International Phone Calls Between Local United States Numbers

Tagged with phone on March 1, 2025

I wrote about using my mobile phone in the Philippines in 2023. Some things have changed since then, mostly for the better. At that time, I was using Skype for phone calls to and from the United States. Microsoft is shutting down Skype on May 10, 2025, so I have to use something else.

Saying Bye-Bye to Skype

Although I’ve had Skype subscriptions for years, I didn’t use the chat features. I paid for a virtual phone number and unlimited calls to the United States from anywhere in the world. It became a little less expensive when Microsoft bought the company. I don’t remember how much it was before, but it cost me $9.49 a month last year.

When I found out Skype was shuttering, I started searching for a replacement. Most of what I found was either aimed at businesses or was simply too expensive. I eventually found “Hushed”, subscribed to the unlimited local plan, and verified my number by calling my younger son, Jon, in Washington State and having him call me back. It’s even less expensive than Skype at $4.99 a month.

I called Jon by Messenger first. Even so, he almost ignored it when his phone flagged it as a spam call while it was ringing. And then he asked me where the video was. This service doesn’t come with video or caller ID. I don’t need either of those things. I’m using this number because certain services require a United States phone number. Also, it’s much easier with this number to call places like my bank and Western Union, both based in the United States.

Using Our Phones

My wife, Josie, hasn’t figured this out yet. When I get ready for bed, I put my phone on “Do Not Disturb”. I got tired of people from the United States calling me at night, mainly relatives who kept forgetting I wasn’t in their timezones. Well, sometimes they were reminders from various services I used when I was last in the United States. Sometimes I even put it on “Do Not Disturb” during the daytime when I don’t want to be interrupted.

I’m not seeing as many cracked phone screens as before, probably because people are buying better phones. I know four of my nieces have iPhone 11s because I bought them. They were 18th birthday gifts. When I wrote about transparent wood, I didn’t consider how long the wood would last. It really isn’t a good idea, at least not until a way is found to prevent decay.

Disney+, Netflix, and Spotify are less expensive in the Philippines than in the United States. If I try to use one of my bank cards from the United States, I will get charged United States prices. The last time I subscribed to Spotify for a month, I used my GCash wallet, and it only cost me 149 pesos (equivalent to less than three United States dollars).

A Better Phone Service Idea

I don’t know if I’ll do it this year in the United States, but I would like to subscribe to a phone service like “Tello” before I return to the Philippines. According to what I’ve read, I can have unlimited calls and text for less than 10 dollars a month. I won’t need any data. While I use data quite a bit here in the Philippines, I never use it when I’m in the United States. If I use Wi-Fi calling from the Philippines, I won’t be charged for roaming.

I would probably need another phone because I can’t use two SIM cards in my current phone. It wouldn’t have to be expensive because I wouldn’t be using it often. I already have a super cheap Chinese phone that I bought solely to play music with, which won’t really work for anything else. It cost me less than $40, so I don’t expect much from it.

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay