Landline and Cell Phone

You can call a landline with mobile phone with a standard load from your provider. You cannot use any promos for this type of call.
When we want to make this kind of call we load an additional 100 pesos regular load to our phone. It works fine.
Hope this helps.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

I'm understanding you cannot call a landline using a cell phone in the Philippines. That doesn't make any sense.

Lieutenant Spock would say that it's logical for nothing to make sense in the Philippines. Beware when you call landlines. Your load will disappear faster than a 20 Peso note dropped on the sidewalk.

Isn't everyone uses cellphone nowadays? Besides landlines aren't landlines anymore, they are ip phones. It does not make sense a cell cannot call those phones. Unless they are on different providers that restricted those transfers.

A reply to mrwechief56, Lotus Eater and Jackson4.

You all added pieces to solve a puzzle. Many Municipalities,  Government Agencies and Embassies traditionally still use landlines vs cell phones/voip.

As I understand it you can buy a load before calling a landline. The usage of the load is 9 PHP per minute. So when you're calling those places, it's likely to take a long time.

In my case my stepson will be calling the US Embassy to make an appointment for me. He will call from the niece's landline. Our emails to the Embassy have gone unanswered so hence the phone call.

So at 9 PHP per minute, who knows how long the call will last and he doesn't want to be disconnected if his load runs out. So off to a landline.

For example my stepson bought a 100 php load, going through the menu's, push one for this, two for that, three to go back to one, one to go to four, bla bla bla his 100 php load ran out before talking to a human being.

It is ridiculous that the telecom's have not addressed this and corrected the problem.

But it is not a problem for the telecoms.
It is profit for them and they have no incentive to "fix" it.
Sometimes competition forces change.
Other times governments may feel something is important for the country and implement regulations.
Other times governments may feel something is a way to get money and implement taxes.
So it goes...  Take care!👍

Enzyte Bob wrote:

It is ridiculous that the telecom's have not addressed this and corrected the problem.

An other bad thing related to mobile phones it seem (=several Filipinos say its like that) when switching SIM-card then get a new phone number too making problems for people to reach them talking with seldom        
(E g now we want to reach an owner to a real estate we are interested in buying if the price is interesting enough, and my business partner had phone number to the owner allready, but we havent got an answer in almost a week. Yesterday I got to know it can depend of the owner have switched SIM-card and by that got phone number switched.  If no answer soon that bad solution will end up in needing travel 2 x 250 km for something which could have been solved by phone... 
In Sweden I have switched SIM-card and supplier several times, but have same phone number stiil since I got mobile phone 30 years ago...

I ran into this problem several years ago when I was staying in Tagaytay. I couldn't access funds from my Australian bank debit card., and was down to my last pesos. Caught a bus to Manila, and was panicking. Fortunately, by chance, I saw an ANZ bank out of the corner of my eye (AUS/NZ bank). It was their only branch, and they were in the process of leaving the Philippines and closing down their last branch.

I was sweating big time, broke, and desperate. This was my last chance (I had plenty of funds in OZ). I was ragged (those fricking over street stairs). Tried to wipe the sweat off my brow and present myself as best I could.

My angel saved me. The Filipina bank manager allowed me to use their landline for an hour while I sorted out my problem with another (non affiliated) OZ bank.

Perhaps things have changed since then, but things can go helter-skelter quickly in the Philippines.

Why are you guys still buying loads??!! Just get a monthly service. You just pay a fixed amount every month with unlimited calls and texts to all networks and when making calls from your mobile phone to a landline, make sure you use the area code before the number. Are you really still buying those scratch off cards??

arty5987 wrote:

Why are you guys still buying loads??!! Just get a monthly service. You just pay a fixed amount every month with unlimited calls and texts to all networks and when making calls from your mobile phone to a landline, make sure you use the area code before the number. Are you really still buying those scratch off cards??

I don't know if you are referring to the US or Philippines, But the difference is Apples to Oranges.

The Philippines is the most texting country in the world. Texting is dirt cheap, the cheapest fixed monthly service in the states  would pay for a lifetime of texting in the Philippines.

hey spence... just wanted to let you know that i have landed in cebu and now at the condo on mactan... and just now had the chance to msg...  pulling hen's teeth to get internet.. but cool neighbor I have and we split the cost...   that was too cool... keep in touch.  also.. he must be thinkin' US b/c in PH, it is weekly loads... money maker.. hehe

tony

My plan is 799 pesos per month with globe. It's-a one year contract with unlimited calls and texts to all networks and landlines and 7 gigs internet each month.  I stopped buying those scratch off cards a long time ago. I had to pay four months up front and then I'll renew each month online. No more going to a mall or local sari sari to buy a load. I always have internet advisable wherever I am.

