FAQ

Cheap International Calls from Fix and Mobile without Calling Card

What is so special about PhoneBird?
PhoneBird is directly available from any phone in the UK. You can try it right away and start saving on your international callls from the firts second:

• No Registration
• No Pre-Payment
• No credit cards
• No extra costs
• VAT included

Are there any subscription or registration fees?
No! PhoneBird is directly accessible from all landlines and mobiles. You can make cheap long distance calls  at any time.

How can I find your rates and access numbers?
We offer most of the countries around the Globe; please have a look at our cheap phone calls pricing list .

Can I use PhoneBird from my mobile?
When calling from a mobile, depending on your mobile network and calling plan, certain access numbers can be definitely useful to make cheap or even free international calls from mobile :

• T-Mobile and Three contract users can dial a broad range of destinations for only 10p via the access number 0871 280 B-I-R-D. Click on cheap international calls from Three and T-Mobile for only 10p/min for more information.

• Other mobile network users can also make substantial savings when calling abroad from their mobile via 0870 963 B-I-R-D. Click on cheap or even free international calls via 0870 from Orange, Vodafone, Virgin, Fresh, easyMobile

Yet, we advise you to get in touch with your mobile operator  in advance to double-check this information. We cannot guarantee that this information is up to date since rates and calling plans of mobile operators vary significantly overtime. Be aware that other access numbers are usually heavily surcharged when calling from a mobile.

Can I use PhoneBird from a payphone?
Yes. But be aware that when calling from payphones our rates may be surcharged by the payphone operators.

Is it PhoneBird available from any landline network?
Yes. Our access numbers should be available from all lines. Please contact your telecom provider in case you cannot reach our platform after dialling our access numbers.

What can I do when my telephone provider blocks your access numbers?
In this is case, we advice you to bypass its network by dialling 1280 in front of our access number. e.g. dial 1280 0844 xyx xy xy in one go. In this way your call will be automatically routed to BT’s network and you will gain access to our low-cost service.

Which access number should I dial when calling to a UK mobile abroad ?
Making cheap calls to UK mobiles  is as easy as just dialling the access number associated to UK (mobile)! It does not matter in which country the mobile is "temporally" located, the UK (mobile) rate and access number will not change. Just make sure that you do not forget the country code (0044) and that you leave out the leading zero ‘0’ of the mobile number: e.g. 0044 7xy xyx xyx

Does/Can my provider or supplier surcharge your rates?
The rates to our access numbers are regulated by Ofcom, the UK telecommunications regulator.
It is common practice for all landline service providers to adhere to the charges set by Ofcom, whereas mobile operators do not. When calling from a landline your call will be charged just at our rate. When calling from a mobile we advise you to get in touch with your mobile operator . Be aware that most access numbers are usually heavily surcharged when calling from a mobile. Yet, depending on your mobile network and calling plan, certain access numbers can be truly useful to make cheap or even free international calls from mobile

How do I know the rates and access numbers for the country I want to call?
Go to the homepage and enter the country you wish to call in the scroll-down menu. Rates and access numbers will be displayed automatically.

How do I know about the latest rates and destination updates?
Call rates are announced before each connection, this way you are always in control of your costs. Furthermore, you can subscribe to our free newsletter to get up to date information about our special offers.

Will I receive an invoice from PhoneBird?
You will not receive a bill from PhoneBird. You will find your calls via PhoneBird on your regular phone bill. There are no additional costs, no extra bills and VAT is already included.

How much exactly do I pay?

When calling from a mobile, depending on your mobile network and calling plan, certain access numbers can be definitely useful to make cheap or even free international calls from mobile :

• T-Mobile and Three contract users can dial a broad range of destinations for only 10p via the access number 0871 280 B-I-R-D. Click on cheap international calls from Three and T-Mobile for only 10p/min for more information.

• Other mobile network users can also make substantial savings when calling abroad from their mobile via 0870 963 B-I-R-D. Click on cheap or even free international calls via 0870 from Orange, Vodafone, Virgin, Fresh, easyMobile

Yet, we advise you to get in touch with your mobile operator  in advance to double-check this information. We cannot guarantee that this information is up to date since rates and calling plans of mobile operators vary significantly overtime. Be aware that other access numbers are usually heavily surcharged when calling from a mobile.

When calling from a landline your call will be charged just at our rate. Your telecom provider will only apply a connection fee:

• BT applies 3p.
• NTL applies 6p
• Telewest applies 6p for 08-numbers and 10p for 09-numbers:

Connection fee + Number of minutes x Rate/min

Calls are billed per minutes with call duration rounded up to the next minute. VAT is already included.

Do I pay when my call is unanswered or the line is engaged?
The billing of your calls via PhoneBird is done by your telephone provider, so they will conveniently appear on your regular phone bill. Unfortunately, their billing system start counting once you hear the tariff announcement, even if the call is unanswered or the line is engaged. Regrettably we cannot influence such billing policy. We advise to hang up a short period after you hear an engaged or unanswered ringing tone.

How can PhoneBird offer such low rates?
We do our utmost to streamline our costs and pass the savings on to our customers. We strive to offer you the lowest long distance calls rates  available in the market.

Does PhoneBird charge the called party, too?
No, PhoneBird does never charge the called party.

I cannot access PhoneBird’s platform, what can I do ?
Do you get a “fast-busy” tone after dialling our access numbers? Then, we advise you to contact your telecom provider to check whether they block our access numbers. In case not, please fill out our fault report.

My call was connected to a wrong destination (wrong country).
It is possible that you have forgotten the international prefix.

Why doesn't PhoneBird recognise my entries?
Make sure that you call from a telephone with tone-dial. Double-check that the dialling option on your telephone is configured as tone-dial. Consult the instruction manual of your telephone if you need assistance.

What is tone-dial?
There are two ways to call: via pulses or tone-dial (technically called Dual Tone Multi-Frequency). Servers only understand tone-dial. If you press a key on your phone pad you should hear a peep-tone.

Why does it take long time until my call is connected?
Due to the high demand for our exceptional low-cost phone rates  at peak-times, the routing of the call may take some time until you get connected, particularly for mobile destinations. We advice you to hang-up and try again later if after a short period your call is not connected.

Why the quality of the sound is sometimes not that good?
It is possible that in certain countries, particularly for mobile destinations, the quality of the sound may suffer. In many occasions these problems are usually due to a weak infrastructure or lack of mobile coverage in the destination. Unfortunately we cannot influence these circumstances.

How can I inform PhoneBird about a fault?
First, make sure that you have dialled the correct number and you did not forget the country code. Furthermore, make sure that your telecom provider does not block our numbers. If you still want to report a technical problem with PhoneBird, please fill out our fault report

Thank you for your feedback. It will help us to improve our service!