Re: Overseas Phone Calls Get Cheaper

International Wireless Rates Are Finally Starting to Fall; Six Cents a
> Minute to the U.K.

In the article it states:

Most landline and cellular carriers provide two types of overseas > calling plans: a standard plan where users don't pay extra monthly > fees, but the calls are usually pricey; and discount plans where > customers pay an average of $4 a month for access to less-expensive > per-minute rates on the calls. In general, even if you only make a > few international calls every month, the monthly fee option quickly > pays for itself.

Just like monthly "service" charges for land lines monthly charges for "discount" rates for international calling is no bargain. A closer in example is what T-Mobile is doing for calling to Canada and Mexico. For a "privilege" fee of $5/month you can call Mexico for 5 cents/minute or $5/month to call Canad at 9 cents/minute. When you think about this setup it's a bit strange since calling to Mexico T-Mobile's regular rate is 32 cents/minute (which is high) or 20 cents/minute to call Canada (which is high as well since it's easy to get per minute rates to Canada very commonly for 5 cents or *less* per minute.)

Under a new plan from Verizon Wireless, which is owned by Verizon > Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, customers who pay an > extra $3.99 a month get access to cheaper per-minute rates to more > than 100 countries. A call to London using the plan, which was > launched in April, costs 20 cents a minute, compared with $1.49 a > minute without it.

And this is supposed to be a bargain? Getting a long distance plan that give you a rate to call the UK for 4 cents/minute or less are common! Even to call Australia is 5 cents or so from several carriers.

And to get these "bargain" rates you have to pay a monthly fee. And something people often don't take into account that when they pay those fees of 4 or 5 dollars it means that your per minute rate is

*not* 20 cents/minute when you factor in what you're paying for a monthly service fee.