How do expats call home from Thailand? Put money onto a Skype account? I need to make a couple of phone calls, was hoping to find some kind of free trial but there doesn't seem to be any

Usually Skype to Skype for free but I stuck Stg10 in a Skype account for calling other numbers years ago and it still appears to be valid, the balance shows up every time I log in.  From memory calls are only about 1 baht per minute to UK or USA. 

Try the app named : IEvaphone

 

You install some games from the offers page or watch some videos and you will get rewarded with credits (between 4 and 20 per offer) I've got 9 credits and this allow me to call home for 15 minutes.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

I use keepcalling.com set your home country as your base and call for virtually pennies. Using them for 7 years. They also have a good app in the playstore etc.

 

Sent from my SM-A910F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

10 minutes ago, jaymbkk said:

Try the app named : IEvaphone

 

You install some games from the offers page or watch some videos and you will get rewarded with credits (between 4 and 20 per offer) I've got 9 credits and this allow me to call home for 15 minutes.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

Thanks for that, will give it a try.

Family in the UK have installed the LINE app on their phones. We video call them on LINE. It's a reasonably good reception (very slight delay sometimes) and completely free.

31 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

Family in the UK have installed the LINE app on their phones. We video call them on LINE. It's a reasonably good reception (very slight delay sometimes) and completely free.

Ya unfortunately I need to contact someone that doesn't have a smart phone

Google Hangouts is very cheap for international calls.

Viber does cheap calls

On 24/6/2560 at 11:03 PM, jaymbkk said:

Try the app named : IEvaphone

 

You install some games from the offers page or watch some videos and you will get rewarded with credits (between 4 and 20 per offer) I've got 9 credits and this allow me to call home for 15 minutes.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

That is working great Jay thanks a lot for that.

Viber....Line......Skype.

If the people you're calling have Skype, you can't beat free computer to computer calls with Skype. I also use Skype Out for calls to people that don't have Skype, or to businesses I need to call. Skype also allows you to call toll-free numbers at no charge using Skype Out. There may be cheaper ways, but Skype Out is cheap enough and can be used anywhere you can get internet connection or using data on your device.

 

Most mobile providers also have a prefix you can dial to get low-cost calls, again not the cheapest, but cheap enough and very convenient.

I use a Skype plan that gives me 120 minutes per month to call any phone in USA (I have some friends who can't or won't use Skype or any of those sorts of programs). I think it is in the area of $25 a year... The Facebook video you can use with other FB users is also pretty good quality, and avoids having friends that are too darn lazy to sign up to program like Skype connected.

Try this link http://www.deedial.com/web3/en/rate.php?page=rate&key=U

Very reasonable rates.

13 hours ago, nuakmuaynina said:

Viber does cheap calls

5 week break in the UK, called my wife in Cambodia nearly every day on Viber video call for free and it worked pretty well. More difficult when she was in the province but this is Cambodia. Far better than Skype IMO.

 

Thailand should be no problem I reckon.

Edited June 27, 20179 yr by freebyrd

I have people in USA who don't have smart phones, too!  I use my dtac, (prepaid simm card) "not so smart phone" and dial 004 then 1-Area code - xxx-xxxx.  The fee is about 3 baht per minute as I recall and it works fine when Skype or other internet based communications links are not feasible.

The app i have found best in terms of quality and reliability is WhatsApp.

 

The recipients also need the app on their phone. The App is phone specific and even if you change Sim card (while overseas or a new card here) the app carries on working irrespective of the phone number on the Sim Card.

Facebook Messenger also has free calls.

If your phone, or American provider, T-Mobile in my case, they have added a "WiFi calling" feature to the Samsung smart phones, so as long as you have a strong wifi signal, you can call anyplace in USA using their traditional land or mobile number.

21 minutes ago, captainhornblower said:

The app i have found best in terms of quality and reliability is WhatsApp.

 

The recipients also need the app on their phone. The App is phone specific and even if you change Sim card (while overseas or a new card here) the app carries on working irrespective of the phone number on the Sim Card.

I have found the same, WhatsApp call quality is really good, comparable to Skype. If you have a Microsoft Office subscription you get 60 minutes per month free to make calls to mobile and landline phone numbers around the world via Skype.

Whatsapp video or facebook messenger,  connect on Wi-Fi and it's free.  We use it all the time to talk to the kids back home in the UK 

We have VoIP numbers in our home town in the UK and wife's home town in Germany. We can just call/be called as though we are in the UK or Germany. Costs pennies per call. Friends /relatives /bank etc. just call us without knowing whether we are home in the UK or Thailand. Have been using it for about 5 years and very pleased with it.

I use any one of three - dependent on who I'm calling and what apps they are using or want to use. 

1. Skype - computer to computer is free but I also have a euro balance a/c set up so that if it falls below a fixed amount it is automatically topped up via a direct debit from my UK a/c and it's cheap anyway. Use this for calls to tax department, pension people, my bank, credit card company, lawyer, etc. 

2. Line - video or audio - totally free and pretty good quality reception most of the time.

3. WhatsApp - rarely used but it's like Line and some prefer this at the other end especially UK bods.

 

I use an app called Rebtel. For US$4 per month you get unlimited international calls to landlines (or mobile phones). I speak to my mother for hours on her US landline per month, and have used it to straighten out airline bookings screwups with Turkish Airlines making hour long landline calls to Turkey, contacting hotels in Europe, fixing credit card screwups with the US bank's landline etc etc. Call quality is excellent, never a dropped call or static-y connection, calls always go through first time. 

 

The only drawbacks are;

 

- You use local (Thai) minutes on your mobile phone plan, but at the same rate as for a domestic Thai call. For that reason you are better off using Line, Skype, WhatsApp or Messenger for smart phone to smart phone calls as they are totally free (if you are on wifi). 

- When contacting a big business such as a bank, sometimes the call is dropped if they attempt to pass the call through to another department, so ask for the number they are transferring you to first. 

 

Others than that Rebtel can't be beat for international landline calls. 

 

It even works in the reverse direction - to make international calls while in the US. 

Edited June 27, 20179 yr by ftpjtm

I use Skype for video calls and landlines also use Whatsapp for phone calls. Mostly to Canada and the US. both work good.

I'll take a meg.......!

On 6/24/2017 at 11:01 PM, gmac said:

Usually Skype to Skype for free but I stuck Stg10 in a Skype account for calling other numbers years ago and it still appears to be valid, the balance shows up every time I log in.  From memory calls are only about 1 baht per minute to UK or USA. 

Skype definitely... I use it to call family in Australia and Canada regularly.. as above.. fee computer to computer..  cheap to a home phone or a mobile.. I particularly like video calls computer to computer.. 

I normally take my phone, type in the number of my house telephone and push dail.

Only way that works for me to call home. On the other hand when I'm not at home

nobody will be answering the ringing phone.

WhatsApp or Line. Both work well.

down load whats app

 

can Phone for free if have internet    sometimes a bit up down generaly use it world over

I use a CAT calling card

Face Book sometimes works quite well with its calling set up 

Edited June 27, 20179 yr by David in the north