Paying to receive calls whilst in USA

[Munday]

Hi Everyone,

I wonder if someone can offer some advice/help. My girlfriend is currently in the States and I would like to find a way of it not costing her money when she receives calls from myself and family.

She doesn't have an English sim card, only an American sim that charges her $0.25 per minute when I phone her from either Skype or my mobile. Obviously calling her costs a bomb from my phone so I use Skype (£0.012 a minute).

What options does she have with regards to receiving calls on the cheap or for free? Will an English PAYG sim (such as O2) work out there for receiving calls or will she have to pay each time someone rings her?

Does anyone have any experience of American phone networks/sims that would allow her to receive free calls from abroad? (I forgot to ask her what network she is on out there - Doh)!

Bit of a strange question I know but the phone shop where she is wasn't very helpful and I don't really know too much about it. With a lot of International travellers on CS I had hoped that someone might know the answer?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MikeC]

Hmmm tricky one. Don't think a UK sim would be the answer though? For example, I work for T-Mobile and it would cost 50p to receive each call, with the international roaming booster added? I can only assume other networks would be the same? Can't see you getting anything cheaper than skype tbh.

 

[Dm_26]

Can you not both use skype via the internet? Is it not free for both sides doing this?

 

[Tyler@Ultimate]

Ive been over in the USA for 4 weeks now and I use Skype to call home and they use Skype so its free. I have a US sim which I get charged .25 cent the same as your girlfriend. My uk phone I get charged 1.60 per min to call and receive calls, and I think this is the same for most networks (I'm T-Mobile) They did offer me a 5 pound booster thing where it would reduce my receiving call cost to around 50p but not change the outgoing calls.
If she doesn't have a laptop the best thing to do is call her on her US phone. but skype to skype is free.

 

[Mot!]

Everyone is the US has to pay to receive calls. In their monthly allowance they have to consider how many min's of calls they want to receive as well as how many they'd like to make - you don't stand much chance of getting a SIM that doesn't charge you for incoming calls..

As said, skype to skype - if she has a phone with wifi, she can probably get a skype app' for it.

 

[NOT! gary l]

What about just using MSN and having video calls?

If you can't do that then Skype to Skype is the best way.

 

[Munday]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Unfortunately she doesn't have access to a computer so we can't do skype to skype. I guess we'll have to accept the call charges!