Cheapest Ways to Communicate

[andrea y arturo 14]

Having my fiancee in Colombia and having suffered from $100 in calls per week from my cell to her cell I quickly learned that something had to be done to communicate more efficiently. I have used:

1) Discounted international calling from Tmobile - not very cost effective

2) Skype - great when both of us are connected online but not when we are on the go

3) Skype long distance - cheap but quality of calls sometimes leaves something to be desired

4) Majic Jack- Great for calling back home when overseas. But some quality issues with calls made from us to overseas

5) llamacolombia.com great service, great rates plus speed calling!

6) 012 global - great service, great rates but no speed calling.

7) yahoo video chat - great when online and when skype acts up

If anoyne would like to add to this list I am always looking for new ideas on how to communicate

Art

[TimeTravel 78]

I guess you already knew all the best avenue for cheapest calling.

[A + M 29]

Google/Gmail (free phone calls to US), VoipWise, calling cards.

[YozhikandBulochka 3]

Google Talk is the cheapest by far...You can do it at home, on the go, in your PJs, on a mountain....you can even do it while taking a pooop. LOL but seriously me and the misses use Google talk and its great. ALso for contacting family when abroad I use Google voice to send SMS for free only thing needed is a phone internet service which in most countries is dirt cheap compared to the US.

YOzhik

[TBoneTX 43,513]

"Dirt-cheap" is far less important than finding an avenue that will provide a call record of your exact number and her exact number. This can be crucial for the consular stage. If you "cheap out" now, you may live to regret it later. Trust the truth of this, si man.

[SuperDuper! 230]

Google Talk is the cheapest by far...You can do it at home, on the go, in your PJs, on a mountain....you can even do it while taking a pooop. LOL but seriously me and the misses use Google talk and its great. ALso for contacting family when abroad I use Google voice to send SMS for free only thing needed is a phone internet service which in most countries is dirt cheap compared to the US.

YOzhik

Now THAT is an overshare!

[markedmark 0]

I've tried Google voice for a bit and that was the cheapest option i could find calling Thailand, but I think Vonage is by far the best option for me. I Just pay a flat fee once a month for unlimited international calling (the top ten most popular contries are free, I'm not sure if Colombia is on the list). The best part I like about Vonage is if you have a smart phone you can use an app and call from your cell, and aren't forced to only use a land line when talking with your loved one.

There is also an app for google voice so you can use your cell.

Edited November 22, 2011 by markedmark

[Robert de Bonda 3]

I have always used Vonage and have only recently had minor problems with TIGO in Colombia. A friend recently told me about a new Vonqage service ($55/month) that allows unlimited calls to landlines and cellphones in Colombia. As was said earlier, you can also use an app or register a cellphone as an extension for $9.99/mo and call anywhere in Colombia from your cell.

[YozhikandBulochka 3]

Google voice and Google Talk both have record functions with either name and phone or name and email address with time stamps...so cheap may not be so bad in the end.

[sonicgihad 4]

Do you guys have iPhones or droid phones? If so, get. A Data plan and use Viber or Tango then whatsapp or kik for texting. All of which are free... If you dont have iphones, get em, it'll be worth it.

[daryl&lada 8]

I occasionally use ooVoo. It works ok when Skype and yahoo won't.

[andrea y arturo 14]

Great info!!

[Hank_ 9,173]

Google voice with an OBI 110. I believe there are apps for phone also that have wi-fi.

I tried the new Magic Jack Plus but after a week it would drop calls like crazy or it would not connect at all. Sent it back. Then I starting reading on the OBI 110 it interfaces with google voice and works flawlessly. Of course my reason for this is not so much talking with my Fiancee now, even though she does use google voice from her phone when she has a wi-fi connection and calls me for free. My main reason is to take an OBI with me when I head back over so that once my Fiancee is here she will be able to make free calls and family will be able to call her at any time for free also.

I have been using the OBI and google voice for almost a month now and both have worked great, even when I forward google voice to my cell phone.