Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sash]

How much is your typical phone bill... and how often do you make overseas calls (total hours per month)... and what phone carrier do you use?

I know it's different for each person, but just wanted a ballpark.
Also, is there special fees, even if you make an overseas phone call with a calling card?

Thank you!

[Son Deureo!]

My cell phone costs me about W40,000 per month, which I use for local calls and text messages only.

I buy calling cards to call overseas that cost W10,000 for a little over 100 minutes. Never call home without a calling card.

There are probably better deals out there.

[Yesanman]

There are even better phone cards.
Mine (A Plus) costs 12000W and I get over 300 minutes to Canada/US.
Never make a phone call overseas without it.
House phone bill around 20,000 and my cell usually 30,000 a month.
But I don't have any friends so maybe I'm not the best judge.

[Wangja]

My landline is 37,000 when my wife is not here but around 90,000 when she is. This includes internet.

My HP is around 30,000. To be honest, I don't check it 'cos it's on automatic payment and has been for 7 years.

In principle, neither HP nor landline are used for interational calls. For these we use Skype or, if outside, a calling card. I have a re-loadable Runtel card and spend around 100 USD a year.

[SuperHero]

don't waste money making international calls from your phone. Get skype. 2 cents a minute almost anywhere in the world.

The advantage with skype is anywhere you have an internet connection you can make a long distance call for the same rate. On vacation in Thailand and want to call your folks back home - no problem 0.02 per minute. Want to call your gf/bf in Korea same deal 0.02 per minute.

[HamuHamu]

My landline with no international calls, was about 6,000 a month. This was in 2004, the last time I had a land line.

Apparently it is quite expensive to have one installed, and I was only able to have one because the villa I moved into had already been wired and set up for a phone. All my employer had to do was activate the line (80,000 won for the activation). Later, when I moved into an officetel that had not previously had a landline, my employer wouldn't install one for me because it would have cost (according to him) over 300,000 won.

For international calls, your best bet, as others have said, is anything but direct dialing from your phone. Buy a phone card in Itaewon, and if that is a huge trip for you, get one that allows you to recharge it with a credit card over the phone -- most of them have a customer service number on the back of the card.

Of course, if you're not in the Seoul vicinity, there will be other places to buy phone cards in your area, I'm sure. One of the travel agencies has a website and you can do it over the phone with them, and make payment into their bank account. Don't know any details as I have never used them, just seen it. Perhaps it is Gangsan Travel in Busan? I don't remember.

[Son Deureo!]

[Sash]

Thanks for the replys! I do have a calling card (SK i think), but was just wondering if there was a charge to use the calling card. (I've been misinformed). And also wanted to see how my phone bill weighed against others.

I will definitely search SKYPE. Thanks guys!

[Wangja]

[happygirl]

i make all of my calls home with vonage. i have a router and regular phone connected to my net. i like vonage because i can call any number. home or cell, anytime. it's $24.95/mo. unlimited calls to us, canada, most of europe and i even use it calling taiwan. i'm on the phone constantly so this is the best deal for me. if you want more info on vonage and a free month's service pm me.

[Boodleheimer]

download skype. calls to phones cost about $.02/minute, and calls to other computers are free.