There are a few ways to save money and make cheap calls to and from the Philippines. Using the long distance service provided by your regular residential telephone service may be convenient, but it isn't the cheapest route to take even if you manage to get a "preferred country" deal.

Residential Long Distance Service

The best deal I ever received using my residential long distance service in the US was 21 cents per minute for calls to the Philippines as part of their "preferred country" plan. Without that plan, multiply that amount by 10. Either way, they weren't exactly cheap calls.

For a long time, it was the only option I had. After I obtained phone service in the Philippines, I found the local long distance service charged 40 cents per minute for calls to the US. Sure it's an international call, but it's highway robbery for the people that live on local wages.

Phone Cards

Phone cards, some specifically designed for Asia, are a fairly cheap route to take. Cards can be purchased in amounts of $5.00 and $10.00 (and possibly more). The rate adds up to something between 10 and 12 cents per minute.

In my opinion, phone cards aren't reliable enough. If you get a bad connection, you lose money quickly when you hang up and dial again and no longer getting cheap calls.

Text Messaging

While text messaging isn't voice (duh), it's incredibly cheap if you get a monthly plan going along with your cell phone service plan. My wife was paying $7.50 per month for unlimited texting.

While a plan like that's cheap, using Skype (for voice) is even cheaper.

Skype and Skype Out

Skype has a few different options, but I only use "Skype Out" for calls to and from the US and the Philippines. I even have a local Phoenix (US) number so friends don't have to use long distance. In my opinion, this is the best way (right now) to keep an open line of communication going between the US and the Philippines.

Some people may call me crazy, but after an initial investment of around $500.00 (in US dollars) and a monthly cost of about $75, calls to and from the Philippines are virtually unlimited. That investment includes a cheap computer and the most expensive monthly Internet service. If a family member in the Philippines already has an Internet connection set up, the additional cost of the Skype Out service is less than $7.00 in US dollars.

The Absolute Cheapest Calls

Internet cafes are all over the place here in the Philippines and currently cost anywhere from 15 to 25 pesos per hour (or 33 to 55 cents in US dollars). Using a Skype Out account and a computer at an internet cafe is the cheapest route when only one end is using a computer (and the other end is using a residential or cell phone).

The cheapest call is made using an instant messenger with voice from computer to computer. The only charges are those of the Internet connection itself, or the hourly charges at the Internet cafes.

Changes in Technology

The cheapest and best way today may not be cheapest and best way tomorrow. It makes sense to pay attention to advertisements concerning telephone service and news items about telephone technology. Information about Majicjack, a VOIP service advertised at a price of $20.00 (US dollars) per year for example, sounds extremely interesting to those of us on a tight budget.

There will always be some direct or indirect costs associated with any kind of telephone service. Telephone service, as cheap as it is or may become, will never be completely free. You don't, however, need to pay more than is absolutely necessary.

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