Long distance phone plans:
Americom.com - 3.9 cents per minute for state-to-state calls. No minimum usage requirements, but the company has added a .99 cent monthly fee. New customers get 100 free minutes.
American Telecom Network - 4.9 cents per minute on state-to-state calls. No activation or monthly fees. CALL 1-888-ITS-GREAT for more information.
bigredwire.com - No longer a monthly fee and no minimum usage fees. Interstate calls are 2.6 cents a minute. Intrastate rates vary depending on the location of the calling party. Members get $5 in free calls to other BRW members each month. (Editor's note: One user wrote in to say that this may be an intro rate only and he's now being charged 6 cents a minute)
capsule.com - 3.9 cents a minute with 6-second billing. If you make more than $20 in calls a month or if you are willing to "autopay" your bill, consider this plan. If not, don't use this service or you will be charged a fee.
gtctelecom.com - 3.9 cents a minute on state-to-state calls, except for Alaska and Hawaii. There is a 95¢ monthly service fee if you want to pay by credit card and receive a monthly paper bill, and a $1.95 monthly service fee if you want to pay by check. No monthly fee if you opt for online billing.
onesuite.com - 2.5 cents if you use a local access number; 2.9 cents otherwise, except if you use a payphone. No monthly fee. Comparable international rates.
pioneer.com - Pricing starts at 2.7 cents a minute for some state-to-state calls and to other Pioneer members. Consider this plan only if you make more than $25 in calls each month. Otherwise, you will be charged a $2 "low usage fee."
Total Call International - 2.9 cents a minute for state-to-state calls. Only consider this plan if you make more than $20 in calls. Otherwise, you'll be charged $2.50 a month. Higher per-minute plans available with no fees.
International calling plans and devices:
Global-call.net - IDT's GlobalCall is a pre-paid rechargeable calling card that offers good international rates for calling back to the States.
Pingo.com - This virtual calling card was brought to Clark's attention by a listener. Rates as low as 3 cents/minute from Mexico and 2 cents/minute from Russia! NEW
PC-to-phone or PC-to-PC services:
skype.com - Make free phone calls all over the world to anyone else who has the Skype software on their computer. Download program from the site and talk with your friends and family for free! sipphone.com - Get free worldwide calling with this phone, which plugs into a broadband Internet connection. The recipient must also have a SIP Phone for the call to go through. Calls are made over your Internet connection and can be made from state to state or country to country for free! Two phones cost $129, or get one for $80. Yahoo! Voice (formerly DialPad.com) - Free PC-to-PC calls between Yahoo! Messenger users. Long distance PC-to-phone calls within the United States are 1 cent, while international rates vary.
net2phone - Net2Phone now charges 2 cents a minute for calls from your PC to any telephone in the US. Interntional rates vary.
Calling cards:
Costco/MCI - The MCI calling card at Costco has changed again. Now, you can buy a 700 minute card for $19.99. That's less than 2.9 cents a minute for your calls. Plus, Costco now has international calling cards that never expire and are instantly rechargeable.
Sam's Club/AT&T - Sam's Club and AT&T have teamed up to offer several pre-paid cards. These include a 1,500-minute card or a 20-pack of 100-minute cards, all costing about 3 cents a minute. Shipping is included in the price.
Voice e-mail:
onebox.com - $9.95 per month for e-mail, voicemail and fax services.
ureach.com - e-mail and voice mail all in one place. Plans range from $2.99 to $6.99 a month. Or, try a month for free.
Callwave.com - Internet answering machine. Basic service is free, or pay $2.95 to $9.95 for premium services. |
