Money Saving Tips: home phone and voip - billeater.com

Free Home Phone Service? Yep. Really.

billeater — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:33:41 +0000

This is a very cool find, with almost no catches, other than having to pay just under $50 for a small device that thus far, has worked flawlessly for us. The call quality is better than the mainstream VOIP service we used before getting this device, and it really costs NOTHING monthly to run. If you have existing internet service, you just buy this device, sign up for a free Google service, and you end up with a real home phone that's free. Yep...$0 a month. So what's the big secret?...Read the rest...

Hidden Charges Crammed Into Your Phone Bill

Tim Iandoli — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:00:00 +0000

The charges themselves appear innocently on your phone bill as something vaguely described, such as "$1.99 service fee." Insidious fees like this are typically small in dollar amounts but appear on your bill month after month, adding up to big dollars. Some are brazen, appearing as $19.99 for “ringtones” or some other service.Read the rest...

Four Ways to Cut Your Phone Bill

Guest Blogger — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:04:39 +0000

If you call long distance regularly using a land line, you probably pay too much for your phone bill. If you normally rely on your cellular phone, you are probably wasting the $20-plus each month that you are spending for a land line that is only used when telemarketers call. Here are some ideas for cutting down the amount you spend on your phone bill each month. Read the rest...

Secret to lower bills ? Just ask.

billeater — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:48:33 +0000

You can save quite a bit just by making a few phone calls and asking. A KCRA reporter was able to lower her bills by $318/year. She was able to secure better rates from her cell phone provider, local newspaper delivery, internet service, as well as her cable television bill. See the details on KCRA's website. Bob Sullivan, from MSNBC, also noted some similar success with getting credit card interest rates lowered. In his article at msnbc.com, he notes one customer was able to shave 5 percent from his bill.Read the rest...

Completely free conference calling, really.

Jessica Bosari — Mon, 10 May 2010 10:00:43 +0000

Yep. Conference calling for free...iotum, a communications company, recently launched a new service called calliflower. If you've used a business-oriented conference bridge before, it has all of those features, but it's even a bit more than that.

From their web-based dashboard,you can create calls and invite participants as well as manage and record the call. It also provides you and the other callers with a visual information about the call and the people on it. If you have documents related to the call, you can upload those into the interface to share them with everyone...Read the rest...

Don't mind ads? Lower your phone bill with this free service

Jessica Bosari — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:51:23 +0000

A while back, Billeater introduced you to talkster.com, a free service for phone calls. As the Internet continues to evolve at a blinding pace, so do Web-based services. This is the case with Talkster services, which are now offered by former competitor, Rebtel. While you will see some changes with the Rebtel service, you can still make local and international calls for free to participating countries.Read the rest...

Low Income Help with your Home Phone

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:21:40 +0000

Everyone is looking to cut costs these days. Many people are giving up landline phones and going exclusively to a cell plan. This seems logical enough, until you lose power for a week and can't charge your cell phone, or the battery happens to go dead right when you have an emergency.

The cost of phone service has risen in recent years with new add-on features and bundling with other services, such as Internet access and cable TV. With so many people out of work in today’s economy, there is help for people who qualify for low-income assistance.Read the rest...

100% free voip phone service using Google Voice and Gizmo

billeater — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:50:57 +0000

New functionality released by both Google and TheGizmoProject bring up an interesting new possibility...completely free voip telephone service, including both inbound and outbound calls. Both of these services existed previously, but had not, until July of 2009, worked together. Here's the scoop:Read the rest...

Save money on your home phone bill

Tyra — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:00:33 +0000

Alexander Graham Bell accidently invented the telephone in March of 1876 when he spilled acid on himself, and realized that his voice was being carried. Over 100 years later, the telephone has advanced and become such a mainstay in peoples lives, one that some people may find it difficult to live without.

Unfortunately, staying in touch with loved ones via telephone can come with a huge price tag that some families can find hard to keep up with. With a few smart moves, you can enjoy staying connected and avoid dreading that monthly bill. Check out our list of the top 15 tips on reducing your landline bill. Read the rest...

Switch your home phone to VOIP, save $50 - $100 / month

billeater — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:56:47 +0000

You can reduce your home phone bill, down to under $17 month, with unlimited long distance. Voice over IP, or VOIP, uses your existing internet connection for phone service instead of the phone company's old fashioned wires...Read the rest...

compare VOIP internet phone service plans before you buy

billeater — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:20:24 +0000

Since VOIP is a very competative industry, prices vary wildy. Now the bigger cable tv and internet providers have joined in and are touting their $30+ dollar/month unlimited plans, while others are offering very similar plans for around $17/month ( $199/year ).

It can be tempting to just take use the internet phone service that your cable or internet provider is offering, but they aren't competing well on price or service. The smaller VOIP-only players offer features like selective call blocking, simultaneous ring to your cell phone, and web-based voicemail...and not all the big players do.

And, be sure to think through your options before you buy, as prices for add on functionality, like a second phone line, or internet faxes, vary.

Take a look at the chart below for a comparison of the larger, as well as smaller players that provide internet phone serviceRead the rest...

Send faxes for free using your web browser.

billeater — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0000

If you need to send a fax, there are several ways to do it for free, and avoid the per-page charges and inconvenience of having to drive to a mail and copy center.

There are some limitations, but the following options do work well, and the price is right...Read the rest...

Don't Call 411 for directory information ... get 411 for free.

billeater — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:12:47 +0000

Calling 411 from either your home phone or cell phone will hit you with additional charges from your carrier.

Charges on wireless carriers for 411 calls range from $1.49 for Verizon, up to $1.75 for ATT wireless. And your home phone charges you as well. That's per call, so those charges add up very quickly.

But, you don't have to pay those fees. There are several free 411 services out there to choose from. A few more digits to dial, but why not put one of them into a speed dial button ? Here's a summary of three of the best free 411 services:Read the rest...

Let your out of town friends call you for free

billeater — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:27:27 +0000

Did you know that you can get a local phone number in many area codes for free ? Suppose you live in California, but have a friend in Salt Lake City, Utah. Normally, they have to make a long-distance call to reach you. With services like Google's grandcentral.com, you can get yourself a phone number in the same area code as your friend, and forward it to your home phone number. Then, your friend in Utah can dial you up with a local call. GrandCentral is also great for using as a "disposable" phone number with salespeople, purchases, etc.Read the rest...