Best Contact From United States To Phils Cell Phone?

[GregZ]

I am looking for the latest on ways to contact someone from USA to RP cell phone.

 

I used calling cards in 2012 to go from my cell in USA to an RP cell phone and it worked sometimes.  The service I used was 6 cents per minute.  Maybe I got all I paid for.  You had to dial an access number, then input account number, then dial phone number.  So about 32 number presses for a call that only went through 1 in 5 tries.  Very tedious but I have more time than money. :1 (103):  Call quality was not very good; you could talk a little but no good for an in-depth conversation.

 

The person(s) I want to call now have cell service in the RP but they do not have reliable internet regularly.

 

I checked Magic Jack.  It was 15-20 cents a minute depending on the phone called.  Not a great rate but I checked as I have an MJ I am getting ready to send to RP to a fixed location that has internet.  Has anyone used an MJ this way?  Quality?

 

Looking at the phone cards I find Lycamobile claiming 6 cents to landlines and FROM 9 cents to cell phones.

 

G3telecom is 9.9 cents on a pay-as-you-go plan or 9.48 on a pre-paid plan. <- This one has a free trial.  I have not tried it yet.  I am waiting for people I know in RP to wake up.  :morning1:

 

Pidipompi claims 5.9 to landline and globe and 8.3 to smart and other mobile. 

 

Anyone have experience with these or others?  It is all very complicated with PIN or no-PIN... monthly plan... PAYG (pay as you go)... etc.

Thanks ahead for your input... :tiphat:

[Gerald Glatt]

We sent MJ to the Philippines a couple of years ago to Fe's sister, that was back when it had to be connected to the computer. Works great with her desktop, this year we are bringing two of the new Wfi ones.  The people I talk to love them.

[robert k]

Tawag Pinas, works fairly well calling from the US, you can preset a number so after dialing the local US number you only need to punch a single button. This from a landline, never tried cell to cell. If you have Tawag Pin as on speed dial and you call from the same landline it's just two button pushes. Call quality was usually fair to good.

[Call me bubba]

Off topic  

if you want even lower cost per call. and the person has a DUAL SIM phone.

 consider a PLDT prepaid LANDLINE SIM. (300p month load cost) then you can call then at a lower rate and PERHAPS a better connection or signal quality than Cell .

[jon1]

If you have Magic Jack in the US, they can call you for free via Magic Jack App on their cell phone. It is only as good as the internet connection they have. I have also noticed that sometimes the Cell phone doesn't seem to work as well as a POTS phone hanging off the Magic Jack Plus. 

[GregZ]

Some good info and ideas here.  Thanks for the input fellas.  :nudie: I have more homework to do, but I have the time for it.

We sent MJ to the Philippines a couple of years ago to Fe's sister, that was back when it had to be connected to the computer. Works great with her desktop, this year we are bringing two of the new Wfi ones.  The people I talk to love them.

Good to know and I will proceed with my MJ plan for 1 location, but you are using MJ on that end in a fixed place (must have internet).  I'm looking to call to cell phones specifically because of mobility and availability limits on my targets. :1 (72):

 

Tawag Pinas, works fairly well calling from the US, you can preset a number so after dialing the local US number you only need to punch a single button. This from a landline, never tried cell to cell. If you have Tawag Pin as on speed dial and you call from the same landline it's just two button pushes. Call quality was usually fair to good.

:541:  Thanks.  They are 9.9 and 13.9 (cell).  If doing landlines I like that price from what I see so far.

 

Good place to mention that I tried the G3telecom free call.  At 9.9 cents on a pay-as-you-go plan or 9.48 on a pre-paid plan to landlines and 11.9 PAYG to cell phones they are competitive.  Good sound and went through on second try both times.  They don't have the two button push feature you refer to, so have to dial the destination number manually each time.  No PIN as it uses caller ID to identify you and you can register three phone numbers per account.  I just got off the phone with them, as they called to followup since I used the free call.  Very nice and not pushy.  Introductory rate deals did apply at 8.9 cents US$ for any phone in RP.

