THE next time you use your international calling card, think again. A survey by Sunday Money shows that you may be better off using the regular International Direct Dialling service provided by Hongkong Telecom.
For those using an international calling card, however, Hongkong Telecom was a bare four per cent cheaper overall than its closest competitor, City Telecom International and about 40 per cent less expensive than MCI in a survey of calls to five select countries.
We asked Hongkong Telecom, City Telecom, A T & T, MCI and Sprint to tally the total cost of a 10-minute call between 7 am and midnight from Monday to Saturday to five international destinations - the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Indonesia.
For a 10-minute call to the United States, City Telecom's charges are 20 per cent cheaper than their nearest rival. City Telecom charges $98.40 while closest rival Sprint's fees are $123 for 10 minutes.
Users of Hongkong Telecom cards pay $125, MCI card holders are stuck with a bill of $131.10 and A T & T calling cards pick up a tab for $136.66. The International Direct dialling charge is $123.
However, for 10-minute calls to the United Kingdom consumers who use Hongkong Telecom's card pay 24 per cent less than City Telecom card-holders. Hongkong Telecom card-users pay $107, and nearest rival City Telecom's card-members $142.
At the same time, MCI card-members are billed $227.72. The International Direct dialling charge is $105. A T & T and Sprint were not able to provide a service to the United Kingdom for customers calling from the territory.