fees, and so on that may apply at the time and place of your call. Choose a reusable, non-expiring card if you anticipate frequent use of calling cards.

Making a call from a cell phone in the US:

Internet users can find innumerable accounts of consumers who were "charged" (cheated) by their cellular operators when making international calls. In a fortunate turn of events, however, advanced preparation can help you save a lot of money on calls of this nature. Finding a "stand-alone" international calling package that allows you to dial around your cellular carrier, thus skipping their network for the international portion of the call, is vital. When compared to the rates charged by the cell phone company, the standalone plan offers significant savings.

The best part is that you can keep using your current cell phone service provider with this setup. To make an international call from your cell phone, simply register your number with the system provider and then dial their U.S. access number.

To make a call, first dial 011, followed by the relevant country code, city code, and phone number, as described above. Conversely, if you are making use of a dial-around service, your dialing sequence would look like this: (101)1x-xxx + 011 + country code + 011 + city code + number. Remember that there are around 20 nations besides the United States where you would dial 1+ without the 011.

The "10-1x-xxx" is the dialing code for the service provider you've decided to use.

You should get in touch with the dial-around service you've decided on to find out how to reach their system.

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is an affordable option for making international phone calls. You'll also need a touch-tone phone and access to a high-speed Internet connection, such as DSL or cable. VoIP can also be used to make international calls, and some services even offer unlimited long distance. Monthly premiums for these plans often cost $50 or less. Visit http://www.globalvalueconnect.com/VoIP.htm for additional details about Voice over Internet Protocol.