VoIP gets thumbs-up from Wall Street journalist

Using VoIP when abroad has been recommended by a writer for the Wall Street Journal.

Brett Arends writes that being able to use a mobile when abroad is "invaluable", but that the price of doing so can end up being "cripplingly expensive".

To get round this, he recommends setting up a VoIP account while at home then buying a cheap mobile in the country being visited (or getting a SIM for a currently-owned mobile, but this requires the mobile to work in the country).

It is then simple to reroute the VoIP account to the mobile and an added bonus is that anyone who needs to call can do it using the same number as usual.

He says the price saving will be significant.

"How much it will cost will depend on which services you use and where you are," writes Mr Arends.

"But it is likely to be cents per minute rather than dollars.

Mr Arends writes an online personal finance and investing column for the Wall Street Journal.