What's the best way to call home?

[doncindy]

Someone posted a while back that calling cards were the cheapest and easiest way to call back home to the states. Is this true? I think we used the room phone while there at CTI in 2007 Secondly, If calling cards are the way to go, where should we buy them? Home or at the resort? Thank-you fellow MB'rs Don.

[2speedy1]

I second this question? I have seen phone cards available to buy online for jamaica. I need to be able to call home and talk to my daughter a couple times and on her birthday. I read somewhere on here that they are no longer available at the resort. Is this true? We are going to be Staying At CSS In May and will need to be able to call home a few times briefly just to check in. Figured I would use a calling card. Otherwise Can we get them at the Airport?

[NeedBlueWater]

In December,2009, we bought a "JusTalk" card at one of the CSA gift shops. It was US$10 for 90 minutes. The resort also charged a US$2 connection fee for every call. We called home once a day to say, "Hi" to our 10 year old. 90 minutes was plenty of time for us. So a weeks worth of calls cost us US$24.00.

[Coloradojuli]

Even Randymon has suggested using Skype as it won't cost you anything.

[tnt]

We usually buy the JusTalk cards when staying at CSA also. On our last trip in December to CTI, we brought our laptop along with us to use with Skype for calling. We figured we could always buy a JusTalk card in the gift shop if we needed to. When the time came that we needed to, the gift shop told us they don't carry the JusTalk or any calling cards! We ended up using our room phone, which cost about $1/minute.

[columbo]

Calling card is probably the way to go if you want to speak live, I have Verizon cell service and did all texting while there it was .5 cents out going text .5 cents incoming text spent about $15.00 for the week texting and $5.00 on a ten minute phone call I recieved from my daughter informing us we were going to be Grandparents!!

[goodygirl]

lots of phone carriers will let you add a international plan to your cell phone for the days that your gone. Mine was like $8.00. It let me use my blackberry in Jamaica so that I could talk and txt and use any data services. I used it to listen to music and call home or txt home.

[Chris]

If you have the right phone (don't ask me... I haven't a clue), you can get a DigiCel card in various outlets... I'm told that this is THE most economical way to call home.

Don't trust me though... when I'm on island time, its almost impossible to get in touch with me!... No kids, no phones, no tipping... paradise!

[gary butkus]

i have verizon wireless and we got service but it cost dearly
in roaming charges!!

[jon1963]

We use both our Verizon Cell phone and a GSM phone with a pre-paid Lime wire sim card. Lime wire is the lowest cost, free incoming calls. You can get the sim card on line from mrsimcard.com. You can also add time to it on line. You have to add time ever 12 months to keep the number active.

[Bobby and Lisa]

If you have an unlocked cell phone, as Chris suggested, you can also purchase a sim card before you go. I just bought a Jamaica Claro sim card on ebay for $10 -- saves you a trip to a cellular outlet in Jamaica. The vendor's name is Fatduckling, and he ships for free. Skype is awesome, and we will be using that while in the room (if we get a room with WiFi), but having a cell phone, especially a cheap one, always gives me peace of mind so that we can enjoy ourselves that much more (we have kids and older parents that are not in good health). I sooo don't take a cell phone for work though!!! :-)

[2speedy1]

Here is my dillema, According to the website, calling cards bought outside Jamaica wont work, (which I find hard to believe, if you buy a international card specific for Jamaica). I have been told to buy a card in the gift shop at CSS, but I have also been told that they no longer carry them. I have been told to use Skype, But that doesnt really work for my situation, I for one have never used it, dont have a laptop that I am bringing, and the people I will be calleing dont use it nor know how to, one doesnt even have high speed internet yet!! The last thing I have been told is to put an international plan on my cell phone, which I plan to do, but Verizon does not offer this, technically. I can set my phone up for use in Jamaica, but they offer no international plans. All calls will cost $2 per min. texts will cost .05 per incoming and $.50 outgoing, I have no Idea what data usage is going to cost, considering I have a smart phone, I plan to try to shut that option down if I can. That is outrageous, and will only be used for emergencies. But I really do need to be able to call home a couple times. So anyone that has found the best calling cards out there let me know. I have found a couple online that I dont know much about, but I may try.

[local2464]

JUST TALK! we used them 4 years in a row!

[drbcwp]

if you do not want to chance the phone cards or use your cell phone then you can have your children call the resort each or every other night at a specified time. The switchboard will connect them to your room and it costs YOU nothing. This worked for us years ago and it was only about .04 per minute from Virginia to Jamaica.

Verizon charges .99 per minute and service was pretty good there. I had to stand on one leg and raise my left arm a couple of times (:

[wbrink]

We were at CN in Feb and were unable to buy a phone card at the gift shop. I believe we were quoted a 1$/minute charge for calls from our room to the states, so we had our children call us thinking it would probably be cheaper. Boy was I wrong - 4$/minute from our virginia long distance carrier. I would recommend getting a calling card at the airport on arrival if you are not going to use Skype.

[terriv]

We were at CN in Nov 09 and had emergency incoming and outgoing calls....all calls, due to roaming fees, were $2/minute. We had a $150+ Verizon bill after just one night in Jamaica.

We plan to use our cell again in April when we visit CSS but will only call to check on our two-year-old every other day and limit the calls to the basics, about 2-5 minutes. Really, do you need to have a 20-minute conversation when you are out of the country????

You can also email all day, every day FREE at the resort.

[2speedy1]

One of the main reasons I have to have a way to call is My daughter will turn 7 while we are on our honeymoon and I have to be able to call her on her Birthday, and her mother is Notoriously hard to get ahold of so it may take several attempts to actually get thru. As well as maybe a call once or twice more just to check in and say hi for a few mins. I dont plan on spending much time on the phone while in Jamaica, thats for sure but you never know. So the best option for me is probably a calling card, just need to know where to get one.
wbrink-- You say they are available at the airport in Montego Bay for sure? or sould keep trying to find one online, (which I am having no luck by the way.)

[gpon425]

I'm going to try & use a majicJack I recently bought. I have been testing it from home & it seems to work fine. I intend on using it with a web cam mic & the built in PC speakers. Technically it should work fine but I haven't tried it yet. I assume (!?) quality depends heavily on connection speeds. Verizon texting is the main backup plan. Anyone tried it yet?

[2speedy1]

At 50 cents per outgoing text on verizon that could add up really fast. only 5 cents incoming but outging is rediculous.

[gpon425]

I agree. The point is to get away from the kids.

[caviargal]

I'm going to try & use a majicJack I recently bought. I have been testing it from home & it seems to work fine. I intend on using it with a web cam mic & the built in PC speakers. Technically it should work fine but I haven't tried it yet. I assume (!?) quality depends heavily on connection speeds. Verizon texting is the main backup plan. Anyone tried it yet?

I have and it dependent on the quality of the connection. This trip I am trying the mobile app Skype from my iphone as was recommended on another thread. No attachments needed!

[gpon425]

MajicJack works well. We have a poor WiFi connection in our room (very low or low signal strength in CSS E block) but have had several 7-10 minute conversations with only minor cut outs once or twice. A small price to pay for free calling home.

[Lola]

While we were recently at CN we walked down to the gas station and got an international calling card (it's really a receipt with some numbers on it) 40 min. for $3.12 US. Now that's a good deal.

[caviargal]

I discovered - thanks to a poster on this site - SKYPE Mobile. I downloaded to my iphone, added ten bucks in credit, and used it last week in Mexico to call home CHEAP. It worked great where the wifi signal was strong. I read about it working very well at CN and that is where we are headed in 6 weeks.