If you, like me, are stuck across the pond and wondering or looking for ways to call your loved ones back in Aussie land, then read on. My goal is to help others like myself who have gotten tired of paying high international calling rates to Vodafone, O2 or even Skype - and are looking for alternatives in terms of making cheap calls to mobile and landline phones in Australia from UK.
I have been using letsBrik for over a year to make cheap calls to Australia. It was recommended by a friend and I am glad I was the first few hundred users who were accepted to join early beta testing last year. It is now a fully baked product and offers excellent quality international calling service to most countries including Australia. Here are a few things I like about letsBrik:
Web based application. No app downloads or plug-ins are needed to use letsBrik. They folks at this company have created an amazing product that works right from a web browser. Simply log in, go to the dialer and start dialing. I am not a big fan of apps and being able to use it from a web browser allows me to use it from various devices including my work laptop and Android phone.
Customer service is excellent and unlike Skype where the lights have been on for a long time but no one is at home, folks at letsBrik are quick to respond and pro-actively communicate any issues or bugs.
Low Calling Rates. Since letsBrik is still small and trying to gain market share, they have kept calling rates to Australia very low. My spend has reduced by over 50% since I switched from Skype.
No connection fees. Pricing is very straight forward. You basically top-up your account using a credit/debit card or your paypal account prior to calling and as you call, your credit goes down. There are no hidden fees.
Ability to track calls. I can track who I call, when and how much I spend. This is a great feature to have if you want to check how much you have spent on your calls to Australia.
Viber has this feature called "Viber Out" that can be used to make phone calls to Australia. If you already use Viber for its messaging service, this might be a great option. Keep in mind that you either need an iPhone or Android device to install the App first before you can use it. Viber does not offer a web browser based application as of right now. The rates are slightly higher than letsBrik's. The call quality is better than Skype but falls short when compared to letsBrik's.
If you do not have easy access to Internet and you rely on your mobile or fixed/landline phone to make international calls, calling cards might be the only viable option. Keep in mind that false advertising is very common when it comes to calling cards and there are plenty of hidden fees and expiry dates you have to watch out for. Call quality is usually poor as calling card companies use non-direct routes (also known as grey routes) to reduce cost. Still, it is a lot cheaper than calling Australia directly using mobile carrier such as Vodafone.
