Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Still have regular phone service? Here is an money saving option

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010) Donate to DU
 
yy4me Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-16-08 04:40 PM
Original message
Still have regular phone service? Here is an money saving option

Many years ago, we were upset with Verizon because we got two bills each month. One was for local service, one for long distance. We had decided that this was foolish since we made very few long distance calls. Each bill included all kinds of fees and taxes.

I looked into some of the other long distance carriers that charged you a small fee and did not include some of the whopping base charges that appeared on Verizon's bill.

For no particular reason, we thought we'd try PowerNetGlobal. It is a long distance carrier with several plans that cost a few pennies a minute without the fees of Verizon.
I have been so pleased with their service. You would never know that there was a change in carrier but there is a huge drop in our phone bill. My last bill, which included 4 calls to Paris was a grand total of $5.96. No extra fees, no minimum monthly charges. Just straight 3.5 cents a minute. And they prorate the call. One of my calls was to a wrong number...oops, 6 cents.

The choice of long distance carriers is not as scary as a lot of folks think. The phone company has indoctrinated us into thinking that anything else but their service will lead you to doom. Try one of the other options. You'll be in for a surprise.

WE have a very limited cell phone plan and use our free weekends for incoming and outgoing calls. We've told friends and family to call on the cell on weekends, during the week we use our regular phone. On the whole, between the 2 land suppliers and the one cell phone plan, we pay about $52.00 a month for the phone. Of course, this combination will not work for everyone but if you do not use the phone a lot or can use a lot of discipline, this route is the best deal that I can find.

Google long distance carriers, you'll be pleased.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
Breeze54 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-16-08 04:42 PM
Response to Original message
1. Better yet? Get an 800 number (unlimited LD calls) or internet phone service.
;)
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
monmouth Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-16-08 05:47 PM
Response to Original message
2. I've been dialing 10-10-9-8-7 and noticed a big drop in costs. When
I got my DSL through Bellsouth they tried soooo hard to get me make them my LD carrier.... Heh, they're probably tapping my phone for god's sake...
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Zoigal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-16-08 06:23 PM
Response to Original message
3. Have used CREDO (used to be Working Assets) as our long distance
carrier for years. Also for our cell phone. Never any problems. Great company.
Also use the skype site...it's free, and we can see who we're talking with, to boot. z
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Speck Tater Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-16-08 06:53 PM
Response to Original message
4. My phone bill runs between $8.00 and $10.00 per month.
I use a pay-as-you-go cell phone, and no land line. There is no monthly minimum, and a $25.00 recharge is good for 90 days.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Liberal_in_LA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-16-08 08:13 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. how do you access the internet from home w/o a landline?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Rosco T. Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-16-08 09:08 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. Cable Internet, add a VOIP service or SKYPE
no phone bill
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
yy4me Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Mar-17-08 05:59 AM
Response to Reply #5
7. Broadband Cable. I guess it is a case of giving the money to
Comcast instead but I do that anyway for TV and Internet service. I will not, however, give them any more money for their phone service. I now pay about $89.00 a month for those 2 services. Internet phone would add another chunk of $ to their coffers. BTW, that figure includes my whopping senior discount.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Liberal_in_LA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Mar-17-08 08:36 PM
Response to Reply #7
12. Thanks for tips everyone.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
northzax Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Mar-17-08 06:39 AM
Response to Reply #5
8. you can even get dsl
without a landline, as long as you have a phone jack at home.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Speck Tater Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Mar-17-08 02:54 PM
Response to Reply #5
10. Special circumstances.
I live in an extended family household with my kids, their spouses, and my grandkids. I bought a large rural duplex (many years before the real estate bubble) and joined the halves together. It's a really BIG place on lots of land (gardens, orchards, water wells), so everybody has their private space. We all share the cost of DSL, so my share is pretty small.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Liberal_in_LA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Mar-17-08 08:35 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. Sounds like a neat setup.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
reformedrethug Donating Member (288 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Mar-17-08 07:16 AM
Response to Original message
9. My wife and I
dropped our landline years ago, we never used it so why pay for something we do not use. Since my kids live in Florida and my family lives in a different town we decided to go straight cell. My kids have verizon cell's, we got my mom a verizon cell, my MIL has a verizon phone now thanks to us, and the only person that does not have verizon is my dad and step mom. We now have zero long distance bills, I can talk or text my kids anytime, I can talk to my mom anytime, and my wife can talk to her mom anytime with verizon to verizon free. We have a total of 5 phones on our plan and our bill is LESS this way than when we were paying for long distance.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Sun Nov 03rd 2024, 07:54 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010) Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC