Long Distance Calls from Chicago Suburbs to Canada

[WindyCityBound]

Hi All - we're moving to Chicago suburbs in a couple of months (haven't decided which one as of yet). I know I will have lots of questions in the weeks/months to come, but here is my first one:

What is a good long-distance telephone company to use for direct-dialed calls from US to Canada? All our friends and family are in Canada, so we will be making lots of calls. Any suggestions? From the research I've done, I don't see any deals for long-distance calls to Canada from AT&T and Comcast, even with bundles.

Any info/insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Reba]

get a high-speed internet connection and sign up for Vonage. The land line companies will bleed you dry.

I have Vonage and it works great. Its only $31 per month for unlimited calling anywhere in North America. No hidden fees, no surprises. If your internet connection goes out, you can forward your calls to your cell phone.

[perkyj]

I use Vonage as well. On top of the great rates for you to dial out, you can get your family a local number so that they can call you for free too (if they're in a major city). Another added bonus is that if you travel, you can take the device with you and connect it into any broadband internet modem, even ones in Canada. If you’re going to move, you can get a new phone number in advance and keep your old one as a virtual number for a month two until you know all of your phone numbers have been changed. As Reba mentioned, the one downfall is that if the power is out, or the cable is out, you have no phone, but the cost savings throughout the year is enough to use a cell phone during those times, and the incoming calls can be sent to your cell phone when the network is down, or even when it’s not if you want. Paying up front for a year saves another 20%. We've had ours over 3 years now and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Also, if you get the right device, you get a built in wireless router too. I could go on, and on, but check it out and decide for yourself!

[cimit]

Another Vonage supporter here. I'm on the unlimited plan with free NA LD calls, plus a virtual number back home in Canada so the family can call without paying LD. Good service, although I just requested for another power adapter (2nd time). Disadvantage is if your internet is out, no phone.

Comcast also offers a VoIP option, which you can bundle with cable and internet. Package price is generally only good for 1-year, and they don't have a virtual number in Canada.

[WindyCityBound]

Thanks for all your replies.

A friend has recently told me about Skype. What I've read on their website sounds great.does anyone here have experience with Skype?

[parkavenuecanuck]

I have had very good success with Skype. If you have a fast enough internet connection, you can even video conference! I do this (probably too regularly) with my husbands family in Australia. It's fantastic, and it's free. It does require all users to download the free software from their site.

Another company I use when traveling internationally is Jajah. Again, you need internet access, and there is a charge - but the rates are reasonable. I use Jajah when I'm calling someone (ie a business) who doesn't have access to Skype.

I hadn't considered Vonage though - I'll need to investigate that one!

[can_bos]

Try Magic jack

$19.95 a year for unlimited local and long distance call

[sparc]

For what it's worth, the Comcast bundle I'm on includes flat rate long distance within the US _and_ Canada.