# mobile calls to uk



## grahamt9 (Jul 11, 2009)

i wonder if anyone can give some advice my daughter bwill be going to mexico in august to study from university for 9 months or so and we are worried about keeping in contact has anyone any ideas about the cheapest way of using amobile/cellphone to ring uk and in country calls [which networks ,tarrifs etc] please help of any kind much appreciated ta Graham


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

If she has a computer, the cheapest way to _make_ calls to UK is with a service such as Skype. If she doesn't have her own computer, there are many internet cafes nearly everywhere.

The second-cheapest way is using a street phone (of which there are also many) and a long-distance calling card. A street phone is also the cheapest way to make local calls for someone who doesn't have a fixed line in their home.

However, she may want a mobile to _receive_ calls both from UK friends and family and her Mexican contacts. 

The best services for her purposes are Telcel or Movistar. Both providers offer pay-as-you-go kits. The cheapest phones are nearly free, as they cost only a few hundred pesos, but the price includes 300 pesos airtime. Calling UK, or calling Mexican fixed line phones from these is expensive so even if she gets her own cell phone, she will still be better off using a computer or a street phone for outbound calls. However the user does not pay to receive local calls (there is a charge, though, to receive long distance calls).


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## Guest (Jul 17, 2009)

Gotta agree. 

I am a daughter that is (and has been) away for several months and my parents and I always call with Skype. I installed the program for them and made a profile (it's real simple), make sure you got a mic as well (usually really cheap). 

Just be careful to arrange 'meetings' on Skype. The time difference with Europe can be such that it is hard to run into each other, also both you and your daughter probably have a life - as in, you're not always available. I have once been waiting a whole morning for my parents to find out later that in their evening they had a b-day party somewhere.. 

What I also sometimes do is sending a text message that I will be available and on Skype for the next so and so many hours, texting usually is cheap, but you gotta be careful that the networks are compatible - my dad isn't able to receive my messages from Telcel, my mom is. Kinda weird. 

Hope this eases your worries


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

grahamt9 said:


> i wonder if anyone can give some advice my daughter bwill be going to mexico in august to study from university for 9 months or so and we are worried about keeping in contact has anyone any ideas about the cheapest way of using amobile/cellphone to ring uk and in country calls [which networks ,tarrifs etc] please help of any kind much appreciated ta Graham


Avoid mobile phones for long distance calls. They are pretty useless.

The tariffs to make call are extortionate and the worst problem is that in Mexico the person receiving the call also pays (completely ridiculous policy). My sister in Mexico has begged me not to call her to her mobile for this very reason.

Roaming with a UK phone is not an option neither, I did that with a company phone and my employer was not very happy with the bill 

Skype and calling cards are the best option (calling cards can be used in local mobile phones, or in any land-line, not only street phones). If your daughter does not have a computer you can get second hand netbooks very cheap that can run Skype. There are many places in Mexico with WiFI access now, so the netbook would be easier to carry around for this purpose.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Mexico has changed to a 'caller pays' system, but it is still expensive.
We don't make a lot of calls out of the country, but when we do, we use a call back system at about 14 cents (US) per minute and no monthly fees. International service is available if you contact Nancy Savon at [email protected] and tell her RVGRINGO recommended you.


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## f3drivr (Nov 18, 2008)

Skype is great for calling other skype users but the least expensive way to call landlines and cellphones in USA and Canada is MagicJack. It only costs $19.99 a year for unlimited calls, a computer with a high speed internet conncetion is required and it works with either a computer microphone or any regular telephone. To call the UK you could use a MagicJack to call the access number for a service such as Calleasy and then call the UK for around one cent/minute.


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## twocents (Jul 23, 2009)

I have used a Magic Jack when I am out of the country which is free as long as you have an internet connection. You do have to pay for the jack, it cost me $9.99 and then a phone receiver, i just took mine with from home.


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## bloomfieldtj (Jan 19, 2009)

grahamt9 said:


> i wonder if anyone can give some advice my daughter bwill be going to mexico in august to study from university for 9 months or so and we are worried about keeping in contact has anyone any ideas about the cheapest way of using amobile/cellphone to ring uk and in country calls [which networks ,tarrifs etc] please help of any kind much appreciated ta Graham


I would agree with other posters than Skype is probably the best option if your daughter has a computer/laptop. If she is staying in accommodation with a landline, another option would be koalacalling.com, which is an international telecom service, similar to another recommended here, whereby dialled international calls are re-routed to/from the United States, and thus it works out much cheaper than dialing direct from Mexico. We used this and found it very convenient. I'm sorry, but I can't offer advice on the mobile phone side of things.


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