Making Telephone Calls....

[warpedbored]

When my wife was still in China one of the reasons we used pincity.com is they have a toll free acess # she could use to call me from China. Expensive, about 65 cents a minute but I would hang up and call her right back.

[jim_julian]

I know this is primarily about phone to phone ....

 

butt ... hehehe ... it is sooooo much cheaper to call from computer to phone (1.7¢/min) and it's FREE! 'puter to 'puter.

 

Get connected!!

[Homeprincess]

I use tele cards from beijing telecome which sells at a bigger discount than China telecome. 100 yuan face value sells at 28.5 yuan at a nearby wholesale market. So 28.5 yuan for about 40 minutes, about 0.685 yuan per min.

 

0.7 yuan per min, I guess that's the bottomline for tele cards calling from China? Though unlike in the states, the fixed-line fees are charged at the same time using a tele card, no local access number.

 

Surely it is free to talk via msn/yahoo messenger but the prerequisite is to have internet access at home and pay the subscription charge for that. So I guess it is more convenient and cheaper for us who make calls for about 20 min on average.

[Homeprincess]

I know this is primarily about phone to phone ....

 

butt ... hehehe ... it is sooooo much cheaper to call from computer to phone (1.7¢/min) and it's FREE! 'puter to 'puter.

 

Get connected!!

147085[/snapback]

Any cheaper and reliable way to make calls via computer to phone?

Since I am basically a computer resident, I like to find options via pc.

[HanLi]

The best quality I have found on the computer is the new yahoo beta version. The requirement is that both ends have to have the same version, can be done by simple update of yahoo messenger. give it a whirl!!

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

When my wife was still in China one of the reasons we used pincity.com is they have a toll free acess # she could use to call me from China.  Expensive, about 65 cents a minute but I would hang up and call her right back.

147004[/snapback]

PC to PC talk is fine if your partner is near a PC and is not intimidated by using it, but an excellent alternative when you can do it. Voice quality is getting better everyday too. One good outcome is it's beginning to price the big telephone monopolies out of the market.

 

I use VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) for my home telephone through www.Vonage.com. For anyone who has not looked into this service I strongly recommend it. All US domestic, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico calls are free and phone bill is always $24.99 a month. I completely disconnected all exterior telephone lines and energized my home telephone jacks with the Vonage signal.

 

I use Vonage international calling only rarely as I'm using OneSuite for my China calls, but there have been a couple of occasions that required an alternative. Rates are a bit higher for Vonage international, but still competitive.

 

If you are paying .65 cents per minute for calls back from China, do try www.iTravel.com. They are charging only .45 cents per minute and my SO can make calls from any telephone.

[BuffaloPaul]

I've used Vonage for about 5 years and think its great. Recently I have seen ads for Broadvoice which offers a flat rate unlimited calls to US and China. (about $24/month). Anybody use this?

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

I've used Vonage for about 5 years and think its great. Recently I have seen ads for Broadvoice which offers a flat rate unlimited calls to US and China. (about $24/month).  Anybody use this?

147115[/snapback]

Wow...sounds fabulous for anyone calling China regularly.....I'm going to look more into this.....

 

...found these two links......

 

http://www.broadvoice.com/

 

http://reviews.cnet.com/BroadVoice/4505-9238_7-31117281.html

[sting88]

I use the following card from ecallchina:

http://www.ecallchina.com/phone-card.asp?cardid=21

 

Two-way Phone Card

-Call From China

-2 Minute Rounding

-Lowest Rate for China

-No Any Hidden Charge

-Easy Connection

 

Calling Rates & Details

 

Call Local Number Toll Free

USA 16.8¢/118min 16.8¢/118min

Hong Kong 17.9¢/111min 17.9¢/111min

Taiwan 17.9¢/111min 17.9¢/111min

Canada 28.8¢/69min 28.8¢/69min

Austrlia 34.9¢/57min 34.9¢/57min

 

It's only good for 90 days after you first use it.

 

In addition, you get free SMS credits.

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

I use the following card from ecallchina:

http://www.ecallchina.com/phone-card.asp?cardid=21

 

Two-way Phone Card

-Call From China

-2 Minute Rounding

-Lowest Rate for China

-No Any Hidden Charge

-Easy Connection

 

Calling Rates & Details

 

Call Local Number Toll Free

USA 16.8¢/118min 16.8¢/118min

Hong Kong 17.9¢/111min 17.9¢/111min 

Taiwan 17.9¢/111min 17.9¢/111min 

Canada 28.8¢/69min 28.8¢/69min 

Austrlia 34.9¢/57min 34.9¢/57min 

 

It's only good for 90 days after you first use it.

 

In addition, you get free SMS credits.

147155[/snapback]

Looks like a great rate for this card.....about a third what I'm paying now.....

 

Thank you....

[jim_julian]

Any cheaper and reliable way to make calls via computer to phone?

Since I am basically a computer resident, I like to find options via pc.

147092[/snapback]

I highly recommend Skype

 

It's free PC to PC. It works in China. It's inexpensive PC to phone.

[Jason+Joanna]

I use broadvoice to call China. You pay $22.00 / month with tax. You can call a land line for Free. You can call a cell phone for 2 cents / minute. They have a record of all activity.

[david_dawei]

Any cheaper and reliable way to make calls via computer to phone?

Since I am basically a computer resident, I like to find options via pc.

147092[/snapback]

I highly recommend Skype

 

It's free PC to PC. It works in China. It's inexpensive PC to phone.

147216[/snapback]

This is our choice...

 

Sometimes I call her cell to alert her to get on the PC.. so hang up after first ring. She sees from the caller ID it is me !!