App for calling Thailand to Australia

[scorecard]

18 hours ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

The OP wants to call businesses in Oz.    It'd be very uncommon for banks and such to have a Skype calling option.     How much is you monthly sub. for calling Oz on Skype?

 

I call my bank in Oz from LOS by dialing 009 then the county code and bank tel. number.

 

Live person from the bank answers quickly and asks me to confirm i'm calling from abroad.

 

I answer YES.

 

Bank staff then say 'please wait 2 seconds we are transferring your call to secure VOIP call.

2 seconds later bank staff say 'I am now talking to you via secure VOIP telephone system and call rate is free. If you have any objection to please please tell me'.

 

'No objections'.

 

All done... continue talking to bank, free call.

[Paradise Pete]

20 hours ago, 1 said:

Yeah but you both need to line up for that.

 

I'm looking to call Australian phone numbers.

 

https://www.skype.com/en/international-calls/Australia

 

[GreasyFingers]

17 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

1 800 is what is known as toll free #

maybe different area code in oz

no canadian gvt is one of the cheapest ass hat gimmicks there is

 

i googled social services in oz and seems many agencies are toll free

 

here is example

 

Apr 24, 2023 — Services Australia customer compliance line ; Employment income reviews. 1800 194 053

I have never been able to call to 1800 numbers from a Thai SIM. Have things changed?

[GreasyFingers]

53 minutes ago, scorecard said:

I call my bank in Oz from LOS by dialing 009 then the county code and bank tel. number.

 

Live person from the bank answers quickly and asks me to confirm i'm calling from abroad.

 

I answer YES.

 

Bank staff then say 'please wait 2 seconds we are transferring your call to secure VOIP call.

2 seconds later bank staff say 'I am now talking to you via secure VOIP telephone system and call rate is free. If you have any objection to please please tell me'.

 

'No objections'.

 

All done... continue talking to bank, free call.

Interesting. Never had that with CBA.

[jimn]

Download the VYKE app on your phone. Top it up with credit and you can call any landline or mobile in the world. You can even buy a virtual sim number in most countries. Its very cheap.

[The Fugitive]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

I call my bank in Oz from LOS by dialing 009 then the county code and bank tel. number.

 

Live person from the bank answers quickly and asks me to confirm i'm calling from abroad.

 

I answer YES.

 

Bank staff then say 'please wait 2 seconds we are transferring your call to secure VOIP call.

2 seconds later bank staff say 'I am now talking to you via secure VOIP telephone system and call rate is free. If you have any objection to please please tell me'.

 

'No objections'.

 

All done... continue talking to bank, free call.

Wow! a bank that actually permits you to speak to them and also offers to allow you to do so for free. Australia sounds like a great place!

[Pouatchee]

23 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

I have never been able to call to 1800 numbers from a Thai SIM. Have things changed?

skype uses the internet not your sim. any wifi connection will do. 

[scorecard]

1 minute ago, The Fugitive said:

Wow! a bank that actually permits you to speak to them and also offers to allow you to do so for free. Australia sounds like a great place!

The Oz bank concerned is very progressive, they set a goal years back to do all banking online or by telephone, not by visits to bank branches. They've pretty much achieved that.

 

Today they have about 5 bank branches only across all of Australia.

 

Their telephone banking service and internet banking service is excellent, and the bank is very serious about security.

 

Staff always polite and pleasant, and very clear with answers, no push to finish the call, always have a 'can do' attitude. 

 

[The Fugitive]

5 minutes ago, jimn said:

Download the VYKE app on your phone. Top it up with credit and you can call any landline or mobile in the world. You can even buy a virtual sim number in most countries. Its very cheap.

I've used 'Vyke' for three year's. Main advantage is that unlike most VOIP services you can receive SMS. Calls and SMS are both free to receive. Virtual mobile telephone numbers can be rented for; Canada, France, United Kingdom, Poland and United States of America. Cost $16 USD per ANNUM only. Cost of outgoing calls to landlines, mobile phones and sending SMS of course varies (considerably) depending upon which Country you are contacting. 

[The Fugitive]

34 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

I have never been able to call to 1800 numbers from a Thai SIM. Have things changed?

Can only speak for U.K. Calling a Freephone number was always free from a telephone landline but, until recently, the call was chargeable from a mobile 'phone. Skype permits free calls to Freephone numbers. It follows that your call will be totally free if made via WiFi (or using your cellular data connection providing you have an unlimited/unmetered plan). 

[CecilM]

Do they still sell those at 7/11 (etc): prepaid international calling cards? That’s what I used way back when. Cheap and easy. 

