Cell phones don't work well here in my neck of the woods, so I have a home phone. Initially, the home phone service was provided by my ISP, under a bundle plan, but then I realized I was overpaying, so I switched to BasicTalk. I got the kit at Walmart for free, it was easy to set up, and I got to keep my phone number. My monthly bill went from approximately $30/month (or more) plus taxes with Comcast, then the same with AT&T, to under $13/month, including taxes. It's not a landline hardwired into The House the way we used to have, it's VOIP, and works through the internet router. There are other VOIP companies, but this is the first I've tried that is independent of my ISP, and I'm quite happy with them.
I don't usually name names since things change over time but one service I have been highly impressed with is Telehop. It's not widely known but it offers some of the cheapest long distance rates out there via voip connections. If you live in a remote area where you regularly have to use long distance to call anywhere then I highly recommend them, rates are as low as 1.7 cents a minute overseas or to the US and about the same price for calls within your state or province. The have limitations but are easy to use and well worth the price. They have an option of using a 10-10 type number before you call long distance OR if you have a home phone you can connect it to the service and all calls automatically receive the low rate. Cheaper than phone cards and reliable, I give them top marks.
I am currently using ObiTalk, and it is saving me a lot of money. I do not have to pay any additional fees, and the line goes through Google Talk. I only had to pay for the VoIP device, which was about $30 (I might be wrong though), for lifetime. I don't know about other services by this one is by far the cheapest one I had.
I'm in the U.S., and I pay flat fee, no long distance charges. I don't make international calls, so I haven't investigated whether or not they charge extra for those. If so, and I had to make calls, I'd probably just buy a calling card and use that, since that's often the cheapest way to go, or at least used to be, back when I used them. I've never heard of ObiTalk, but will check into that, it sounds interesting. The device for BasicTalk was free, and I pay the approximately $13/mo for unlimited service within the U.S. I'm glad to hear that the field seems to be opening up, with new companies offering lower costs and hopefully comparable, or better service.
A VOIP phone is very cheap, as the calls are routed through internet and nothing like it, if your situation allows it. However, it's not secure and you can experience call drops. If your provider, AT&T is providing good bandwidth, you can also avail mobile VOIP.
I'm in the U.S., and I pay flat fee, no long distance charges. I don't make international calls, so I haven't investigated whether or not they charge extra for those. If so, and I had to make calls, I'd probably just buy a calling card and use that, since that's often the cheapest way to go, or at least used to be, back when I used them. I've never heard of ObiTalk, but will check into that, it sounds interesting. The device for BasicTalk was free, and I pay the approximately $13/mo for unlimited service within the U.S. I'm glad to hear that the field seems to be opening up, with new companies offering lower costs and hopefully comparable, or better service.Thanks, Bonzer, I'm not familiar with mobile VOIP, will have to look into that. I actually saw an ad last night on TV comparing the cost of Basic Talk, which is what I use, to a new version of MagicJack, and it mentioned mobile. I guess I'll have to do some research, because I think it said the monthly service is free, all you have to do is buy the adapter. I'm not sure if it's a mobile app, can be used at home, or both, but if I figure it out, I'll post here about it.
I use Skype on my computer, 3 months along with a phone number is only $21. It works on the cell phone also. As long as I have internet access I have a phone. It has been working for me for years.
I think VOIP services are great. There are some really good ones out there that will save you a lot of money when it comes to buying credits and phoning. I think it would also be a good idea if you switch completely from a phone with credit, to a VOIP system based phone. I mean, I haven't tried it, but I've checked and compared prices, it's insanely cheaper.
Pat, is it $7/month? I haven't used Skype, mainly because I understood it to be a video chat system, and I don't have a webcam on my computer, and my Mom is elderly and doesn't even have a computer anymore, so I didn't feel the need for video chat, but I'd like to know more about it, since it sounds cost effective.
NetTalk is like MagicJack. I think the one we have is actually called NetTalkDuo, and it's been great. It cost like $29.95 for the device and it's $39.95 per year, so just over three bucks a month to have a home phone. We had considered going with just our mobile phones when we decided to drop our regular (way too expensive) phone service, but we decided we still needed a house phone. If you have Internet issues, you will be without a phone, but it's been rare for us. No more common here than the power or the regular phone going out (usually during severe weather). In those cases, we usually still have cell service.
Zyni, how does it work regarding phone number, do you get to keep your number, or have to get a new one? I'm making a list of all the ones mentioned here. I like what I have, but even $10/month savings would be good. $120/year is nothing to sneeze at.
Ah, that's a good question, Diane, one I should have addressed. No, you don't get to keep your phone number. In fact, at times, you may get one that is outside of your area code. That happened to us. We really weren't too concerned about it, since most people call our cells if they want to reach us anyway. I can see where it might be a problem for some, especially if you've had the same home phone number for a long time. For me, it was worth the savings. Our phone bill had gotten ridiculous.
Thanks for answering. I was able to keep this number when I switched from AT&T to Basic Talk. I might be open to changing it, and if I did, one outside of this area might not bother me. I was able to select from 3 number options when I picked my current home phone number, and I picked this one because it was so easy to remember, but I'm not married to it. The savings and ease of use with NetTalkDuo sound as if it might be worth trying, so I'm definitely keeping it on my list of possibilities.
I have tried Skype and it's amazing! With Skype you can save so much money and it's like a bargain, instead of having an actual phone, I recommend you guys to try it totally, look up the prices and you will see a major difference.
I’ve seen Basic Talk advertised on television. That seems like a really good deal. I’ve thought about going this route. But, I haven’t decided yet. I don’t talk much on the phone.
I use Skype. I bought a subscription and picked a phone number too. It comes out to five dollars a month for the whole US. They have international plans also. It works well and my calls rarely have technical difficulties. To me, the only drawback is emergency calls cannot be made.
@kristin Not being able to make emergency calls is a deal breaker for me. I live alone, and need to be able to make emergency calls, if needed. RE: Skype is it only video, or is there an option to make it only audio? I don't have a camera on the computer.
These days its easier making calls using the internet . Skype,whatsapp,global call..etc . I have a very good WiFi connection at home so I don't feel the need to use Voip phones but at my workplace they still use this .. I guess only Businesses use Voip phones these days.