Wednesday, November 28, 2007

How I Save Money On Phone Calls

I have been looking for ways to cut down on my phone bills. I had a landline and a cell phone. I don't really make a lot of phone calls but I have to maintain a reliable means of communication, having a very active toddler at home. I noticed that the phone company charges a variety of fees. I was paying a few dollars more every month despite having an unlimited calling plan.

I have seen a lot of advertisements about VoIP's so I decided to give it a try. I found one that charged around $10.00 a month, when I chose to pay for 15 months of service. I really liked it. The voice quality was comparable to landlines although I was paying less than a third of what the traditional phone company charged me. Unfortunately, the company folded before I have used it for a whole year.

This incident forced me to look for other ways of getting phone service. There are websites that provide free phone calls but are limited to 5 minutes per call. I was fortunate to chance upon this article in a local newspaper about new products in the market that uses the internet to make phone calls. I then ordered this MAGICJACK device. It goes to the USB port of my laptop and at the other end is a phone jack, where I can attach my cordless phone. I can make and receive unlimited phone calls as long as my laptop is connected to the internet. I am satisfied so far. Voice quality is just like a regular phone line. It has features such as voice mail and caller ID included in the package. I paid $39.00 + shipping and handling for the gizmo. This comes with a one-year license to use it. I can even use it to make calls to the US when I travel internationally as long as it's connected to high-speed internet. Isn't that a deal? I recommend it to everyone sick of paying unreasonable monthly phone bills.