[The Fugitive]

18 minutes ago, scorecard said:

The Oz bank concerned is very progressive, they set a goal years back to do all banking online or by telephone, not by visits to bank branches. They've pretty much achieved that.

 

Today they have about 5 bank branches only across all of Australia.

 

Their telephone banking service and internet banking service is excellent, and the bank is very serious about security.

 

Staff always polite and pleasant, and very clear with answers, no push to finish the call, always have a 'can do' attitude. 

Amazing service! U.K. need to follow their example. Employing call centre staff costs money so they try every trick in the book to persuade you to resolve your issue via their FAQ's & automated 'chat'. My bank also discontinued their secure message facility. Again, staff having to read and reply to queries must have been costing them too much money! 

[scorecard]

26 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

Amazing service! U.K. need to follow their example. Employing call centre staff costs money so they try every trick in the book to persuade you to resolve your issue via their FAQ's & automated 'chat'. My bank also discontinued their secure message facility. Again, staff having to read and reply to queries must have been costing them too much money! 

As mentioned, the bank I'm referring to in Australia has only 5 or 6 branches in all of Australia, all are very small in size and located in a safe but lower rent area. Overall their rent expenditure would be a small fraction of the rent costs of the other mainstream banks.

 

All of the small branches have very few walk in customers. Customers who do walk in and helped to gain online banking / app banking. The ultimate aim is no branches whatever. They have no ATM machines - customers can use ATMs of other banks but at a fee, however my bank instantly reimburses that fee.  

 

They have no answering machines. All calls are answered quickly by a live bank officer, and their policy is that the bank officer cannot transfer the call. 

The bank is very well organized, they have almost eliminated 'departments', all telephone officers can handle any banking query / requirement that a telephone caller wants.

[Lazybones]

22 hours ago, 1 said:

I'm assuming to call government/banks Etc you have to pay for the service? But I have to confess Skype has dropped off the radar for me but it's probably worth checking out. Thanks

You need to deposit an advance of say $20 which can have auto top up. You dial any number direct and the charge is very very little. If the recipient has Skype, which most businesses have? Then the call is free. 

[scorecard]

15 minutes ago, scorecard said:

As mentioned, the bank I'm referring to in Australia has only 5 or 6 branches in all of Australia, all are very small in size and located in a safe but lower rent area. Overall their rent expenditure would be a small fraction of the rent costs of the other mainstream banks.

 

All of the small branches have very few walk in customers. Customers who do walk in and helped to gain online banking / app banking. The ultimate aim is no branches whatever. They have no ATM machines - customers can use ATMs of other banks but at a fee, however my bank instantly reimburses that fee.  

 

They have no answering machines. All calls are answered quickly by a live bank officer, and their policy is that the bank officer cannot transfer the call. 

The bank is very well organized, they have almost eliminated 'departments', all telephone officers can handle any banking query / requirement that a telephone caller wants.

The bank also uses the VOIP (free) telephone system for all calls within Australia, massive savings. 

[topt]

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

I call my bank in Oz from LOS by dialing 009 then the county code and bank tel. number.

 

Live person from the bank answers quickly and asks me to confirm i'm calling from abroad.

 

I answer YES.

 

Bank staff then say 'please wait 2 seconds we are transferring your call to secure VOIP call.

2 seconds later bank staff say 'I am now talking to you via secure VOIP telephone system and call rate is free. If you have any objection to please please tell me'.

 

'No objections'.

 

All done... continue talking to bank, free call.

Sorry but I don't understand how this can work. I am presuming you are calling them on a mobile phone with either a Thai or Oz sim?

Since you initiated the call and maintain the connection how does the bank doing anything their end cause the mobile company you are using to stop charging you - or have I misunderstood something? 

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, topt said:

Sorry but I don't understand how this can work. I am presuming you are calling them on a mobile phone with either a Thai or Oz sim?

Since you initiated the call and maintain the connection how does the bank doing anything their end cause the mobile company you are using to stop charging you - or have I misunderstood something? 

I don't know / understand the full details of the technology.

 

I guess the bank initiates a VOIP connection between the bank and the caller. Then when that's up and running the bank cancels (pulls the plug) on the initial call connections.

[topt]

2 minutes ago, scorecard said:

I don't know / understand the full details of the technology.

 

I guess the bank initiates a VOIP connection between the bank and the caller. Then when that's up and running the bank cancels (pulls the plug) on the initial call connections.

No matter as long as you are not getting charged. Sounds a great bank as others have said 

[1]

4 hours ago, scorecard said:

The bank also uses the VOIP (free) telephone system for all calls within Australia, massive savings. 

Of course it's off topic but did we get the name of the bank? I'm assuming there's no posting rules about that.