If you’ve pondered ditching your landline because of exorbitant phone bills, magicJack just may be for you. It’s an unassuming cigarette lighter-sized plug-and-play USB telephony device that offers unlimited local and long distance calling within the U.S. and Canada (international dialing expected by the end of the year). We were pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to use and the quality it provides for less than $40.

Magic Jack Pros

  • Low cost to try out. For $39.95 plus shipping and handling, you receive the USB device and the license to use it for unlimited local and long distance calling for one year. Each additional year is $19.95. There are also multi-year packages to purchase at a discount.
  • International calls can be free if you are calling someone who also has the device. For example, if you have a family member that lives in another country, you can purchase a Magic Jack and mail it to them. Then you can call them for free and they can call anywhere in the US and Canada free.
  • Includes many features such as voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, 411 and 911.
  • Save on your cell phone minutes by using it to make calls from home.
  • Uses any ordinary landline telephone, including cordless phones. Headsets and your computer microphone and speakers can also be used.

    • Magic Jack Cons

  • Your computer has to be turned on to use Magic Jack.
  • Service can be intermittent. New company with growing pains, I don’t recommend relying on it for your only phone.
  • Directory assistance, or 411 is advertising based if you call it from your phone. If clicking on the soft phone screen that lives on your desktop, you are taken to a web site to look up phone numbers.
  • 911 is through a different system than the 911 you call from a regular telephone. When setting up your Magic Jack it will ask you the physical location of your phone in case of calling 911. Until this service is a lot more stable, I would not rely on their 911 in an emergency. Another reason for keeping your landline phone.
  • If your internet service does not work during a power outage, you will be without this phone service also. Unless you have a cell phone that will work, this is another reason not to cancel your landline phone service. Make sure you keep a phone that doesn’t use electricity on hand for emergencies.