Ofcom's advice on your next step

Landline Phones -
Cost of calls from residential fixed line phones

The cost of making international calls from your home phone can be expensive. Below are a number of potential options for you to consider.

Alternative phone companies

There are a number of phone companies that offer cheaper international calls via indirect access (IA) or carrier pre-selection (CPS) services.

Ask your phone company for information and advice on its charges for international phone calls.If you make a lot of calls to international destinations, it might be worth looking at using a phone company which specialises in cheaper calls abroad.

VoIP services

It may also be worth considering using a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider to make international calls from home as some of these can be cheaper than normal landline services.

Calling cards

Pre-paid calling cards offer consumers an alternative way of making national and international calls to a variety of destinations. Calling cards can often be purchased from local retailers, including newsagents, grocers, or over the internet.

Calls are then made from any fixed line or mobile phone by dialling an access number (020 7, 0800, 0845, 0870 and 0871 access numbers are commonly used) and then by typing in the unique PIN number that is printed on the back of the calling card.

Calling cards are generally sold in denominations of £5, £10 and £20, although discounts can often be obtained for the purchase of multiple numbers of cards.