Previous Tip(s) of the Month

Accessing Voice Mail While Roaming off Network

I know this is rather basic, but a lot of people get stung by this. If you're not on your native network, calling the voice-mail short cut from your phone won't work. You need to call your own number from your cell phone (or a landline) or use one of the back door voice mail access numbers. Depending on the roaming partner, you also may not even receive a notification that you have voice mails waiting to be heard. Last week I was in Yosemite where Verizon roams onto Golden State Cellular, and I left my wife who was elsewhere in the park a voicemail that she didn't know how to pick up because *86 didn't work.

Prepaid Data

The options for prepaid data in the U.S. are limited. Boost Mobile (Nextel’s prepaid iDEN service) offers unlimited data and voice for $50/month or you can do pay as you go for an incredibly low 35¢/day if you have a Boost Mobile phone (but with a $6.67/month minimum cost for monthly Boost service), but it’s slow and the coverage is very limited. Sprint prepaid MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) Virgin Mobile U.S.A. offers data for 20¢-$1.50/MB ($1.50/MB is the base rate but you can purchase data packages at lower rates and the packages depend on whether you're on pay as you go or a prepaid monthly plan). Virgin Mobile also offers Broadband2Go Prepaid 3G Data for PCs (USB transceiver, not tethering). Available only at Best Buy. Verizon’s prepaid MVNO, PagePlus, offers data for $1.20/MB with no lower rate packages. AT&T has eliminated the extremely popular unlimited MediaNet package, and now offers data for 20¢-$10.00/MB. 7-11 SpeakOut charges an incredibly high $50/MB.

OneSuite Long Distance

When you're paying for every cellular minute, it makes sense to use a landline whenever possible. For long-distance (in-state, interstate, or international), check out http://www.onesuite.com/. No monthly fees, no connect fees, and very low rates. You must add a minimum of $10 to your account every six months. They also have access numbers in many countries outside the U.S.. PIN free dialing is available (you register the numbers you'll be calling from). Speed dialing available (you edit your phone book on-line and then speed dial with a two digit code).

Also, when calling internationally from your cellular phone, it's much cheaper to call OneSuite and go through their system than to call the international number directly. Speed-Dial on OneSuite also makes it very easy to dial your frequently called international numbers.

One of the biggest money-savers on OneSuite is when making Intra-LATA calls (long distance calls within your local access and transport area). These calls are charged at high rates by your local phone company. I.e. for me to call from San Jose to San Francisco can cost 7¢ per minute, versus 2.5¢/minute on OneSuite.

Save Money, Live Better, with Back Door Voice Mail Numbers

If you want to check your voicemail without using your minutes (either prepaid or postpaid), Verizon and AT&T have a long list of  local access "back door" voice mail phone numbers. The Verizon numbers work for PagePlus prepaid. The AT&T numbers work for SpeakOut prepaid. While you can always simply call your own phone number and wait for it to go into the voice mail system, sometimes there are good reasons why you don't want to that.

There are other uses for the back door voice mail numbers as well. If you want to leave a voice mail message for someone, but not disturb them or not talk to them, and they are on T-Mobile, Verizon or PagePlus, AT&T or SpeakOut, you can do that through the backdoor voice mail access. These local numbers can save you the expense of calling someone from your prepaid phone, or your landline (or can preserve your peak minutes on your postpaid cell phone) when all you want to do is to leave them a message. In essence, you can leave a message for free, and they can pick it up for free. That's why the carriers don't publicize their back door voice mail numbers. Note that Sprint does not have any backdoor voice mail numbers (one more reason to avoid them at all costs).

Verizon/PagePlus Back Door Voice Mail Access Numbers

AT&T/SpeakOut Back Door Voice Mail Access Numbers

T-Mobile: 805-637-7243 (805 MESSAGE)

Sprint does not have any back door Voice Mail Access Numbers, One More Reason to Avoid Sprint at All Costs