NeverADullMoment Posted May 26, 2013 Posted May 26, 2013 Hi there! My man is in Moldova and I'm in the USA. He doesn't have easy access to the internet (lives very rurally right now most of the time) but he can use his sister's cell phone. He can't make international calls out to me so I have to call him at pre-planned times. Usually twice per day. I signed up for a Skype subscription to call a mobile phone in Moldova for $60 per month but that only gives me 400 minutes. We went through those 400 minutes in 2 weeks. ugh! It's only renewable once per month. So in between times it's now 23.5 cents per minute and it's getting really expensive. I did an online chat with someone at Vonage and they don't have a good solution. I tried mailing him a cheap laptop so then his family will get internet (they don't have a computer so no need for internet) but for some reason it's being returned to me by the USPS. Guess I'll find out when the post office opens again on Tuesday. Grrrr!! When he goes in to the city to his Brother-in-law's mom's house (yes, it's convoluted) he can Skype me from there which is awesome, but infrequent. Soooo....until I can get a laptop to him and he can get internet at the family house which will be a good solution, I'm dealing with expensive calls. However when he's on the farm (most week days) calling a cell phone will still be the only option. So I still need a good solution for calling a mobile phone in Moldova. Most things like Skype and Vonage that have some super special awesome unlimited international plan for $10 per month do NOT include this country. So what good calling cards are out there? A google search leads me to websites that make me think they might not be such a good deal...look a little sketchy. Or what other options are there that I might not know about where it wouldn't require him to be on wifi? It seems like in the year 2013 I shouldn't be spending $200+ per month just on phone calls to one person!
Author NeverADullMoment Posted May 27, 2013 Author Posted May 27, 2013 Yes....very much so. It's a long story...you can read my other post if you'd like more details. I don't want to bore everyone going in to it on this thread....I'm just looking for some info/advice on the best way to make calls to him. BTW, is there a way I can correct my typo in the title?
LittleTiger Posted May 27, 2013 Posted May 27, 2013 Could he not buy his own phone so that he can make international calls? Most countries have their own 'cheap' international call methods which he can investigate more easily from his end. Alternatively, could you perhaps open a second Skype account so that you can get 400 minutes every two weeks? You can't change the thread title once you've posted unfortunately. Don't worry about it though. Everyone knows what you meant.
CelticGibson Posted May 27, 2013 Posted May 27, 2013 Viber. Viber is your answer. It allows international calls for free if you have a compatible phone and a connection to the internet. Both people have to have Viber installed and then you use each other's phone numbers to make the connection. I use it all the time and I could never do without. 1
justwhoiam Posted May 27, 2013 Posted May 27, 2013 Viber. Viber is your answer. It allows international calls for free if you have a compatible phone and a connection to the internet. Both people have to have Viber installed and then you use each other's phone numbers to make the connection. I use it all the time and I could never do without. If that was viable, she'd be using Skype for free. What do you think? He has no Internet. So she uses Skype to cell phone, paying a fee.
FitChick Posted May 27, 2013 Posted May 27, 2013 I would suggest googling "cheap international phone rates". There are so many choices it makes your head spin. They come and go.
justwhoiam Posted May 27, 2013 Posted May 27, 2013 Telecommunications in Moldova - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Author NeverADullMoment Posted May 27, 2013 Author Posted May 27, 2013 Could he not buy his own phone so that he can make international calls? Most countries have their own 'cheap' international call methods which he can investigate more easily from his end. Since he just got home three weeks ago and has spent most of the time on the farm doing hard labor for his dad, he doesn't have any money and doesn't have a job. Their economy there is really bad. He got to the city today and has some exams this week for his Master's degree and he's also going to see if he can find a job. If he had the money he would definitely get his own phone. But even if he gets a job it might take a while because the cost is relatively high compared to what salaries are there. He said to stay patient and he will figure it out, but obviously I'm not being very patient and since he's on a farm 3/4 of the time I feel like he will never be able to figure it out, so that's why I'm looking around. Alternatively, could you perhaps open a second Skype account so that you can get 400 minutes every two weeks? Duh!!! I didn't even think of that! That's a good suggestion! I actually need to open a separate account for my business anyway. Thank you!
