Do your sums and save yourself a princely "sum"! (AXS Telecom)

Member Name: Flindy

Product:	AXS Telecom
Date:	19/03/01 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Saving money

Disadvantages: Dialing more digits

If don’t mind putting a little extra effort into dialing your numbers you could easily save money on your telephone bill. It involves signing up with Axstel Telecom and works like this, once you have signed up you dial a prefix 1615, then the area code and the number.

It may seem a little inconvenient, especially when you may have numbers already programmed in to your phone. But at a flat rate of 2p per minute, to anywhere in the UK, including vat, I think it is worth the extra effort. If you are a heavy phone user in the daytime (weekdays), you will save a decent amount of money over a few months!

You will note that I have referred to weekdays, this is because at weekends and evenings, you will probably be better using BT. As an example using BT with basic Friends and Family tariff, for an off peak evening local call, 5 minutes duration will cost 5p including vat. Cheaper than Axstel. But if you are phoning on a weekday with BT and basic Friends and Family, a 5 minute call would be 18p including vat. The same call routed through Axstel would be 10p including vat. Cheaper than BT. If you then take the same duration but for a National call in the day, with BT and basic Friends and Family, the cost would be 36p including vat. Now do the same calculation using Axstel, and the call would be 10p including vat. Even when I was on BT Together, which costs £11.99 per month, I could still not better the daytime rate with Axstel.

I have since cancelled my BT Together contract! You can now see how you can save money on your telephone calls, with just a little extra effort!

You can also access mobile numbers through Axstel for the whole of the U.K for 18p per minute. Amazingly, calls to the US are 4p per minute and to Australia 5p per minute. In fact all calls abroad through Axstel are cheaper. I signed up via the phone; I had to give my debit card details, even though I was signing up for a post payment service (you can sign for
a pre payment service). I then got a direct debit form in the post; once it was returned to them the account was activated. I get a bill each month, which is itemised, so if any queries should arise I can sort them out before the money is taken out of my bank. There have been no problems so far, everything is running smoothly.

With the pre payment service they give you an initial credit limit and when you go over this you have to make a further payment. If you decide to join Axstel, the person who recommends you gets a credit of £5 off their bill, and you yourself get a credit of £5 when you first join.

You can go to their web site and print off an application form. www.axstel.com If you do sign up, do your homework; work out which times are going to be the most beneficial for using Axstel.

Lastly Axstel’s National call rates do not apply to non geographical numbers, nor internet connections or special rate numbers.

Summary: