FREE CALLS

Yes, we all know about calling 800-FREE411 for directory assistance..

And yes, we know about free calling using Skype or Google Voice.

Thanks to a new service called FreePhone2Phone.com, you can make national and international calls for free. Listen to a 10- or 12-second ad and get 10 minutes of free calling to any of 55 countries. According to the company, 85 percent of all calls are under 10 minutes long, so most calls are covered.

Here’s the fine print:

Each call is limited to 10 minutes. A warning tone beeps every 5 seconds for the last half minute, and then you’re cut off.

If you try to call the same number again the same day, your call is limited to five minutes; this prevents you from exploiting the system by calling back over and over all day.

Calls overseas are mostly limited to landline numbers. Calling cellphones overseas is limited to a few industrialized countries.

There’s no reason you can’t make free phone calls to numbers in the United States, too, but this trick makes more sense if you have a landline.