Live in the Philippines

Live in the Philippines helps expats with visas, moving and other services regarding the Philippines.

Telephone troubles and options

Communications, Video / by

A topic that is always of interest to expats is VOIP telephone service.  What is VOIP?  Well, it is Voice over Internet Protocol, basically it is a telephone service on which you can call overseas using the Internet, and thus avoiding paying long distance International phone charges.  There are many different companies offering VOIP service.  Some of the companies that I have used over the years include Skype, Vonage, Magic Jack and perhaps a few others as well.

My Vonage Experience

For me, it all got started back in like 2003 or so when I got a Vonage account.  You needed to get a special router box and a few other things, but I was able to have somebody ship that stuff to me, and I enjoyed great inexpensive phone service to and from the States for about 8 years.  As I recall, I paid something like $20 per month or so for unlimited calling to and from the US, Canada and a few other countries.  The service was good.  In 2011, my Vonage router quit working after some 8 years of service.  It kind of put me in a jam, because I needed to be able to communicate with family and business clients through my US telephone number.  I called Vonage for assistance, and they were very unhelpful with me, so I decided to drop them.  I figured that as a long term customer they would have wanted to keep me as a client, but it seemed they didn’t really care, so I moved on.

My Skype Experience

My next step was to go to Skype.  I already had a Skype account which I had used a few times over the years, and it worked OK.  So, after the Vonage fiasco, I signed up for a Skype-In number (in other words, just a US phone number tied to my Skype account) and also a monthly plan where I could make unlimited calls to the USA.  This worked well, but frankly, I missed the fact that using Vonage, I could make calls just using a “regular” telephone that was hooked to my router.  Needing to be on the computer was a bit of a hassle.

Magic Jack enters the picture

A few months later, somebody told me about Magic Jack.  I had actually already heard of Magic Jack, but had never really tried it out or anything.  The friend who told me about Magic Jack was kind enough to send me a Magic Jack Plus, a device that hooked to my router instead of my computer, and allowed me to make International calls using my regular telephones instead of my computer.  I like it, and it worked great.  After using Magic Jack for a year, I had to pay $30 for another year of unlimited calling, which I gladly did. Unfortunately, only about a month after paying for another year of calling, my Magic Jack Plus device bit the dust.  I could no longer get a dial tone on my phone, and through some testing, I found that the unit was broken.  I tried everything I could to fix it, but to no avail.  So, I had a year worth of calling that I just paid for, but no way to use it.

Back to Skype for me.  But, frankly, I still did not like Skype all that much.  I just found that it was not that versatile in the ways that I wanted it to be.

After a few weeks of using the Skype, I found myself wanting to find out how to fix that Magic Jack, so I started doing some Internet searching.  I still could not find any way to get the unit working, but I did come across something that I had not considered.  In one of my searches about Magic Jack, I came across some indication that Magic Jack now had Apps that worked with either iPhone or Android Phones.  I use an Android phone, so this sounded kind of interesting.  I quickly found this video:

This really caught my attention.  I could use my existing Magic Jack account (with that credit that I just purchased) with my Android device, even if my Magic Jack unit no longer worked.  Perfect!  I quickly downloaded the App onto my phone, got it all configured, and it worked great!  I was so happy.  After getting it working on my phone, I installed the App on Feyma’s phone, and also some other family members, all using the regular Magic Jack number that we had been using for more than a year.

Just a quick note… on the video they talk about how if you don’t have a Magic Jack account, there is a bit of a hassle for people calling you using the Magic Jack App.  But, the key is that if you do have a Magic Jack account (which I do), they can call you hassle free by just dialing your number, like any other phone call.  So, if you want people to be able to call you, just sign up for an account.  It will cost you something like $30 per year, but to me that is well worth the money.

So, for any expats out there who want to use Magic Jack, but don’t necessarily want to have to get the Magic Jack unit, this may be a great solution for you.  I know it works great for me.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I have had a magic jack for years now! Have never been disappointed and it’s very inexpensive. Service has always been very good.

    • Hi Jason – I enjoyed my MagicJack when it worked. I have to admit, I was not too happy when it died after only one year of use, though! 😉

  2. Hi Bob!

    Got the magic jack usb-thingy before. When I was using it, there was a one or two second delay with the connection. I’m not sure if that’s because I was talking to someone in Canada, as opposed to US. I also experience a bit of delay with Skype.

