Electronics & Appliances US Phone Number and VOIP

Been here going on four months from the US, lease is a year, so now looking for a US phone number that might include reliable video calling capability like Skype. I use skype to call back to the US, but now i'm thinking about getting a US number that others can use to call me here in Dtge. I have no cell or residence back in the US, just a postal service box. So google voice is not possible, unless i lie.

I'm thinking of just adding a Skype Number, which can leave a message in my skype. It's about $5 a month on top of my free skype (+pennies per minute). I think vonage is over $20 a month. I'm not that great at thinking outside the box, so all ideas welcome.

And thanks again to all who posted on my other questions, especially the hearing aid battery question, answer was 10 minutes away at SUMC.

 

I had a Skype number for $40 (USD) per year, until a few days ago. Kept it for several years and worked well around the world. I keep a USA cellphone though, so it really wasn't needed. That, and the fact that my internet in the Philippines usually won't support Skype.

 

My personal needs are to call my son in US, my daughter in Australia, and financial and governmental offices in the US. I primarily use tw0 methods but have access to other systems also. All systems require internet or Wi-Fi access to make or receive calls. I do not use landline phones
I use Magicjack (about $ 40 USD per year for unlimited US calls ) for US calls including financial and governmental office in the US. You get to pick your own phone numbers, so you can select one that from the area code your were previously using and people may not realize you have moved. Anyone with a US phone can call you using your area code and phone number. I use this primarily for government offices as you can call any US phone number, and the receiver does not have to have a special number or be aware of where you are located. Negative: Does not support video calls. Does not support worldwide calls for free. There is a cost
I use Viber, which is free and supports video calls, and texting primarily for my son and daughter. The quality is very good. You can call any where in the world that the other person has a Vibar number. Signing up for Viber is free. Negative: your receiver has to have a viper number also registered. US governmental and most commercial offices do not have viper numbers.
I use my smart phone (MYPHONE Rio model for 3,000 P ) with both Viber and Magicjack when there is Wi-Fi. This means you can be at any Wi-Fi hotspot and the system works, when you are away from home, like at many local restaurants, the gyms etc.
Facebook also allows calls and supports video calls. I seldom use it as it requires me to be on FB . Anyone on FB can call you so you may get unsolicited calls from ladies. I just do not answer
There are others too, like Skype, but since my children do not use that forum I seldom use it. For some reason my children gave up Skype for Viber. They have traveled world wide and seem to perfer Viber. I do have a Skype account, and usually get unwanted calls and texts from ladies. I do not reply
I hope this information gives you a starting point to make decisions. With Viber, Facebook, and Skype there is not cost to sign up.

 

Viber also uses much less bandwidth, phone resources, and collects much less data than FB messenger. Easier to get a better more stable connection and your battery will last twice as long. For 'official' calls (to banks or government offices) I use Hangouts dialer, I don't have a number they can call me on but I can call any US number for free. For calls to me I have google voice which you said doesn't help you.

 

I use Magicjack myself and Pat was mispoken on its cost. Its $40 a year not month (currently $35 for me). There is an app for your phone as well which makes your phone with the magicjack app work as a US phone as well. It does require internet and half decent internet but works alright for me. I don't think it has video calling however but quite honestly the Philippines internet can't handle video calls well enough due to poor bandwidth most people would have or latency delays.

 

You are correct, MagicJack is unlimited calls for about $40 per year, actually 5 years ago I paid $105 for five years, but the rates may have changed by now. I was able to modify my post to reflect the correct information, thanks for the heads up. Thanks also for blaming"Pat" for the mis-information... As I hate making misstakes ( ) but I think it was me.

@ChMacQueen

 

Arrived in Dumaguete a few weeks ago and set up my Ooma VoIP with our home telephone number that we used for years in the USA. So far it works fine on the Globe DSL.

Gary

 

Google voice is free. I get a phone number, receive voice mail, send and receive texts to family in the US and I can make calls to the US via hangouts on my phone. I have never looked into the other services because I never had a need.

 

An update on the OOMA. Found that it receives calls fine but appears to time out when trying outgoing calls. Used the Obihai I brought from the USA and can do incoming and outgoing calls fine. Set the OOMA to forward the calls to the Obihai as the OOMA number is our home phone number so family, friends and businesses still can contact us like normal.

 

I found that Skype doesn't work with my internet connection in Valencia (uses an antenna aimed at downtown Dumaguete). It dials through then invariably drops the call shortly after it is answered. I switched to Google Voice and it works fine. It's a bit odd for me because I have used Skype all over the world in hotel rooms with slower connections yet no problems.