Free International Phone Calls!

The modern world is ever shrinking through globalization, and yet ever expanding through the increased movement of more and more people. Odds are, at some point, someone in your life will find themselves far from home, out of calling range. Maybe you have a loved one serving in the military overseas, perhaps a chum is off doing a study abroad or maybe you're just fortunate enough to have friends in other parts of the world... If you've got people that are farther a-field than your phone service really covers, you may be able to still phone them for free!

--Provided certain conditions are met of course...

Rebtel is a mVoIP service, that is: it's a mobile Voice over IP service. Essentially what the service does is it first gives you a local access number with which to phone your friend (more on this later), and thus, turns an international call into a local one and connects it over the internet. By dialing the local access number assigned, the caller is only charged for placing a local call. This saves a small fortune considering what it can cost to call an international number with a mobile phone (or even a land-line depending on your service provider)!

However, that is exactly the catch: you and the person you're calling are still charged for the call, but you're both only charged the rate levied by your mobile providers of making a local call. Still, within this catch lies your loophole: if you and the person you're calling have unlimited minutes with which to call local numbers or you manage to do your calling when both parties have free minutes(such as nights and weekends), you can essentially make free international calls.

The service can be a bit tricky to figure out first so here's the Cheap and Cheerful Guide to making it happen:

You Will Need:
-Internet access
-A valid mobile phone number with the ability to receive text messages
-Someone to call in another country*

1) Go to Rebtel.com and fill out their sign-up form.
Once you enter your information, create your free account and sign in, Rebtel will automatically provide you with an access number and an SMS access information. These numbers allow you to do things like: add contacts, change your preferred number and double dial while away from your computer. When you sign in, the default page should be the My Contacts tab. If you've been taken to some other feature of your account, simply click on the tab and then...

2) Enter the name and (international) phone number of the person you wish to call
Once you enter that information, Rebtel will reload the Contacts page with the local access number for that person saved in your account information. (Note: unless you text "STOP" to rebtel when you receive the SMS containing the number to phone your friend, they will continue to send you text messages. We are not aware of any charges incurred by these texts other than the cost to receive a text levied by your mobile service provider.

3) Call that number!
Dial the "local" number. (It is also possible call this number from a phone other than the one with which you registered your account. Simply dial the number, Rebtel will then ask you to enter your account number (the phone number you used to sign up for the account) and then enter the PIN you set when you registered; you should be connected momentarily.) If you are placing a free call, the line may ring for several seconds. This is because when you place a free call, Rebtel connects to the line you're calling and then gives them further instruction so that the call may be connected for free. As the line rings, the other person will be given a local access number with which to call you, and must hang-up and then call this number while your end continues to ring. (If the other caller is unable to hang-up and ring you back their FAQ page advises: "Ask your friend to press the star button (*) on his/her phone and it should work without any problem.") Once this is completed successfully, you and your friend will be connected for a free call!

It sounds more complicated than it is; while it can be a bit difficult to time correctly at first, the service is quite reliable with a high sound quality and very little, if any time lag.

If things still aren't quite clear, try checking out their series of brief instructional videos.


Other Features...

-If placing a free call is not possible due to the party you're calling having limited minutes, you can buy credit and place a call at a rate still much lower than what one would typically pay for an international call. Depending on the country and service provider of the person on the other end, rates are generally competitive-with or cheaper-than, the average international calling-card.

-Rebtel allows you to send WebSMS to existing contacts or other international numbers. As you type, the cost of the message is displayed to the right of the text box. Rates for WebSMS are much lower than standard international texting rates.

-With this service, it is also possible to make Computer Calls. Computer Calls allow you to call anywhere in the world and only pay the per-minute rate to Rebtel, with-out paying any charges to your phone carrier.





*While Rebtel offers service to over 200 countries, its service does not cover all countries. Check the International Calling Rates listings to see if your destination is covered and what the rates for calls may be.