 

Off topic  

if you want even lower cost per call. and the person has a DUAL SIM phone.

 consider a PLDT prepaid LANDLINE SIM. (300p month load cost) then you can call then at a lower rate and PERHAPS a better connection or signal quality than Cell .

Not off-topic as I am looking for bright ideas like this.  If I get this and use Tawag Pinas it would make cell calls 9.9 cents to a cell phone.  That means recovering 300 peso in about 3 hours of calling to the one number.

  :tiphat:

 

If you have Magic Jack in the US, they can call you for free via Magic Jack App on their cell phone. It is only as good as the internet connection they have. I have also noticed that sometimes the Cell phone doesn't seem to work as well as a POTS phone hanging off the Magic Jack Plus. 

This doesn't really fit the topic of calling to a cell phone there without internet available.  BUT, I will look into this one for those that do have internet in the RP.  Especially for calling from RP with internet TO the USA without internet (when traveling). :th_hu:

*edit*  I tried this out using my MJ account.  It worked good (here inside the USA) to call to a cell phone without the receiver having internet service. I just downloaded the app and signed in with my Magic Jack account to set up service on my cell?  Just waiting now for someone in RP to get up so they can try it from there.  This is a great option when we are driving and the internet is intermittent here in USA.  Hope it works well from the other end.

 

I don't recall ever reading about this ability...  Thanks for the lead. :999:

Edited January 15, 2015 by GregZ

[jon1]

*edit*  I tried this out using my MJ account.  It worked good (here inside the USA) to call to a cell phone without the receiver having internet service. I just downloaded the app and signed in with my Magic Jack account to set up service on my cell?  Just waiting now for someone in RP to get up so they can try it from there.  This is a great option when we are driving and the internet is intermittent here in USA.  Hope it works well from the other end.   I don't recall ever reading about this ability...  Thanks for the lead

 

If you are calling from your Magic Jack to a RP Cell it will cost you at their international rate. If a RP User is calling your Magic Jack number from the Magic Jack App without an account using the internet it should work for the RP user for free. They just can't receive a call. 

[robert k]

Viber has worked well for me at times, both sides need to have internet I believe for free calls. I have also seen a placard with something about Viber in conjunction with one of the local providers. Since I am here, I didn't follow up but possibly it was a way for people to receive Viber calls in the Philippines without internet. If I see it again I will look closer.

[GregZ]

Viber has worked well for me at times, both sides need to have internet I believe for free calls.

 

Correct.  We use this a lot when both sides have internet.  It is the connection outside the internet on the RP side I am most concerned with solving.

 

 

 

I have also seen a placard with something about Viber in conjunction with one of the local providers.

 

The service is called Viber Out.  Calling rates, as it is a pay service, are 16 cents US$ to landline and 21 cents to cell.  Won't be trying that one as I can call with G3telecom for 12 cents WITHOUT internet on either end.  That has much more value to me.  I'm really poor, :23_11_62[1]: so looking for cheaper.

 

 

If you are calling from your Magic Jack to a RP Cell it will cost you at their international rate. If a RP User is calling your Magic Jack number from the Magic Jack App without an account using the internet it should work for the RP user for free. They just can't receive a call.

 

Good clarification.  Thanks.  The option I am going with is give them the account information so that if I call the MJ it rings on their smart phone.  They can also use it to call any USA phone, us or other relatives/friends.  I won't use the MJ App here in USA.  Doing is this way I don't have to wait for the actual device to get there (sending soon) to have a connection.  I can call the MJ number when I do not have internet in the USA and talk.  If I use the MJ from here I have to be connected to internet and traveling a lot makes that near impossible without lots of $$$ to throw at it.

Edited January 16, 2015 by GregZ

[GregZ]

Summary: (all calls are USA ---> RP below)

For us I have;

internet ---> internet = covered with Viber, Skype, FB Chat, Magic Jack, Yahoo Messenger, etc

cell ---> internet = covered with Magic Jack @ $35 / year at 1 location

cell ---> cell = best option so far is 12 cents / minute with G3telecom, LOOKing FOR BETTER :89: :any-help:

internet ---> cell = not covered, not a priority

 

Thanks for all the input.  Very helpful information on this confusing topic.  :th_imstupid: