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Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:33 am
by boro886
We will be moving to Cyprus in September 2017 hopefully. I was wondering how other expats contact friends or relatives back in the UK. Obviosly looking for the cheapest and best way to do this. Ideally would have liked to run a UK phone still with roaming.
Can you give me your opinions and advice please.
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:35 am
by Robert
boro886 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:33 am
We will be moving to Cyprus in September 2017 hopefully. I was wondering how other expats contact friends or relatives back in the UK. Obviosly looking for the cheapest and best way to do this. Ideally would have liked to run a UK phone still with roaming.
Can you give me your opinions and advice please.
Why not just use Skype. Both video and voice. It's also free.
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:36 am
by cyprusgrump
boro886 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:33 am
We will be moving to Cyprus in September 2017 hopefully. I was wondering how other expats contact friends or relatives back in the UK. Obviosly looking for the cheapest and best way to do this. Ideally would have liked to run a UK phone still with roaming.
Can you give me your opinions and advice please.
We have a land line but are about to dump it...
Skype or one of the other free services works just as well if your contacts in the UK have them too.
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:46 am
by Robert
cyprusgrump wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:36 am
We have a land line but are about to dump it...
Skype or one of the other free services works just as well if your contacts in the UK have them too.
My plan when I arrive in Cyprus in late summer is to also not get a landline. I'll get a cheap mobile contract (MTN?) and wireless internet (Netcom, ShortCircuit?) to start me off. I'll then spend more if I'm not happy with what that provides.
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:53 am
by cyprusgrump
Robert wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:46 am
cyprusgrump wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:36 am
We have a land line but are about to dump it...
Skype or one of the other free services works just as well if your contacts in the UK have them too.
My plan when I arrive in Cyprus in late summer is to also not get a landline. I'll get a cheap mobile contract (MTN?) and wireless internet (Netcom, ShortCircuit?) to start me off. I'll then spend more if I'm not happy with what that provides.
Sounds like a plan...
We both have smartphones so we can be contacted in an emergency on those if we are away from WiFi - we don't use mobile data.
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:57 am
by Robert
cyprusgrump wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:53 am
Sounds like a plan...
We both have smartphones so we can be contacted in an emergency on those if we are away from WiFi - we don't use mobile data.
Yes, my better half will also get a cheap mobile contract for exactly that reason. A very good point.
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 12:38 pm
by mockaji
With wifi I have found Whatsapp brilliant for both video and Skype, the draw back is it only works via a smart phone. We were in Sri Lanka recently for a couple of months and it was perfect in most of the places we stayed the sri lankan phone company has 4g mobile wifi giving an extraordinary 45/50mg download even some quite remoat parts.
Also I have a cyta pay as you go mobile which when dialling a land line on the uk is normally very reasonable. The great thing is the top up last 12 months so it super for occational visitors.
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 4:05 pm
by josef k
I use Viber. It's free like Skype, but you need a smartphone..
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 4:14 pm
by PolemIan
A combination of FaceTime, Skype and whatsapp. Also you can make calls using Facebook messenger app. If you have a UK mobile with an O2 sim, you can use the Tu Go app which allows fees call per month to the limit of your subscription. Mine is PAYG unlimited calls so my wife can use it for work when working here and it's saved 100s. Ian
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 7:21 pm
by Flyer
For about 50 pound per year you can subscribe to Skype and get both a UK telephone number and also free calls to any UK landline via skype, relatives friends etc can call you on your uk number and pay only local call rate or as a standard call on free minutes on their mobile.
You can also get what is called a dual phone which works with local landline and skype without the computer being on (different ringtone for each)
I have used this for about 10 years or more works well. You can make free calls to most 0800 numbers and any landline number (excludes 0845 etc numbers) You can phone any banks tax office pension office all for free!!
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 8:07 pm
by boro886
Flyer wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2017 7:21 pm
For about 50 pound per year you can subscribe to Skype and get both a UK telephone number and also free calls to any UK landline via skype, relatives friends etc can call you on your uk number and pay only local call rate or as a standard call on free minutes on their mobile.
You can also get what is called a dual phone which works with local landline and skype without the computer being on (different ringtone for each)
I have used this for about 10 years or more works well. You can make free calls to most 0800 numbers and any landline number (excludes 0845 etc numbers) You can phone any banks tax office pension office all for free!!
thank you i didnt know that
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 8:20 pm
by PaphosAL
That's amazing to know, thanks! Why has nobody mentioned Cyta Soeasy payg sim on unlocked mobile?
Worked well for me during many long stays in Cyprus, calling UK for 1c/min. Great if you don't have web access
Cheers- AL
Re: Telephone to use for regular contact back to the UK
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:42 pm
by Spitimou
We've just started using the Messenger video. It seems to be much better quality than skype, with no call dropout and great quality video.