What is the cheapest way to call
- fixed line
- mobile phone
in China?
SKYPE is not an option.
The cheapest way is get called:
From China a call to Taiwan is a national call
From Taiwan to China it is an international call
Here’s how to call China for only 4 NT per minute:
- Dial 0941-305-111
- When you hear the recording, dial 002 + country code + phone number + “#”
You will be charged 4 NT per minute, and the charge will be on your next phone bill.
You can also use this method to call about 30 other countries for the same price (4 NT per minute), including Australia, New Zealand, most of Asia, all of Europe, and all of North America.
[quote=“Mark Nagel”]Here’s how to call China for only 4 NT per minute:
- Dial 0941-305-111
- When you hear the recording, dial 002 + country code + phone number + “#”
You will be charged 4 NT per minute, and the charge will be on your next phone bill.
You can also use this method to call about 30 other countries for the same price (4 NT per minute), including Australia, New Zealand, most of Asia, all of Europe, and all of North America.[/quote]
Has anyone else tried this? It sounds almost too good to be true
[quote=“gcat”][quote=“Mark Nagel”]Here’s how to call China for only 4 NT per minute:
- Dial 0941-305-111
- When you hear the recording, dial 002 + country code + phone number + “#”
You will be charged 4 NT per minute, and the charge will be on your next phone bill.
You can also use this method to call about 30 other countries for the same price (4 NT per minute), including Australia, New Zealand, most of Asia, all of Europe, and all of North America.[/quote]
Has anyone else tried this? It sounds almost too good to be true[/quote]
No, but I’d be concerned that it’s a premium-rate number, until I find out otherwise. Also, I’d be surprised if this still worked, even if it used to (it was posted in April).
So… can anyone confirm either way?
Yeah, the mobile phone number thing worried me too. I’d love to know a cheap way to ring out tho.
I can confirm that it still worked a few weeks ago.
The only problem I have with it is that in the Chunghwa Telecom bill, the calls are not listed in any way, there is just a total called 市話撥中華國際通訊網路呼叫器通信費
So I can’t really confirm that it is 4 NT per minute. But it is definitely cheaper than the standard IDD with 019
EDIT: “Skype call out” isn’t too bad either…
I’m sure that 0941-305-111 still works because I use it about once or twice a month, and I’ve been using it for the last 6 years! Also, I’m sure that the charge is only 4 NT per minute. Here are some other numbers that work the same way, and the charge for all of these numbers is 4 NT per minute, regardless of which country you dial:
0951-300-888
0947-854-444
0947-854-555
0947-870-333
With these phone numbers, you can call about 30 countries including USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, all of Europe, and most of Asia.
I used to have a list of the 30 countries that you can call with these numbers, but I can’t find it now. However, I remember that the following countries can NOT be called with the 0941, 0947, and 0951 numbers:
Philippines
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
India
Also, I’m not sure whether or not you can use these numbers to call mobile phones overseas. I guess probably not.
Another thing I’m not sure about is how much the charge would be if you dialed the 0941, 0947, and 0951 numbers from a mobile phone in Taiwan. An easy way to find out would be to use a mobile phone with a pre-paid calling card (an “IF” card) and see how much charge is deducted. My guess is that the charge is probably the same as a landline (4 NT per minute).
By the way, I have discovered that if you try to use a pay phone to dial these numbers, it doesn’t work. The numbers only work when dialed from landlines or mobile phones.
These phone numbers are never advertised, though, so you can only find out about them from “word of mouth”. (That’s how I found out about them 6 years ago.)
Do you happen to recall if Thailand is on this list of 30 countries?
I’m not sure, but it’s easy to find out. Just try dialing a Thailand phone number and see if it goes through.
Also, after you dial the 0941, 0947, or 0951 number, then you can hit the * key for “help”. I just tried that with 0951-300-888 to see if it would tell me the list of 30 countries. It didn’t directly tell me the list of countries, but it said that if you want the list, then dial this number with a fax machine: 0941-321-000. Then when you hear the recording, hit “4” and push the “Start” button. Then the list of countries will be faxed to you.
I can’t try this now because I don’t have a fax machine here at my home. But the next time I’m at school, I’ll use their fax machine, and then when I get the list of countries, I’ll post them in this thread.
Mark
I checked out the website. Are they legit? Has anyone used their CT Life Card? I am thinking about buying it. Is the connection good? Can you always call in?
Thanks!