# Cheapest and simplest way to call Canada from US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607 "2008-08-19T22:30:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tess\_of\_the\_Derbyville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Tess\_of\_the\_Derbyville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess_of_the_Derbyville)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/1 "2008-08-19T22:30:19Z")
For the next six months or so I’ll need to make frequent phone calls to Canada. My phone company gives me unlimited long distance within the US but charges .14 a minute to Canada. What’s a cheaper alternative? I need something simple since this will be a short-term situation. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/2 "2008-08-19T22:37:25Z")
Have you looked at some VOIP solution like Vonage? It looks like they have unlimited plans for the US and Canada for $9.95 a month. > **[Vonage Business](https://www.vonage.com/)** > > Vonage offers flexible and scalable voice, messaging, video and data capabilities across Unified Communications, Contact Centers and Communications APIs. I have no idea how good the call quality is compared to a normal land line ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/3 "2008-08-19T23:07:49Z")
Prepaid calling cards? ---
**Author:** ![Jammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Jammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammer)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/4 "2008-08-19T23:43:37Z")
Pingo is also a good option. I just used their service recently for a long trip to Italy. Between US and Italy was 2 cents a minute, so Canada should be at least that good. They have a good website, if you choose to pursue further. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/5 "2008-08-19T23:50:59Z")
Vonage is a good bet. VoIP isn’t too much of a bandwidth hog so call quality should be decent/comparable to normal phone calls. If you do the math and find it to be cheaper, [Skype](http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/callphones/) also offers calls to Canada (and most other international destinations) for around 2 cents/min. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/6 "2008-08-20T00:33:16Z")
Even a old-fashioned international calling plan is a better deal that what you’re getting. If you subscribed to my plan (from AT&T), you’d break even if you chatted over about 110 minutes/month. ---
**Author:** ![nd\_n8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/439d5e/32.png) [@nd\_n8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nd_n8)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/7 "2008-08-20T01:45:07Z")
I’ve had Vonage for a couple of years now and we love it. There is no loss of quality, we’ve never had an issue with power loss and $30 per month is great for unlimited service. However, a friend I work with recently got a [Magic Jack](http://www.magicjack.com/2/?mid=304185). It is VOIP, when I’ve talked to him the quality is the same, the features are the same, calling to Canada is unlimited and it costs around $20 - $30 per _ **year**._ If you talk for more than 34 minutes per month for 6 months it comes out ahead of the phone company. As much as I love the Vonage, I am seriously thinking about switching. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/8 "2008-08-20T03:18:21Z")
You could stand on the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor and simply holler. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/9 "2008-08-20T03:38:29Z")
Skype? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/10 "2008-08-20T06:36:14Z")
[QUOTE=chacoguy420] You could stand on the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor and simply holler. 🙂 [/QUOTE] I was thinkin’ that, but if you go over to Minnesota, you can walk right up to the border and call Canada. Lemme know if it answers. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheapest-and-simplest-way-to-call-canada-from-us/460607/11 "2008-08-20T07:14:21Z")
My VOIP with my cable package comes with Canada included standard.