Jumblo is a voip system that offers cheap phone rates internationally and for certain countries you can call landline phones free of charge. There are various ways of using the service but the two main ones are to either download their voip software and call from your PC, or enter both phone numbers (your own and the destination number) into their website, Jumblo will then call your phone and connect you.

In order to sign up and create an account (whichever way you want to use the service) you first need to download the software. Then you need to add credit to your account – any credit added will not expire. You can also take advantage of their 3 free minutes to sample their service before signing up.

TeleTop is a UK cheap call provider that you can use when dialing from landline or mobile phones. It’s free to call certain countries, such as Spain, but you do pay a connection fee and there is a charge to top-up. However, they offer very cheap rates (sometimes free) and there is no account to set up.

There are various charges you will incur when using this service. You need to dial a premium rate number (0911 033 2525) to purchase credit - this call will cost you £1.50. There is a connection fee of 5p for every call. Finally, you will pay a normal call rate (to BT for example) to dial the TeleTop network before accessing their cheap international call rates (but this is the case for most over-ride phone providers).

Best Mobile Saver have a system which lets you use your inclusive minutes on your mobile phone contract to call an 0208 number (from the UK only) and thereby access very cheap, and in many cases completely free international calls, directly from your mobile phone.

No pin numbers, and you can use it on your existing mobile phone without any modifications or downloads. You pay only for calling the 0208 number, which is included in free minutes on contract deals, and if you don’t have free minutes then you are charged the cost of a local call. The international part of the call is free.

Budget Com is a UK call service with exceptionally cheap rates to many countries.  They are an over-ride provider, so you use your existing phone with the Budgetcom access numbers to make cheap international phone calls. No need to set up an account as you are billed through your existing service provider’s invoice, such as BT or NTL.

The service is only available from United Kingdom telephones (including mobiles). All access numbers are published on the Budgetcom website, so simply look up the access number for the country that you want to call, dial that access number, followed by the international number. It’s as simple as that and there is no account to set up, you just dial.

Online calling cards from Pingo are available for most countries for domestic and international dialing. Their rates are very competitive, particularly when using their online ‘Soft Phone’ method rather than access numbers. Clear and easy-to-use website and you can purchase virtual calling cards from as little as $5.

You need to create an account to use the service but this gives you access numbers in many countries and the use of the Pingo SoftPhone service, where you initiate your call online from any phone you choose. On the Pingo website, choose the country you’re dialing from followed by the country you want to call, and you are given call rates for landline and mobile phones, including the rates for different networks in the destination country.

DialToSave is a UK service for international dialing – you have to be within the UK to use the service. Their phone rates are very cheap and you can call from either a landline phone or a mobile phone by using access numbers.

There are two ways to use the DialToSave service: The cheapest is to purchase credit first, and you can do this by sending a text to the specified number (if using a mobile) or topping up via PayPal. You then dial the access number provided for the country you’re calling followed by the international number your calling.

The second method is called InstantTalk. Dial the InstantTalk access number (which is always different to the prepaid access number even for the same country) and you will be billed in your usual telecom provider’s invoice.

Mootel offers cheap international phone calls from both landlines and mobile phones in the UK. They cover many worldwide destinations, have competitive rates and various ways to dial, pay and top-up your account. This service can’t be used for making national calls within the UK, only international calls from the UK.

How to make cheap international calls using Mootel

1. With Mootel’s Instant Dial service there is no need to open an account, as you will be invoiced through your existing telephone bill. Simply use the access number for the country you want to dial followed by your international number.

You will hear a message before you’re connected letting you know how much per minute you will be charged by Mootel. You will pay the cost of a local call to your existing telecom provider (e.g. BT) for the connection to the Mootel network.