Is UM the best for this...

[MATHA531]

UM has never worked in New Zealand...if you look at the web site you will find New Zealand is more assuredly not listed as a country where it is supposed to work.

Do you use the naitive ability of UM to call back to the USA? That's 0,64€ for the first minute, 1,03€ for the second minute and 1,42€ for the third minute. And do remember they bill in 60 second intervals so a call for 121 seconds will put you back for a three minute call that is 1,42€. At current exchange rates, assuming you pay with a credit card that does not impose the 3% fee for currency exchange,m that is $0.88 for a one minute call, $1.41 for a two minute call and $1.95 for a 121 second call...at those prices you are almost just as well to simply use the overpriced world class roaming on T Mobile USA or the $5.99/month plan on Cingular USA.

Ouch ouch ouch. What a bloody rip off.

[tivoboy]

I'm trying to figure out the same thing, not the group calling though, but I think we are ALL trying to find the next best solution now that UM and CBW or Enlinea are .50$+ for a call.

I find the best solution from a cost standpoint for outbound to USA or other, is CBW since they bill in 6 sec increments and there is no setup fee for inbound.

what I use now for calls to family in the US is, I call one time on the UM, and then my family calls back using my onesuite account number, and it only costs .25$ us to the UM mobile. I can handle those prices just fine, this being 50% cheaper or more than the UM to CBW, but it WAS nicer when it was .11$ to call OUT to the USA and other places.

I'd like to setup some sort of trigger at home, maybe an asterisk service that will dial my UM number and then offer a dial tone using my onesuite account.

[fastsvo]

I am very new to all of this, so please excuse my ignorance. I have been researching the hell out of Prepaid cards and Call Back services for my trip to Spain. After reading about the sketchy call back reliability, I am starting to think I should buy a PASSPORT Sim from www.telestial.com

Free Incoming calls and text. $0.50 outgoing (with $0.25 connect fee) to the US and they give me a +44 UK mobile number (should be cheaper for USA residents to call me on services like Skype or through a long distance phone).

Am I missing a better deal here? Do I really want to give CB a chance?

Thanks!

[snaimon]

Originally Posted by tivoboy

what I use now for calls to family in the US is, I call one time on the UM, and then my family calls back using my onesuite account number, and it only costs .25$ us to the UM mobile.

And the question is how long can Onesuite keep their $.25 rate to 423? Everyone else has raised rates. Just a matter of time.

Stan

[snaimon]

Originally Posted by MATHA531

.... and $1.95 for a 121 second call...at those prices you are almost just as well to simply use the overpriced world class roaming on T Mobile USA or the $5.99/month plan on Cingular USA.

Ouch ouch ouch. What a bloody rip off.

Agree it's a rip off. T-Mo also has 60/60 billing so a 121 call is $2.97, no? Don't forget to add US taxes to that, so there is some savings.

As noted elsewhere, I will be burning up my UM balance when I am there. All sunk costs for me. Of course all our PREPAID options except NEW ones we purchase are sunk costs. Nature of prepaid.

Stan

[herkdrvr]

Originally Posted by MATHA531

UM has never worked in New Zealand...if you look at the web site you will find New Zealand is more assuredly not listed as a country where it is supposed to work.

Yeah, I spoke without thinking. I've known it doesn't work in New Zealand 'cause they don't have an agreement with Vodafone.