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I posted to my blog
I was sitting on a very boring Sunday School lesson on prayer (it wasn't his fault, it was the first time he was teaching middle…...
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I posted to worthyisthelamb.info
http://worthyisthelamb.info/blog/rss.xml
worthyisthelamb.info
In this post I’ll share how I keep in touch with my girlfriend in Honduras and my family in El Salvador. This may or may not apply to the rest of the world, including Mexico (if I recall correctly, there are better and cheaper ways of getting in touch with Mexico.)
The cost depends on how often you want to get in touch, whether or not your loved one has a high speed internet connection, and if you don’t want to be chained to your computer. <!--break--> h2. Connecting Less Than Once a Month
If your loved one has internet (or access to the internet), then the cheapest and most convenient way is skype. Get them a webcam and then you can see them as well for free. At $0, this is the cheapest way.
The drawback is that you both have to be physically present in front of your computer, which is often difficult because of different time zones and/or job schedules. An alternative is to sign up for skype’s monthly plan or use magicjack. Then they can call your phone for about $3 a month. Depending on your phone plan, that’s all it may cost. You can also call them to their PC phone. The drawback is that your loved one has to be physically present at his or her computer.
If your loved one doesn’t have internet or if they don’t want to be at their computer, then the most convenient way for you to get in touch is either skype or jaxtr. Jaxtr is a little more convenient because you can make calls right from your cellphone, freeing you from the tyranny of your desk. (Skype has this feature too but I believe you have to sign up for the monthly plan.)
Skype and jaxtr can get expensive, however. The cheapest way is actually for them to call you. In Honduras, for example, the cheapest rate I’ve seen is $0.11 per minute to call from the US. They, however, can call you for as little as $0.02 a minute.
Connecting More Than Once a Month
If you call once a week, use a calling card.
If you call more frequently, there is no single solution. Use all the options above (skype, jaxtr, plus their cellphone) as necessary. For example, when my girlfriend is home, I call her magicjack number. When we are both home, we use skype web cam. When she’s on the road, she calls me directly from her cellphone.
Keep in mind that it’s actually cheaper for them to call you. So what I usually do is send a text message, “Call me” or make a quick phone call using jaxtr asking them to call me.
Don’t worry about using up their minutes. Most cellphone providers allow you to refill their minutes from the comfort of your web browser.
Some context here: in the states, we are used to monthly plans with fixed minutes. In Latin America, however, most people use pre-paid plans. There is no such thing as “anytime minutes” but (1) ALL incoming calls and SMS messages are free (including international) and (2) calling the states is dirt cheap.
What this means is that if you want to call frequently or for long periods of time, the cheapest way is to have them call you.
It also means is that features like jaxtr’s “free-connect”, where your friend calls you for “free” by dialing a number, don’t make $sense$. (Since anytime minutes don’t exist, your loved one is actually paying for the call, and in any case, it can actually be cheaper to call directly.)
Your Cellphone
If you have a “favorite five” list then add the skype or magicjack number to that list. Otherwise, make sure you have plenty of anytime minutes. I got burned twice when I went over my anytime minutes.
Sending SMS messages is probably the Achilles’s heel of this whole thing. Most US cellphone providers charge you about $0.20 for each international text message. You could get around this charge provided your loved one has an internet phone plan or if their provider has an email-to-SMS gateway. Unfortunately, in Latin America, this is usually NOT the case. This makes sending international SMS messages expensive and inconvenient.
The best you can do is send free SMS messages from your friend’s cellphone provider’s website. When on the road, you’ll have to take the $0.20 hit.
Conclusion
That’s all folks. I haven’t explored calling cards, so if anyone has any recommendations, leave a comment.
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In this post I’ll share how I keep in touch with my girlfriend in Honduras and my family in El Salvador. This may or may not apply to the rest of the world, including Mexico (if I recall correctly, there are better and cheaper ways of getting in touch with Mexico.)
The cost depends on how often you want to get in touch, whether or not your loved one has a high speed internet connection, and if you don’t want to be chained to your computer.
<!--break-->
h2. Connecting Less Than Once a MonthIf your loved one has internet (or access to the internet), then the cheapest and most convenient way is skype. Get them a webcam and then you can see them as well for free. At $0, this is the cheapest way.
The drawback is that you both have to be physically present in front of your computer, which is often difficult because of different time zones and/or job schedules. An alternative is to sign up for skype’s monthly plan or use magicjack. Then they can call your phone for about $3 a month. Depending on your phone plan, that’s all it may cost. You can also call them to their PC phone. The drawback is that your loved one has to be physically present at his or her computer.
If your loved one doesn’t have internet or if they don’t want to be at their computer, then the most convenient way for you to get in touch is either skype or jaxtr. Jaxtr is a little more convenient because you can make calls right from your cellphone, freeing you from the tyranny of your desk. (Skype has this feature too but I believe you have to sign up for the monthly plan.)
Skype and jaxtr can get expensive, however. The cheapest way is actually for them to call you. In Honduras, for example, the cheapest rate I’ve seen is $0.11 per minute to call from the US. They, however, can call you for as little as $0.02 a minute.
Connecting More Than Once a Month
If you call once a week, use a calling card.
If you call more frequently, there is no single solution. Use all the options above (skype, jaxtr, plus their cellphone) as necessary. For example, when my girlfriend is home, I call her magicjack number. When we are both home, we use skype web cam. When she’s on the road, she calls me directly from her cellphone.
Keep in mind that it’s actually cheaper for them to call you. So what I usually do is send a text message, “Call me” or make a quick phone call using jaxtr asking them to call me.
Don’t worry about using up their minutes. Most cellphone providers allow you to refill their minutes from the comfort of your web browser.
Some context here: in the states, we are used to monthly plans with fixed minutes. In Latin America, however, most people use pre-paid plans. There is no such thing as “anytime minutes” but (1) ALL incoming calls and SMS messages are free (including international) and (2) calling the states is dirt cheap.
What this means is that if you want to call frequently or for long periods of time, the cheapest way is to have them call you.
It also means is that features like jaxtr’s “free-connect”, where your friend calls you for “free” by dialing a number, don’t make $sense$. (Since anytime minutes don’t exist, your loved one is actually paying for the call, and in any case, it can actually be cheaper to call directly.)
Your Cellphone
If you have a “favorite five” list then add the skype or magicjack number to that list. Otherwise, make sure you have plenty of anytime minutes. I got burned twice when I went over my anytime minutes.
Sending SMS messages is probably the Achilles’s heel of this whole thing. Most US cellphone providers charge you about $0.20 for each international text message. You could get around this charge provided your loved one has an internet phone plan or if their provider has an email-to-SMS gateway. Unfortunately, in Latin America, this is usually NOT the case. This makes sending international SMS messages expensive and inconvenient.
The best you can do is send free SMS messages from your friend’s cellphone provider’s website. When on the road, you’ll have to take the $0.20 hit.
Conclusion
That’s all folks. I haven’t explored calling cards, so if anyone has any recommendations, leave a comment.
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