My student son is at present in Costa Rica and will then travel to South America (probably Ecuador, Peru and Chile).  Does anyone have ideas about the cheapest way for him to phone home?  Buying a card in the country is not an option (he is very short of cash and anyway will probably not be in any one country for long enough to use the credit on the card).  

I imagine email would be the best way to communicate. Your son could possibly email you as to his whereabouts at a particular time and you could 'phone him using either 18866 or 1899.

My son called yesterday.  I told him I would call him back, but the phone he was using would not accept international calls!  I will have to persuade him to spend some of his own money and buy a card locally!  I knew that reverse charge calls were expensive, but I did not realise quite how much they cost.

There is a new service for international calls available at www.cheapercallrate.com they have what seems to be the best of all worlds, an excellent quality line and fixed prices 24/7 no peak and off peak no extra numbers to dial (you give them the international number and they change it to a UK (0844) number) or boxes to attach, no extra bill (goes on your BT (or whoever) bill) Have a look, I've used it for the USA and Australia 2p a minute inc Vat, no connection charge, no sign up or monthly fees.

And no I'm not selling it just offering it up for your perusal. Gummy.

wrote on Mar 16^th, 2005 at 6:47pm:

There is a new service for international calls available at www.cheapercallrate.com they have what seems to be the best of all worlds, an excellent quality line and fixed prices 24/7 no peak and off peak no extra numbers to dial (you give them the international number and they change it to a UK (0844) number) or boxes to attach, no extra bill (goes on your BT (or whoever) bill) Have a look, I've used it for the USA and Australia 2p a minute inc Vat, no connection charge, no sign up or monthly fees.

There are a good few firms offering that sort of service (some at half the price you quote too).

Have a look at the MoneySavingExpert CallChecker.

wrote on Mar 16^th, 2005 at 7:01pm:

There are a good few firms offering that sort of service (some at half the price you quote too). Have a look at the MoneySavingExpert CallChecker.

Not so, I've been looking out for a firm to do this for some considerable time and none compare favourably in ALL respects to this. Gummy

Surely a mobile with text messaging would be the most economic communication? If he does not have one with him he might be able to pick one up cheaply there and get a local SIM card.

He did not take his mobile with him as.  My understanding was that the only mobiles that work in all the countries he plans to visit would be (very expensive) quad band ones.  I have bought a travel phone card from Lonely Planet, which should enable him to call home from most countries.

Or if he had a mobile often a local SIM card may give cheaper call costs?

8) 8) 8)

First Telecom. Residential Top and Talk service allows you to call from Chile and Columbia to UK for 25p a minute.