    • Hi Charley – Hmm.. not sure what is going on there. I have not experienced that type of delay on Magic Jack. I would wonder if it was your Internet connection that caused the problem?

      • Maybe.. I’ve had the same issue, regardless of what internet provider I have (Globe, sun, smart). Yeah, perhaps my internet connection isn’t fast enough.. only have 1-2 mbps

    • Hi Axel, glad you found something that works for you. On top of the computer thing, I find Skype to be expensive. One year of service would be about four times what magic Jack costs.

  5. In the past 8 yrs, I have been using Vonage and Broadvoice.

    Vonage for the landline at the condo and Broadvoice for IOS and Android.

    I can honestly say i have been really happy with both services and have had very few problems over the years. Really like the convenience of the Broadvoice service, if i need to make a call, I find a wifi area and I can my call.

    • Hi Dave, I was also very happy with vonage when I had them. Unfortunately, they were unhelpful to me when I had a problem, though. I have not heard of the other service though. It sounds similar to what I am getting from magic Jack on android though.

  6. Although VOIP has been around for a long time I still do not think it is 100 per cent full duplex as a wired landline telephone is. Full duplex meaning both parties can talk at the same time and hear each other. My experience with VOIP is that there is a slight delay and if you try and talk while the other person is talking something might get missed in the conversation.

    I don’t make too many international calls but I have enjoyed using SKYPE since it first became available. Another useful feature of it is that some of my friends in PH, I can send them a one way txt to their cell phones from here in New York, and I like that feature.

    When I saw magic jack advertized for 19.95 ( USD ) I thought about giving it a try but the only method of payment was by credit card. When I tried to find some kind of street or postal address for Magic Jack or a phone number I could not find any. I don’t like using a credit card for a business that has no way to get in touch with them so I forgot about Magic Jack.

    I tried VOIP as offered here by the cable company. For me, that lasted a couple of weeks and I did not care for it at all. I went back to the ” real ” phone company here and for my money, the old copper landline never sounded so good.

    • Hi Bob – I would tend to agree with your assessment of VOIP. It is not quite as good as a wired phone. It is very good, though, and if you are an expat and want to make inexpensive international calls, there is nothing better! It’s not as bad now, but when I first moved to the Philippines, calling the USA was more than $1 per minute! Compare that to a slight quality compromise with VOIP, for like $20 per year.. you can’t go wrong! 🙂

  8. I told you about magic jack 2 years ago I have had me the unit now for 10 years in the USA and here excellent…still working fine ..In fact going to call the U S in just a few minutes..Glad you hooked up with it…Amazing invention when I first heard about it … was hard to believe….So economical…………

  9. Globe has a voip service now, i believe there tied in with Vonage. For approx $30.00 a month you can call any globe number from the states.

  10. Bob: I use Skype on my iPhone …. It will work anywhere there is a 3G connection. Reliability is sketchy sometimes, but generally ok. Big savings when I am roaming for work. Like in this trip, as soon as I landed, Globe sent me a “welcome to Vietnam” message. I dial a free number and subscribe to unlimited data roaming for around US $10 per day. I then use Skype for outgoing calls and much cheaper than the $2 per minute roaming

    I also use in the Philippines with the unli surfing part of my globe package

    • Both myself and the wife use Viber. It’s not always 100% reliable but normally very usable. The free SMS facility is invaluable.

      It has saved us a and the wifes family fortune with calls and SMS to and from the Philippines.

      I also use Skype once a week to call my parents in the UK as the video makes the call all the more personal.

    • Hi John – I also have Skype installed on my Android phone, but I prefer to use Magic Jack. Ha ha… I only pay about $3 per month for my data plan.. 😉 You’re a big spender!

  18. Hi Bob
    Skype do an app for android. ios. windows phone and Symbian. Although video calling is not supported on earlier versions of android before 2.2 I think.
    Vonage now do an app for android and there is also a VOIP system called Fring that is well worth looking at.

    • Hi corjo – Yes, as I mentioned to John M in a previous comment, I already have Skype installed on my Android device, I just prefer Magic Jack as it is much more economical than Skype if you are calling a phone number (rather than Skype to Skype). I was unaware that Vonage does Android now, though. They made me angry enough in the past, though, with their helpfulness that I don’t care to do business with them anymore! 😉

  19. Hi Bob,

    We have a Magic Jack Plus here in Raleigh. We are happy with it except it would not work with our CPI Security System. CPI is going to try and fix that this morning.

    With your Magic Jack Plus you were able to call US numbers only paying the yearly subscription. Were you also able to use it to call within the Philippines or did you use another service for that?

    • Hi Jay, I hope they let everything working for you.

      The magic Jack does not work for making Philippine calls, unless you pay extra for long distance. We rarely make long distance Philippine calls, when we do, we just use our cell phones for that.

      • Hi Bob

        On the CPI if anyone reading this is considering using them. When you sign up you are agreeing to a 5 year contract. I did not read that and the sales guy did not mention it.

        We are 28 months into a 60 month contract. I was going to cancel the contract and the lady on the phone said I would have to pay 75% of the remaining 32 months.They did offer to try to get it to work at no charge.

        I guess next time I will read the fine print.

  20. I use Viber and Skype with no problems. Been using Skype for eight years, but mostly in business. An expat in Tagaytay turned me on to Viber about two years ago, and I use it all the time now with my calls into the RP.

  21. I saw a magic Jack + here in the store at the mall the other day so I guess they are selling them here in the PH. I got mine in the USA it cost around $70.00 and I got a five year use plan for around $120.00. Then I transferred my phone # and that cost quite a bit, maybe $30.00. It is good to call anywhere in the USA or any one in the USA to call me on my local USA # where ever I have it hooked up. Works well.

    • Hi Big P – Yep, I have seen Magic Jack + units for sale on eBay Philippines. My problem is I don’t really want to get a new unit as that would need different credit than my current number. I just paid for a year, and don’t want to lose that credit! ha ha… I’m a cheapskate!

  22. Bob,
    I also have the magic jack plus. Works great with good service most of the time. Bought the extra 5 year plan for $100.00. For video calls I started using Googles service called hangout. I like it much better than Skype. A lot less distortion and more reliable service. Take care and have a nice day

  23. Bob, been using MJ for about 5 years now and MJ Plus for one year. For the price you can’t beat it! The only problems I’ve ever had was when too many people were on the net at the same time. Recently d/l the android app for my tablet and it works fantastic also. I am living in Italy, we talk with our son who lives in Olongapo regularly (bought them a magic jack too). And our son in the Navy we call MJ to MJ also no extra fee. I definitely recommend it for a family spread out throughout the globe. All the best ~ Ed

  24. Bob,
    Thanks for the advice. I’m sitting here in Cebu right now. I installed a Magic Jack at our house and it is good. But I realized I needed something I could use away from the house in other cities. Until reading your column I didn’t know Magic Jack had a mobile application. It is now on my Android and working well.

  25. Hi Bob,
    current options that I have tried out and work well for me are:

    1. VIBER – excellent for mobile to mobile calls and texts, works best on dsl wifi not mobile
    2. WHATS APP – better for group texting up to 50 people in a chat room
    3 Magic jack App – mobile to US landline or mobile device, works best on dsl wifi not mobile

  26. Hi Bob! Great article and from the number of comments I think you have touched a nerve. I want to run past you just so Im clear. I sign up for magicjack [30$ or so] and I get a gadget that connects to my computer. With that set up I can use my cell phone to call my family in the USA from the philippines[LAN or Cell] for free. Also, I can download the magicjack app and after signing into the app I can use the app [i assume when there is wifi I am connected to] to make those same calls without the gadget. I see the comments about when it works better on a dsl line and so on so I will have to see what experience I get.
    Also, whatever number is assigned to me by magicjack will be a 7 digit number and thats all my states side family will have dial and I can dial their 7 digit number as well right?
    Im looking forward to my arrival in the 1st week of september!
    Mark

    • Hi Mark – You are right. You buy a magic jack unit and with that you can use your internet connection to make calls using a regular telephone that plugs into the magic jack. Alternatively, you can download an App for the iPhone or Android which will allow you to use your cell phone to make those calls using your magic jack account. The cell phone uses your WiFi connection or your data plan from your cell company to make calls.

      The number you get when you buy a magic jack is actually 10 digits (you gotta include the area code). You get to choose which area code you want the number to be in. Anybody can call that phone number, and it will ring on your cellphone (if you are using the app) or on your regular telephone that is plugged in to the magic jack.