Question Sir... do the minutes and/or non usage roll over?  .. and I take it that the 799php is for 12 mths.. entire year?  that is like $180 /yr

No it's per month. Which amounts to $15 US per month.

art.. that is a chunk of $$

A chunk of money?????  It's only $15 US dollars per month!!!
With much less hassle!!

arty5987 wrote:

My plan is 799 pesos per month with globe. It's-a one year contract with unlimited calls and texts to all networks and landlines and 7 gigs internet each month.  I stopped buying those scratch off cards a long time ago. I had to pay four months up front and then I'll renew each month online. No more going to a mall or local sari sari to buy a load. I always have internet advisable wherever I am.

Sounds like a good deal with 7 GB of data.  I understand the download of apps, songs , video  use GB.    But does the zoom video calls charge/use GB?   My thought is since it is not a download, that it should not charge but seeking confirmation.

How much is a little hassle worth? Both Globe and Smart have plans that can be purchased in a minute using GCash. I'm on a 3-month plan with Smart for 599, unli Alllnet texts and calls + 2 GB data. I've used up about a third of the data in a month, only had one Zoom (when power was out) so I'm not sure how much that used.

When I arrived, I signed onto Globe for reasons lost in history. Recently, I changed to Smart and kept my Globe number (free to do that). Aside from the fact that I can't get Globe calls where I live, Smart is much more convenient with the 3-month plan. I couldn't find anything close on Globe. Purchasing more data if necessary is easy too.

If you don't have GCash, I recommend it highly. It's useful for a lot of things, from buying load to Lazada purchases to use at stores (although you may need a good internet connection to use it). You can put money in your toll road account. And of course I use it for buying my own load, and giving load to all my girlfriends when they ask

arty5987 wrote:

My plan is 799 pesos per month with globe. It's-a one year contract with unlimited calls and texts to all networks and landlines and 7 gigs internet each month.  I stopped buying those scratch off cards a long time ago. I had to pay four months up front and then I'll renew each month online. No more going to a mall or local sari sari to buy a load. I always have internet advisable wherever I am.

I purchase 100 php load every several months through BDO online, no scratch off, no sari sari store. I only use my phone for sms verification. I use my Ooma Telo for all outgoing and incoming calls from the states. (using a stateside phone number)

My wife makes phone some calls on Facebook Messenger.

tpiro wrote:

hey spence... just wanted to let you know that i have landed in cebu and now at the condo on mactan... and just now had the chance to msg...  pulling hen's teeth to get internet.. but cool neighbor I have and we split the cost...   that was too cool... keep in touch.  also.. he must be thinkin' US b/c in PH, it is weekly loads... money maker.. hehe

tony

Hi Tony, glad you make it OK, you did a good job of negotiating all the pitfalls and red tape.

You're now aboard so pull up the ladder.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

I'm understanding you cannot call a landline using a cell phone in the Philippines. That doesn't make any sense.

Yes...It really doesn't make any sense...maybe this latest news clip may help alleviate some of these ingrained problems/issues.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/newsinfo.i … ilways/amp

But you CAN call a landline from the cell phone… just call with the area code first. This is the years 2022, that kind of technology has been around a while!!!

arty5987 wrote:

A chunk of money?????  It's only $15 US dollars per month!!!
With much less hassle!!

Yes that is a good deal if you are resident in the Philippines. I always thought that you had to buy scratch cards. For visitors only staying a few weeks its not cost effective. I prefer Smart to Globe if only because the former do not bombard my phone with marketing texts. Last time I was in Phil was November '19 so I guess things have moved on.

In the UK my provider is Three, part of the Hong Kong Hutchison group: £9 per month ($12) unlimited including calls to landlines. Moreover on my regular visits to Indonesia I can use Three to call UK for free but calls are charged within the country so I usually stick with WA but texts are cheap.

Manwonders link is much appreciated regarding limits on foreign ownership investment. That could be a game changer. The magic number with mobile networks seems to be 3 to promote real competition but it will take time to filter through and as always in the Philippines red tape can stifle inward investment.

LOL the PI cell phone da ce for load, text, data how long how much has bee enlightening!  I went to smart but cant get plan till my visa comes through. Have a 350 peso load for unlimited text and talk for 30 days.  Smart wanted 2500 pesos monthly for unlimited everything with one year sign up, can some one recommend what to get when my visa comes thru, using google voice and messenger a lot on my old Verizon number.  Thanks 

@Lotus Eater I don't understand!!! When you guys come here to the Philippines, what do you come with as far as finances? If you can't afford $15 per month, how are you eating??!! What are you living on?

@Lotus Eater I don't understand!!! When you guys come here to the Philippines, what do you come with as far as finances? If you can't afford $15 per month, how are you eating??!! What are you living on?

Cut me a break I'm just trying to find the best way,  to get the best coverage, this has nothing to do with finances but the best way to do something i was just just sharing what I had learned there was no complaint that is was to expensive, don't be so quick to jump. Thanks