Best way to make calls to China

[True Blue]

I want my wife to be able to make unlimited calls to China without worrying about minutes.

A pure internet solution doesn't work because her friends and relatives are not always at the computer or at their land line phones.

I found SKYPE had a "worldwide" subscription (only way to call China without minutes limitations) for $12.95.and it worked fine.

 

I changed credit cards and SKYPE does not let you edit the credit card (you must cancel and reapply with your new credit card) and now the price is up a buck to $13.99 prompting my wife to ask if there are better cheaper alternatives.

 

Basically the need is to call cell phones in China from Ipad or smartphone at anytime. We also use We Chat but need to be able to call cell phones and business phones of folks who do not use We Chat.

 

Thanks for your suggestions

 

True Blue.

 

 

[credzba]

There are many ways to call China.

Of them, I still prefer ITalkbb.

 

For 25$ a month you get a Chinese phone number that can be called from China and rings your house, also you get unlimited calls to China.

From your cell phone, I think there is an extra charge after 100 minutes, but I am not certain.

 

It is still more than the $13 Skype you mentioned though.

[Dennis143]

There are many ways to call China.

Of them, I still prefer ITalkbb.

 

For 25$ a month you get a Chinese phone number that can be called from China and rings your house, also you get unlimited calls to China.

From your cell phone, I think there is an extra charge after 100 minutes, but I am not certain.

 

It is still more than the $13 Skype you mentioned though.

Yup, iTalkBB that's what we use too. Great deal and reliable.

 

Wife and her sis in Nanning both have ipads where they now do daily "face time". For a $300 investment for each ipad and having no fees to "face" each other is probably your best investment that would pay for itself in the long term.

 

BTW, if you're not sure what "face time" is, it's an ipad video connection where both persons talk and view each other instantly without those streaming interruption that webcams used to do. I am still just in complete awe whenever I see Leiqin and her sis sitting and talking while they're going about their daily routines, as if they're sitting next to each other.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Dennis143 (see edit history)

[tsap seui]

For strictly talking to each other we have used FreeCallPlanet since 2007. They have two China plans and the one we use now, for my wife to call from America to family and friends in China is $9.95 for 1000 minutes (just over a half an hour a day on a 30 day month).

 

When my wife lived in China for the years it took to get her visa I used their $24.95 plan for 5,000 minutes (and we used all 5,000 minutes almost every month as we talked twice a day...LOL...that is over 2 1/2 hours a day on a 30 day month).

 

When you go online and set a plan up with FreeCallPlanet they give you a number in America to call to initiate your call to China. You call that number, then you are prompted to enter the number you wish to call. The number in America we call is in California, so we have a 1400 minute per month "family plan" with Verizon which lets us talk for unlimited minutes to 10 numbers of our choice. One of our 10 numbers is the FreeCallPlanet number in California so it doesn't matter how long she or I talk on that number.

 

The $9.95 plan is 0.00955 cents per minute and the $24.95 plan is 0.00499 cents per minute.

 

My wife also uses QQ to talk to some of her friends in America and China. I see her talking to her Iphone and can hear her friend's voice but I don't know how they initiate their calls to one another....by an email prompt from one Iphone to another??? I dunno, plus, I think she and different friends both can use QQ on their computers to see as well as talk to each other....like MSN or Yahoo chat or something., but that must be initiated somehow, I guess.

[warpedbored]

Italk BB also has some great Chinese TV packages. We signed up for a year when they had a deal for a whole year for $49.99

[NUWORLD]

We use Vonage World.

 

27.99$ and month.

The wife is on the phone to china every Saturday and Sunday ALL day and our bill has never changed during the 8 years we've had it.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Calling cards are another solution, which is VERY cheap on a per-minute basis if you call less frequently. But make sure it will support calls from China to the U.S., if they need to call you. As little as 0.7¢ per minute, but these will usually come with an expiration date. So a 10 minute call once a week would be less than 30¢ per month.

 

http://www.callingca...stination=China

Edited September 16, 2014 by Randy W (see edit history)