Magic Jack has hit the Philippines in a big way. There are many people in North America taking advantage of this low cost device to stay in contact with loved ones in the Philippines. The Magic Jack is usually purchased in the U.S. Or Canada and then shipped to the Philippines. Once the device is installed on a computer in the Philippines the person using it can make unlimited calls to North America. While the Magic Jack website states that the device does not work on dial up, Filipinos seem to be finding ways to make it work. However, reports I have received say that the Magic jack performs much better on DSL speed. One thing I know for sure is this device is going to put a major squeeze on some major phone companies like Vonage. They cannot possibly compete with Magic Jack when it comes to price.

Price

The price is $39.99 for one year of service which gives you unlimited calls to North America. An additional year of service is only $19.95. That is one incredible price for unlimited calls from the Philippines to North America. The best thing is there are no hidden connection or start up fees. You pay $39.99 and that is all you pay for the first year. There are also no cancelation fees. If you do not want to use the Magic Jack anymore you just stop using it.

Is There a Catch?

The only catch I see is in understanding how Magic Jack works. Remember, you only need one Magic Jack to receive calls in North America from anywhere else in the World. So if you are receiving calls from the Philippines you only need the one Magic Jack installed in the Philippines. However, calling outbound from the U.S. or Canada changes things. To make free outbound calls from North America to the Philippines you will both need a Magic Jack. So either way you decide to do it (1 or 2 Magic Jacks) it is still an unbelievable price for unlimited overseas calls.

For those not living in North America you can still take advantage of Magic Jack. Lets say you live in Australia and want to call someone in the Philippines. You will need two Magic Jacks. Just remember if there is no North American connection you will always need two Magic Jacks to communicate.

In closing I would make one suggestion. If you are going to buy a Magic Jack I would think twice before buying in in the Philippines unless it is a reputable dealer. This does not include guys selling them on Ebay or in the newspaper. I know the tempation is to save on shipping costs to the Philippines but being cheap is not always the answer. If you buy it from a reputable dealer, or the Magic Jack website you will at least have some recourse if the device does not function properly. If you buy one off the street in Manila good luck getting a refund.