Author NeverADullMoment Posted May 27, 2013 Author Posted May 27, 2013 Viber. Viber is your answer. It allows international calls for free if you have a compatible phone and a connection to the internet. Both people have to have Viber installed and then you use each other's phone numbers to make the connection. I use it all the time and I could never do without. He doesn't have access to the internet 85% of the time, otherwise yes I would try Viber and Skype would work for us. Viber worked great when my son was in Afghanistan but he had wifi on Camp Leatherneck...this is totally different.
Author NeverADullMoment Posted May 27, 2013 Author Posted May 27, 2013 I would suggest googling "cheap international phone rates". There are so many choices it makes your head spin. They come and go. That's exactly why I was hoping someone here would be able to chime in and let me know what service they have used without having problems. I don't want to buy a phone card and then realize I'm getting screwed over and it would cost MORE than paying via Skype, you know? And if they are always coming and going then that just adds to the shadiness and the possibility of me getting screwed.
Author NeverADullMoment Posted May 27, 2013 Author Posted May 27, 2013 Telecommunications in Moldova - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Interesting article. The government of that country is so corrupt however they do get some money from the US and other countries to build infrastructure. And yes, some of the prices SEEM inexpensive...at least to us if you are thinking in terms of an American. $20 per month for mobile broadband seems like a killer deal, doesn't it?? But when your salary per month is equivalent to $250 per month, it's not such a great deal which is why the penetration level is still low. He always tells me "I'm from a strange, strange country"....LOL!! The article points out that mobile phones are very expensive there and yet wired internet is fairly inexpensive. (again compared to what we are used to or compared to what people there can actually afford are two different things). So he's trying get wired internet in his parents house...now I just need the laptop I sent to him to actually GET there. I paid $135 to send two super dirt cheap laptops and some shorts and a pair of shoes to him but for some reason it is being returned...it didn't make it past San Francisco....so frustrating! Anyway, if I can ever get the computer to him and he can get internet then we will have to see if the connection quality will actually be decent or not. Right now when he's in the city he is able to use his brother-in-law's laptop and they get internet from the next door neighbor through the wall....it's spotty at best. Tonight we spent about 30 minutes just calling each other back, turning on and off video, etc. It gets frustrating and we have to be VERY conscious to not get pissy with each other when it's getting frustrating because obviously it's not either one of our faults. ugh...I just wish we were together and didn't have to deal with this crap. Guess I'm having a bad week....
TMichaels Posted May 28, 2013 Posted May 28, 2013 I paid $135 to send two super dirt cheap laptops and some shorts and a pair of shoes to him but for some reason it is being returned...it didn't make it past San Francisco....so frustrating! Anyway, if I can ever get the computer to him and he can get internet then we will have to see if the connection quality will actually be decent or not. If they were super cheap laptops, chances are even if they made it to Moldava they won't work or won't work long on their electrical system. (Moldava: 220-240 Volts; U.S./Canada: 110-120 Volts). You would have been better off sending the money so the laptops could have been purchased locally. All that aside, how did you send the laptops? Via the US postal system? If so, you'll never get them out of the country as a year ago USPS banned international shipment of lithium ion batteries (and any devices that contain them like laptops, tablets, etc.) because there have been instances where the batteries have spontaneously combusted while in an airplane cargo hold. To date, other shipping companies like UPS, DHL, and FedEx haven't instituted a similar ban. DHL is often recommended over the other two for packages sent to Eastern Europe. However, rates for any of the above are usually considerably more. Best, TMichaels
TMichaels Posted May 28, 2013 Posted May 28, 2013 So what good calling cards are out there? A google search leads me to websites that make me think they might not be such a good deal...look a little sketchy. Or what other options are there that I might not know about where it wouldn't require him to be on wifi? It seems like in the year 2013 I shouldn't be spending $200+ per month just on phone calls to one person! You might be better off posting your query here. Best, TMichaels
meeji Posted June 11, 2013 Posted June 11, 2013 Viber. Viber is your answer. It allows international calls for free if you have a compatible phone and a connection to the internet. Both people have to have Viber installed and then you use each other's phone numbers to make the connection. I use it all the time and I could never do without. but he doesn't have a smart phone with internet so that won't work.
meeji Posted June 11, 2013 Posted June 11, 2013 This might sound harsh but why is it your responsibility to figure out a way for him to talk to you? I understand that you have more resources than he does...but what is he doing to solve the problem? Guys that have gfs that do everything to tie the relationship together never learn how to put in the effort to give 50% back. If I were you, I would let him figure it out. I know you want to talk to him and you miss him but that is a bad habit to start... I know from experience. Just sayin. 2
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