Skypein

[FinallyRetired]

So I ran through our 2007 expenses and was flabbergasted at the $2500 on cell phones and land line. I've decided to get rid of our land line and our verizon cell phones but not without some counsel and trials first. I'm looking to cut the $2500 to $1000 or less.

I read through some old posts here, and Tracphone appears to be a good candidate to replace our cell phones, especially since we use few minutes most months then use a bunch in the few months we're away from our home. Makes sense to get a calling card cell phone instead of a level pay monthly plan.

On the home phone, just signed up for skypein, which gives us a phone number that can be called from a regular phone for $20 Euros a year -- ~$30 and about 3 cents a minute. Got our first skypein call on the computer and it worked great. I'll be looking for a regular skype phone so we don't have to use the computer, just our high speed internet router. Before we cut off the land line entirely, or fire verizon, any words of warning/wisdom?

 

[TromboneAl]

Also check out magicJack - Official Homepage .

 

[FinallyRetired]

Also check out magicJack - Official Homepage .

Mmm... free? Sounds almost illegal.... I like that I'll have to go for the free tiral. Al, you da man!

 

[simple girl]

Also check out magicJack - Official Homepage .

Wow, that seems almost too good to be true. Have you tried it Al? It says you can even call the USA or Canada from anywhere in the world for free.

 

[Andy R]

ATT Wireless has rollover plans. What ever minutes you don't use rollover and accrue in your account. I am abroad most of the year so I don't use my cell, the minutes build up and I have plenty of extra minutes when I need them. They have family plans too if you want to have multiple phones. One warning, if you let minutes build up and then change to a family plan, you will loose the minutes you have accrued. Here are the family plans if you need more then one line. They start at $59.95/month for two lines (plus taxes). These also have unlimited calls on nights and weekends and free calls to all other ATT customers. So if you have two phones you can call each other without using your minutes.

I have used SkypeIn back in 2005/2006 and am using SkypeOut from my laptop while I am in Africa. I am not as impressed with Skype as I am with Vonage. Depending on minutes used, Vonage has a 500 minute/month plan for $14.95 and the quality is far superior to Skype. I have been using these from across seas where internet latency could be a bigger issue, so Skype might work better with a stable connection from the States.

 

[FinallyRetired]

ATT Wireless has rollover plans...

Thanks for the advice, Andy. The rollover plans appear attractive, but my thought is that paying a monthly bill during months of low useage is more expensive in the long run than having a prepaid phone. But I should run the numbers.

I'll take a look at Vonage. I've had very good quality with Skype from the Caribbean, but I also have a stable high speed connection, I'm sure mileage varies depending on areas. I'd like to use an actual phone for my internet telephony instead of relying on computer headsets, so this will also be a consideration.

Can anyone tell me how the telephone numbers work with Tracphone? Does a phone number come with the purchase of a Tracphone? I've seen some on ebay, but not sure how they assign a phone number to them, and I'd hate to wind up with a cell phone in Virginia that has a California or some other area code.

 

[TromboneAl]

Have you tried it Al?

No, I haven't, but Twaddle has. I'm considering it.

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/magicjack-cheap-voip-32831.html

Can anyone tell me how the telephone numbers work with Tracphone?

Mine came with a phone number in my area code -- I'm sure they all do. When mine broke, and I got a free replacement, it worked with the same phone #.

 

[youbet]

So I ran through our 2007 expenses and was flabbergasted at the $2500 on cell phones and land line.

Before you drop services you currently enjoy, check out why they cost so much. I pay $1,356 (including all taxes and fees) for ATT Landline, ATT DSL and two Verizon cell phones. The cell phones are each on their own plan with 450 prime minutes.

$2500 seems awfully high. Are you paying for expensive options or going way over your minutes on the cell phones or ??