Celts Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Hi, I'm just wondering what phone services / Skype packages etc people use when speaking to their friends and family in the UK. Want to make sure everyone is set up to speak to us before we leave, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper59 Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Hi, Celts, If you and your family have iPads and/or Apple computer/laptops, Facetime is superb over a wireless broadband connection. We use it for my daughter to have video calls with her grandparents back in the UK and we have found the video quality to be much better than Skype and it is free (once you have spent a small fortune on Apple products of course!). Hope this helps. Regards, S. P.S No shares in Apple, but I find it all just works better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtb Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 I haven't looked into what I'm going to get in Aus yet, so I'm also interested in responses. My UK mobile provider, Three, lets you use your calls, texts and data plans in Australia, to get online and phone home for free, so I'll definitely keep that running for a bit until I'm set up. http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Feel_At_Home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celts Posted December 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Thanks Sapper59 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 We use skype - great for things like christmas when you can have multiple people in the same conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redsquare Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Amaysim mobile is only 6c a minute to call the UK (landlines and mobiles). We usually use Skype but sometimes it's nice just to call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odies Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 hi, we only use facetime now all have apple products. We find skype drops out alot but it is better than nothing. And of course both are free as long as you have broadband. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akasully2 Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Is all broadband unlimited? Just thinking about how data usage works on FaceTime and Skype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper59 Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Akasully, Broadband packages are similar to UK in terms of data plans - but more expensive! You can either pay less for a certain amount of monthly data or go 'All You Can Eat'. As my daughter loves watching Hannah Montana and other such excellent (!?!) videos on youtube, we will probably go for an unlimited package. Regards, S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper59 Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Redsquare, I am on the Amaysim $40per month package - I wasn't aware of the 6c per minute to UK - I'll have to check it out. Many thanks, S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted December 8, 2013 Report Share Posted December 8, 2013 I have bought a Vodaphone sim for $10 which gives you ten unlimited time phone calls to the UK and some other countries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted December 8, 2013 Report Share Posted December 8, 2013 I have bought a Vodaphone sim for $10 which gives you ten unlimited time phone calls to the UK and some other countries Should have said this is just to phone landlines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mummytummy Posted December 8, 2013 Report Share Posted December 8, 2013 (edited) I have a Vodaphone International sim costs $10 and calls to UK landlines cost a $1 a call, i'm usually on phone for up to an hour so it suits me fine For day to day use I have a Vodaphone $30 cap which gives internet usage (which I don't use) freetexts & calls to other vodaphones and I think its $450-500 for calls which I never use much of so I use this up with phone calls to UK at end of each month Edited December 8, 2013 by mummytummy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibbs Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 Our broadband is unlimited, and comes with unlimited calls to the UK (mobiles included). Also use Skype/FaceTime. And the wifes pre-pay mobile comes with a load of mins that can be used calling the UK (where the contract ones you get charged on top). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philpom Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 We use VoiP for phone calls to the UK & Ireland with a provider called Engin. We live in a smart estate so we have no need for a phone, so this means we pay $20 per month on top of our broadband package (which is a different provider) and that gives us free local and national calls and free calls to the 8 international destinations which I think are the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, India, NZ and 2 more that I can't remember. If you don't live in a smart estate you would have to have a phone line and sell your soul to Telstra for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beandownunder Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 We use VoiP for phone calls to the UK & Ireland with a provider called Engin. We live in a smart estate so we have no need for a phone, so this means we pay $20 per month on top of our broadband package (which is a different provider) and that gives us free local and national calls and free calls to the 8 international destinations which I think are the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, India, NZ and 2 more that I can't remember. If you don't live in a smart estate you would have to have a phone line and sell your soul to Telstra for it. whats a smart estate? Bean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 I use skype and since I upgraded my laptop it has been so much better than it was before..... got so peed off with the constant dropping out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philpom Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 whats a smart estate?Bean Should have explained myself a bit better. A smart estate is where the suburb is cabled right up to your house and you have no need for a TV aerial on your roof as the signal comes through the cable and you also don't need a phone line to get broadband. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozzachino Posted December 13, 2013 Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 We have the cable and our tv, internet and phone all come through cable but telstra said we had to have a phone line as well. we have 100gb a month and the most we used is 24gb i think. We used to have 10gb in the uk! lots of skype, facetime, downloading and watching tv online. we have contract phones with vodaphone, $40 a month gives us $450 credit to use as we like. Voicemail and calls and text to other vodaphone phones are free. We make calls to family overseas and still have credit that rolls over each month, its brilliant. calls from our landline are 2p a minute to the uk which is really handy when we dont want to use the mobiles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristy.leigh.b Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Hi, we bought a vodafone sim for $2 and when you register the sim, if you select the 'international' option then you can call any uk landline and talk for an unlimited amount of time for only $1 per call..It does not include calls to mobiles and I am not sure what the cost of that would be but we think $1 for an unlimited landline call is very cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celts Posted December 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Wow, I like the sound of that - thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangerboy Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 we have only been here for 15 weeks so im sure there are better deals out there but we use Viber a lot, although the sound quality can be perfect one day terrible the next, facetime and skype, our internet is with iinet and they offer a package where you upgrade to an extra $10 per month and get cheap (how much this is I do not know!) calls to uk landlines, we've not done it yet but im thinking of it as speaking to my 93yr old Nan on anything other than the 'phone is not really working out as she cant text, doesnt even own a mobile and thinks Apple is just a fruit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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