Needing to call a friend in Paris but not having a land line, I figured I'd buy a calling card and dial them that way. A little googling, however, led me to a much cooler and easier solution. Instead of buying a calling card at my corner bodega, an Acapulco perhaps, and going through the hassle of dialing an 800 number, entering a long PIN, then placing the call, I found a calling service called Rebtel that operates by converting long distance numbers into local numbers. The idea is that with a local number you'll be able to dial from your mobile phone (or any phone for that matter) without getting socked with huge long distance fees.
It works like this. Once you create an account at Rebtel, you enter the foreign number you wish to call - which can be a landline or mobile number - and give it a name, "friend in Paris, for example. Rebtel then supplies you with a local number, in my case, a "646" area code, that is linked behind the scenes to the foreign number you provided. Once the local number is created for you, you add a few bucks to your account with Rebtel - I added $10 - and you can start making calls. There are no long pin numbers or 800 numbers to dial, and there are no connection fees or monthly service fees; just dial the local number and you are connected to your party abroad at extremely low rates. A 32 minute call to France cost me $.31 - about a penny a minute. As soon as you complete a call your account page on their website is updated to show the length of the call and the amount deducted from your balance.
The local number that has been created for you does not expire unless you delete it from your account or it becomes inactive for a lengthy period of time; if you call the number with any frequency (once a month?), it becomes, in essence, a permanent number. Call quality is excellent and calls are placed instantly. With bargain rates to countries across the world, this strikes me as a killer retooling of an old idea; the calling card made virtual and better.
Highly recommended.
It works like this. Once you create an account at Rebtel, you enter the foreign number you wish to call - which can be a landline or mobile number - and give it a name, "friend in Paris, for example. Rebtel then supplies you with a local number, in my case, a "646" area code, that is linked behind the scenes to the foreign number you provided. Once the local number is created for you, you add a few bucks to your account with Rebtel - I added $10 - and you can start making calls. There are no long pin numbers or 800 numbers to dial, and there are no connection fees or monthly service fees; just dial the local number and you are connected to your party abroad at extremely low rates. A 32 minute call to France cost me $.31 - about a penny a minute. As soon as you complete a call your account page on their website is updated to show the length of the call and the amount deducted from your balance.
The local number that has been created for you does not expire unless you delete it from your account or it becomes inactive for a lengthy period of time; if you call the number with any frequency (once a month?), it becomes, in essence, a permanent number. Call quality is excellent and calls are placed instantly. With bargain rates to countries across the world, this strikes me as a killer retooling of an old idea; the calling card made virtual and better.
Highly recommended.
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