My sister was so excited when they started offering Magic Jack in our city. She went and immediately replaced her home phone with Magic Jack service. She paid an unbelievable deal of 5 years for $100. I think the service is ok, it's a little inconvenient that you have to dial an area code for EVERY phone number you dial, but the deal is unbeatable. She is probably one of the only people I know who still have a home phone, but I guess its worth it for $20 a year.
I love magic jack! I don't pay a thing for it where I am and I love it! I can successfully call anyone in the US for nothing and spend as long as I want to. To be honest, that's the way I like it, too much paying for calls isn't good. Even my local provider is now giving away International minutes! So I guess more companies are now realizing that they don't have to make profits from calls, with more and more ways to communicate, it's either you cut your rate or get left behind!
My daughter has Magic Jack and she is really happy with it. I am considering it, because I need to keep my home phone but I'm tired of the high rates.
I have to ask a question about the fact that an area code has to be dialed for all calls made. Has your sister ever tried to make a call without doing this? The reason I ask I know someone with a similar program Basic Talk who was instructed to do the exact same thing, he thought he would try dialing a call wihtout putting in the area code and turned out when it came to local calls he didn't need to put the area code in. Now I am no saying it will be that same way with Magic Jack but it wouldn't hurt to at least try and see what would happen, if she hasn't already tried that is.
It has been several years since I had a Magic Jack; but I think I did have to use the area code on all calls. Actually, we have to put in the area code with the cell phones , too, regardless of where the call is going to. Magic Jack is about as cheap as you can get phone service for, and now, you can even use it without having to connect to a computer. This is a good thing, since tablets are becoming more common, and large desktops are almost getting to be obsolete nowdays. The main thing with the old Magic Jack, was that the reception was not always good, plus, you had to have the computer working to use it. So, if the electricity went out, you were also out of having a phone.
I don't really see the point of it. I guess it's an okay replacement for a house phone, but from what I've heard the quality isn't all that great. I don't get why people don't just use their cell phone for all calls. Makes more sense to me. I don't see myself getting Magic Jack anytime soon, that's for sure.
I think that probably not as many people use a Magic Jack now as when it first came out. At that time, cell phone calls were not only limited in area, but also very expensive if you went over your minutes. Now, most people pay a certain amount each month and make as many calls as they want to. Regular home phones charged a monthly bill, and usually long distance charges for out of local area calls as well. Magic Jack is still probably the cheapest way to have a phone, since it only costs $20 for a whole year of service, and unlimited phone calls. It just doesn't get any cheaper than that !
I don't think it's as worth it anymore nowadays since there are so many other ways to communicate that are free. Even just keeping a laptop in sleep mode would allow you to hear when someone is calling you on Skype or a similar program. Also there are much more other means when it comes to smartphones.
About 2 years ago I was with AT&T and decided to purchase Magic Jack. I had my home phone number ported to Magic Jack without no problems. The device was easy to setup and quality of sound was very good. Like others have written you had to dial the area code when making a call, and I had to get use to that. When it came to international calls I was really disappointed because you have to buy minutes. I wish someone would come up with a system for free international calling, because it's so many people that need to connect with friends and family a lot.
