Phone and calling cards for use in Southeast Asia
While Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam all have comprehensive cellular networks, if you're planning on using your mobile phone from home with overseas roaming during your trip, you might be in for an unpleasant surprise when you return home to see a phonebill large enough to have you reverting to snail-mail to keep in touch.
There are two ways to get around this problem. For outgoing calls (you calling home from your hammock in Asia) the easiest and most inexpensive solution is to purchase a local prepaid sim card and just use that to make international calls. For incoming calls (your parents calling you to tell you to get out of the hammock and do stuff) a phone or calling card is an ideal solution. These will allow your folks to badger you at a fraction of the cost of their standard telephone rates.
Prepaid phone and calling cards generally require that your parents (or partner, significant other, drinking buddies or whoever) call a local or toll-free number from where they are, then enter their account, ID or password details (varies from provider to provider) and then the phone number they're trying to call (most likely, you). Rates vary considerably between providers depending on which country most of the calls are made from, so it can be worth your while to shop around.
Please find below details on some phone card providers, along with sample rates for calling countries in Asia. These rates should be taken as a general indication -- please check with the provider's websites for exact rates, any surcharges or additional fees and the full terms and conditions.
Pingo
Pingo Phone Cards are particularly straightforward. You purchase calling time with your credit card (or PayPal) and Pingo provides you with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and a toll-free access number. To use the service, you call the access number, then enter your PIN followed by the number you want to call and you're in business.
Pingo also has a plan aimed at mobile phone users called PingoMobile which routinely saves customers 90% or more on international calls from mobile phones, even compared to international cellular plans. PingoMobile works with any phone carrier.
Sign up to Pingo and get $5.00 in free calls. Start Calling for Free Now!
For more information, please see the Pingo Phone Cards website.
PennyTalk
PennyTalkis a prepaid calling card service that delivers big savings on calls around the world. International rates start as low as US$0.02 per minute to over 250 countries and just US$0.01 per minute within the US. PennyTalk calling card can be used from any phone: home, cell, office or hotel.
Features include no-PIN dialling, automatic recharge and the card can be used throughout the US and Canada along with 30 countries worldwide.
Sign up and start making calls immediately!
For more information, please see PennyTalk's website.
Net2Phone
Net2Phone is a prepaid calling card service that can be used throughout the US and Canada and in 30 countries worldwide. To open an account you need to purchase a minimum US$25 worth of calling time using your credit or debit card. When you open an account, you will be provided an account number and PIN, as well as a list of local access numbers for the service. As you make calls, the cost of each call is deducted from your account balance (just like a debit card). Features include no-PIN dialling, no connection fee and automatic recharge.
Sign up and start making calls immediately!
For more information, please see Net2Phone's website.
Travelfish may receive commissions for purchases from the providers listed on this page, and while we can't vouch for them from experience, we believe their services to be of use to travellers in the region.
