We were offered by Mytello.com to test their Cheap Online call service, and we thought to give it a try, since it’s a very useful services for nomads, travellers, and expats alike.
How MyTello.com works
MyTello associates to each foreign number that we want to contact, a local number that we can call at local rates rather than international rates, proving to be a huge money saver.
You want to contact a friend in Nepal? Add his number to Mytello interface and he will give you a local landline number. You want to call your uncle living in South Africa? Add his number to Mytello, and it will be transformed into a local landline that you can call at very advantageous rates.
If you use the app on the mobile phone, the conversion from a foreign number to a local one is done automatically if it's in your contact list. If you use the web interface, then you manually dial on your phone the local number created on purpose by Mytello.
At the beginning the process might seem a bit unintuitive, but once understood it’s actually quite easy and straightforward, and if you use the app, you don't even have to worry about it, since it's automatic.
When you register from the Web interface you have to provide a valid email address.
If instead you download the app to your phone, then you’ll have to insert your phone number to which you’ll receive a verification code to access the app.
Web Interface MyTello
How much does it cost to do Cheap International Calls?
It is of fundamental importance to understand that there are two different costs to consider: one is the cost of the service offered by Mytello and the other one is the cost of your phone carrier to make a local call. Nowadays most of the people have a flat fare for local calls, so in most of the cases it is actually free. Be careful in case you are travelling abroad, as roaming charges could apply.
Payment metods
So if we consider the local call to be free, then what we actually pay is Mytello’s service cost, that is actually very affordable. Calling a North-American landline number, costs just 0.01€ per minute, as it does calling an Italian landline. An Australian landline costs only 0.015€ per minute. Calling an Italian mobile phone costs 0.07€ per minute and an Australian one 0.05€. Basically you could be calling your Italian Grandmother for 2 hours and still pay less than an Espresso coffee!
You have to preload credit, that comes in cards of 5€, 10€, 25€ and 50€. It is possible to pay with several methods in a safe way, including Paypal and Credit Card.
The credit has no expiration date.
Mytello.com Rates menu
Call Quality and stability
We have tried to do several calls to landlines and mobile phones in several countries, and we were generally happy with the service. The connection was fast and the sound clear with no delay in particular in dial in mode. In Wifi mode we experienced a short cut of the conversation only once out of many calls, but that was probably due to our Wi-Fi rather than the app.
When calling a dial in number, you first get an audio message that says “Mytello connect” and then the call is forwarded.
We had one single problem calling an Italian landline. The number initially wouldn’t connect. But at the third trial it worked and the communication was really good.
We have tried also selecting Dial In option from the Calls Settings, and as a consequence local numbers were removed from the phone book. This is a planned behavior and nothing to worry about: in fact there is no reason to call a local number through Mytello if you can do it at the same rate directly from your phone.
It’s possible to call also numbers that require a selection of the department with the dial pad.
Mytello App main menu
Web Interface of MyTello.com
The website is extremely simple, with old fashioned graphic and the minimum amount of pages and menus needed. Mytello points at a lean and ease to navigate interface. It’s also possible to choose from a selection of different languages available.
A very important tip is for you to first register your number in your profile as your very first step. To do so go from the web interface to Settings > My Profile.
In fact the service seems to detect automatically your IP, and associate consequently the local number of that country. But in case you are using a VPN, using a foreign SIM card, or you are abroad for vacation, then the automatic association might not be correct.
Also you need the number registration in order for Mytello service to recognize your number and charge you the correct fare.
After adding a foreign number to the online system, Mytello tells you how much it is the cost for each number of your contact list.
MyTello.com Android Mobile App
It is actually more convenient to use the service though the app than from the web interface. In fact if you grant Mytello access to your Contact List, then all you have to do is to search and click on the contact as a normal call, rather than doing it manually. There is also a dialler, in case you need to call somebody not in your contact list.
Very important is to make yourself comfortable with the call settings. In fact there are two different approaches available: one is to call through wifi or data, if you have stable and unlimited data. The second one is to call through your phone carrier to a dial in local number, in case you have unlimited calls but no internet.
A very important advantage of this approach is that it works also when there is no internet coverage in the area. As a protection you can also decide to force the app to call only when connected to wifi if it detects that you are roaming abroad.
On the Android app there is also a list with the most recent calls, and a full detail of the rates for each country, not available on the website.
photo6019352522126373958
Documentation
The documentation available on the website is very basic, there are only some FAQs in the home page of the web interface and other questions and answers on the payment page.
The same FAQs are available also on the mobile application.
But the service is actually quite intuitive once understood the call forwarding principle.
There are also plenty of reviews and external tutorials to support you in case of need. This is one of them.
Customer Service
It was everything so simple and straightforward that we didn’t need to contact their customer service. But reading reviews online, it looks like they do take care of their customers, and whenever they are not satisfied or there is a technological problem with their devices, they offer a full refund. But this is very rare given the the really high rate of satisfaction.
Not easy to find nowadays companies with a similar approach.
In case of need it’s possible to contact them through email, or through live chat, or form if no operators are available.
Users opinions
On TrustPilot Mytello has an average of 4.5 Stars and in the Android Play store, it has 4.3 stars. Scrolling the reviews, users seems to be satisfied.
Geoy in example writes “I haven't had a single dropped call, the calls are crystal clear, and I am not getting the crossed calls (hearing someone else's conversation) like I was with a different service. Very happy”.
Klaus says instead “Easy to install and setup. Works flawlessly, easy to recharge through PayPal, very good voice quality, 8min call from Kenya to Austria mobile number for 0.41 usd. Great app”.
Our conclusion
We were generally satisfied with the service offered by Mytello.com and found the rates to be really affordable. Since we are often in nature or hiking, we have found extremely appealing the possibility to make cheap phone calls also when there is no internet connection and you can’t use WhatsApp or your standard chat programs to connect to your friends and family. A must have for travellers and expats alike.
While this article has been sponsored by Mytello.com, this review represent our honest opinion.
