Introduction

If you are planning to make more than the odd international call, it may be worth registering for a call back service. Call back is a system that gets around high international call charges by routing the call through the USA, where call charges are lower.

How Does It Work?

It works like this:

1. You call a number in the USA and hang up after one ring.
2. The system knows that you want to make a call and calls you back on a number that you have registered with them. In my case, the system calls me on my Portuguese mobile phone (see A Local Mobile Phone). You can use any phone that accepts incoming calls.
3. You then answer and you are told to enter the number you wish to call, followed by the pound sign. Your call is then connected.
4. At the end, you hang up, as normal.

I found I soon got the hang of call back and I now use it without thinking. Our service also comes with a free phone number to use instead of the call back system. This is simpler but slightly more expensive.

What Are the Advantages?

The benefits of call back are:

• Once you are set up, you always have a cheap system for calling internationally and your money doesn’t run out during calls. The costs for the calls you make are billed to your credit card at monthly intervals.
• Detailed bills can be emailed to you at no extra charge, so you can maintain your account on the move.
• There is no minimum usage requirement and no set up costs.