To save on my phone bill I had the phone company eliminate my long distance capability from my phone. I then purchased a MCI phone card from Costco $19.95 for 600 minutes. This card allowed me to call at any time for the same price.The time that it took me to dial in my extra numbers took less than a minute.
I also saved on the taxes that would have been charged to me by my local phone company on top of the long distance charge. I was able to keep track of what numbers were or were not long distance.
I can recharge the phone card when needed for the same cost. I also gave my teenage daughter a card so that she can learn to budget her time. The savings have been tremendous for our family as I have been doing this for over a year.
Christy
This is a good tip if you have trouble with long conversations. However make sure that you read the fine print carefully. You'll see that most cards charge extra minutes for certain countries, states, etc. The card should come with a list that says which countries 1 minute = 1 minute and which countries 1 minutes = 2-6 minutes. Make sure you know before you call. (02/23/2005)
I use an internet service called onesuite.com which is like a calling card. There is a 800 number to call which has been programmed into my memory phone on 0. So the only thing I do different is dial "memory 0" before making the long distance call. The cost is under 3 cents a minute for anywhere in the US any day/anytime, and although I do not call outside the country, the prices listed on the site seem cheap to me.
There are no other fees and you can look up your account to see how many minutes you talked to who and when. It can be recharged online in a choice of denominations and can either be programmed to recognize your phone/phones as the pin or you can dial it in if you are not home. Great savings and very convenient. (02/24/2005)
By Betty
If you have cable internet, try this site: vonage.com
We have phone service from them. It is unbelievably cheap. (02/24/2005)
By Donna
I checked out the vonage.com and I like the fact that they offer call waiting, caller ID, and others for free. As far as the plans go, some months I will not use 500 minutes and other months I could use more so I still would be paying the monthly fee. With the MCI card from Costco, I pay 2.99 cents per minute within the US anytime any day. I know how many minutes I have each time I make a call. I keep my card in a pocket I made in front of of my address/phone book. This way I know where it is at all times. (02/25/2005)
By Christy
I got a MagicJack, it is unbelievable. It works great. You need High Speed Internet to use this.(10/29/2008)
By Joan Dykes
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