Prices, plans, etc.

[hrp2007]

Hello everyone, long time no talk! I've been creeping around the forums reading, just not posting. I am potentially going to be entering a LDR with a nice guy who I met that lives in Australia. I currently do not have a phone that supports international texts or calls, just U.S. only. I have been using my iPod touch when I am around WiFi to talk to him. Anyone got any better recommendations? My cell isn't a smart phone, it's one of those $50 Verizon plans. Is the iPod the best way to go for now? Just trying to gather some suggestions.

[SJ22]

I use my phone on wifi as well to sent messages over FB with him. I assume thats the same as what you are doing with your iPod. Works fine for me!

[hrp2007]

Yeah that is what I do, I use the Wifi to send messages.

[silvermoonfairy3]

Hello everyone, long time no talk! I've been creeping around the forums reading, just not posting. I am potentially going to be entering a LDR with a nice guy who I met that lives in Australia. I currently do not have a phone that supports international texts or calls, just U.S. only. I have been using my iPod touch when I am around WiFi to talk to him. Anyone got any better recommendations? My cell isn't a smart phone, it's one of those $50 Verizon plans. Is the iPod the best way to go for now? Just trying to gather some suggestions.

Have you actually tried making/receiving texts?
I ask because I have a cheap Verizon phone/plan (not smartphone, either) and I can send and receive international texts, but it does cost money aside from my plan. It took a couple tries to figure out how my phone wanted the number to me inputted, with the country code, but it definitely does work. We try to keep it to 5-10 texts a week so that it's only an extra couple dollars additional.

Also, most phones can receive incoming international calls, and on Verizon it only uses your minutes, not an additional charge, so if your Australia guy can place international calls, you guys could talk that way. (M does that for me from NZ.. he has a pretty cheap option for cell phone international calls, so sometimes if we can't Skype or whatever but want to talk and hear each other's voices, he'll call me.)

Alternately, Verizon lets you add international calling (and many phones, even non-smart phones, can do it) for like $4/month or something like that.

[Tooki]

(Any Australian phone plan can accept or make international phone calls, I've never heard of a plan that doesn't let you do so.)

I recommend getting a smart phone with data, so you can communicate with ease over the internet. It makes my relationship really easy.

[hrp2007]

Have you actually tried making/receiving texts?
I ask because I have a cheap Verizon phone/plan (not smartphone, either) and I can send and receive international texts, but it does cost money aside from my plan. It took a couple tries to figure out how my phone wanted the number to me inputted, with the country code, but it definitely does work. We try to keep it to 5-10 texts a week so that it's only an extra couple dollars additional.

Also, most phones can receive incoming international calls, and on Verizon it only uses your minutes, not an additional charge, so if your Australia guy can place international calls, you guys could talk that way. (M does that for me from NZ.. he has a pretty cheap option for cell phone international calls, so sometimes if we can't Skype or whatever but want to talk and hear each other's voices, he'll call me.)

Alternately, Verizon lets you add international calling (and many phones, even non-smart phones, can do it) for like $4/month or something like that.

I haven't given him my cell number because when we text through my ipod now it's quite often so I didn't want to rack up a big phone bill. I'm not sure if he can place international calls or not, I will have to ask him.

[Hollandia]

I have Skype on my cell phone. It is a Verizon smart phone. I also have the international package for Global on my phone. Verizon does not offer this on all it's phones, so be careful and make sure it says "global" before you buy it. My plan is considerably more than 4 dollars a month too. He uses a 900 number to call me sometimes that charges only 3 cents a minutes plus his local call time. We mostly use the laptops with Skype but it is nice to have the other options as well.

[silvermoonfairy3]

My plan is considerably more than 4 dollars a month too.

I meant that Verizon has an option to add international calling to an existing non-international plan, for $4/month. (On top of whatever the existing plan is.)

[Hollandia]

I meant that Verizon has an option to add international calling to an existing non-international plan, for $4/month. (On top of whatever the existing plan is.)

I know what you meant. My global plan is an extra 29.99 a month. My verizon bill itself is a few hundred.

[kittyo9]

I do have a smartphone, but international calling and texting costs a lot extra on my phone plan, so I just message my SO using facebook messenger (previously MSN/eBuddy, but that's gone now) during the day. Your iPod should be enough, I assume you guys can communicate on a computer while home so you'll be able to skype eventually.