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Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe



 
 
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  #1  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 04:49 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Mike[_35_]
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Posts: 3
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe

In the next few months we will be in Europe for ten days traveling in
Ireland and Spain. What is the best, most convenient and cheapest way to
call back to the USA? I
would also appreciate the names of telephone providers that worked the best.
With my luck I would make the wrong choice selecting one from the companies
advertising on the net.
Thanks


  #2  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 06:21 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
PeterL
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Posts: 1,471
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe

On Apr 2, 8:49*am, "Mike" wrote:
In the *next few months we will be in Europe for ten days traveling in
Ireland and Spain. What is the best, most convenient and cheapest way to
call back to the USA? I
would also appreciate the names of telephone providers that worked the best.
With my luck I would make the wrong choice selecting one from the companies
advertising on the net.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Thanks



Skype.
  #3  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 06:58 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
William Black
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Posts: 3,125
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:49:34 -0400, Mike wrote:

In the next few months we will be in Europe for ten days traveling in
Ireland and Spain. What is the best, most convenient and cheapest way to
call back to the USA? I
would also appreciate the names of telephone providers that worked the
best. With my luck I would make the wrong choice selecting one from the
companies advertising on the net.
Thanks


It depends on what technology is available to you.

Skype is free and if you've got a 3G phone it should work ok.


--
William Black
  #4  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 08:47 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Hatunen
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Posts: 4,483
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe

On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 17:58:44 +0000 (UTC), William Black
wrote:

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:49:34 -0400, Mike wrote:

In the next few months we will be in Europe for ten days traveling in
Ireland and Spain. What is the best, most convenient and cheapest way to
call back to the USA? I
would also appreciate the names of telephone providers that worked the
best. With my luck I would make the wrong choice selecting one from the
companies advertising on the net.
Thanks


It depends on what technology is available to you.

Skype is free and if you've got a 3G phone it should work ok.


Or if you are taking a laptop, install Skype and call the USA
from any WiFi hotspot, maybe even your hotel room. You'll need to
prime the pump by depositing ten bucks with Skype, but it will
last a long time.

When we were in London a few years ago (without Skype) we finally
decided that calling from a London phone booth for 20p a minute
was simple and easy. It's a bit dear compared to Skype at only
about two cents a minute, but a one pound call got us five
minutes, and we're not calling back to the USA for long-winded
chats.

Do avoid some ploys like phone cards that start out with a two
dollar connection charge, or that charge a dollar a minute. I've
had nothing but grief trying to use phone cards I bought in
Europe

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
  #5  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 08:53 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Hatunen
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Posts: 4,483
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:47:40 -0700, Hatunen
wrote:


Or if you are taking a laptop, install Skype and call the USA
from any WiFi hotspot, maybe even your hotel room. You'll need to
prime the pump by depositing ten bucks with Skype, but it will
last a long time.


[...]

I should probably point out that with Skype and a WiFi hotspot
you can also call ahead to reserve rooms in your next destination
and or to contact European relatives, or whatever, and for that
same approx two cents a minute.

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
  #6  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 10:23 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Joe Makowiec
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Posts: 88
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe

On 02 Apr 2009 in rec.travel.europe, Hatunen wrote:

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:47:40 -0700, Hatunen
wrote:


Or if you are taking a laptop, install Skype and call the USA
from any WiFi hotspot, maybe even your hotel room. You'll need to
prime the pump by depositing ten bucks with Skype, but it will last a
long time.


[...]

I should probably point out that with Skype and a WiFi hotspot
you can also call ahead to reserve rooms in your next destination
and or to contact European relatives, or whatever, and for that
same approx two cents a minute.


You could also point out that if the party being called has Skype on a
computer, the call is free.

--
Joe Makowiec
http://makowiec.org/
Email: http://makowiec.org/contact/?Joe
Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org/
  #7  
Old April 3rd, 2009, 02:18 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Hatunen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,483
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe

On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 21:23:12 +0000 (UTC), Joe Makowiec
wrote:

On 02 Apr 2009 in rec.travel.europe, Hatunen wrote:

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:47:40 -0700, Hatunen
wrote:


Or if you are taking a laptop, install Skype and call the USA
from any WiFi hotspot, maybe even your hotel room. You'll need to
prime the pump by depositing ten bucks with Skype, but it will last a
long time.


[...]

I should probably point out that with Skype and a WiFi hotspot
you can also call ahead to reserve rooms in your next destination
and or to contact European relatives, or whatever, and for that
same approx two cents a minute.


You could also point out that if the party being called has Skype on a
computer, the call is free.


I've found that very few of the people I might call have Skype.
And if they did they would have to be at their computers when I
called. But ya never know....


--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
  #8  
Old April 3rd, 2009, 06:36 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Hatunen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,483
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe


I also want to mention callback services. If you subscribe to one
of these services you are given a US number to call from abroad
from almost any local phone (it might not work from hotel phones,
though). You let it ring once and hang up. since there was n
connection, there was no charge.

In a few minutes you get a call to the local phone you just used
(or you may have to desgnate a foreign number). The callback has
simply an American dial tone and you can proceed to call just as
you would if in the USA. Your cost is for an intrastate call, not
an international call.

It's not as cheap as Skype, though.

When we go to Finland we have a relative there supply us with a
cell phone, and we used this system with great success. But that
was before a caller had to pay to call a cell phone. Once that
charge was put in place thre was no way for the callback service
to access our Finnish cell phone.


--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
  #9  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 08:52 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
tim.....
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Posts: 1,591
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe


"William Black" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:49:34 -0400, Mike wrote:

In the next few months we will be in Europe for ten days traveling in
Ireland and Spain. What is the best, most convenient and cheapest way to
call back to the USA? I
would also appreciate the names of telephone providers that worked the
best. With my luck I would make the wrong choice selecting one from the
companies advertising on the net.
Thanks


It depends on what technology is available to you.

Skype is free and if you've got a 3G phone it should work ok.


I had to read this three times to realise that your weren't saying that
using Skype on his 3G phone would be free.

If he has a GSM phone it will work, but it's likely to cost a dollar per
minute in roaming charges.

tim


  #10  
Old April 2nd, 2009, 09:15 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
William Black
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,125
Default Can some advise best way to call USA from Europe

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:52:09 +0100, tim..... wrote:

"William Black" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:49:34 -0400, Mike wrote:

In the next few months we will be in Europe for ten days traveling in
Ireland and Spain. What is the best, most convenient and cheapest way
to call back to the USA? I
would also appreciate the names of telephone providers that worked the
best. With my luck I would make the wrong choice selecting one from
the companies advertising on the net.
Thanks


It depends on what technology is available to you.

Skype is free and if you've got a 3G phone it should work ok.


I had to read this three times to realise that your weren't saying that
using Skype on his 3G phone would be free.

If he has a GSM phone it will work, but it's likely to cost a dollar per
minute in roaming charges.


3G PAYG cards cost about £6 in the UK.

They come with a reasonable sized lump of data free.


--
William Black
 




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