Vonage Phone Services – An Overview

Vonage Phone Service, Calling Plans, and Features

Vonage Phone Service company is a leading provider of monthly VoIP services in the industry, with more than 1.1 million subscribers (2019). Vonage was one of the earliest VoIP services providers to emerge on the national scene. This article will give a brief overview of the products and services offered by Vonage, and discuss some of the reasons why they are a well known VoIP provider.

Vonage for Home Calling Plans

The most popular Vonage calling plans are divided into two groups, Vonage Domestic and Vonage International calling plans. The domestic calling plan, the Vonage North America plan, offers unlimited minutes for calls to U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. The international calling plan, the Vonage World Prime plan, also offers unlimited calls to U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. In addition, this plan also provides unlimited international calling to over 60 countries, 20+ including mobile numbers and Vonage's best per minute rates for all other calling.

Vonage Domestic and International Plans

The following are the two residential calling plans, the Vonage North America and the Vonage World Prime calling plan:

* Additional taxes and fees apply. High speed internet required.

 

Vonage Philippines Calling Plans

In addition to the above plans, Vonage offers two Philippines calling plans. The plans were created in the partnership with the Globe® Group Network in the Philippines (Globe® Mobile and Landline, Touch Mobile™ and BayanPhone). They are specifically designed for people that often call Philippines.

• U.S. & Canada 400 Globe® Philippines 400
  • 400 minutes of calling to Globe® Group Network in the Philippines
  • 400 minutes local and long distance calling in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico
  • Only 11¢ per minute for calls to all Globe numbers exceeding 400 minutes per month, and non-Globe calling in the Philippines
  • Free calling to other Vonage home phone service customers
  • Price: $14.99/month
  • no contract required
  • Shipping and activation included
  • 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
• U.S. & Canada Unlimited Globe® Philippines 3000
  • 3,000 minutes of calling to Globe® Group Network in the Philippines (Globe® Mobile and Landline, Touch Mobile™ and BayanPhone)
  • Only 11¢ per minute for calls to all Globe numbers exceeding 3,000 minutes per month, and non-Globe calling in the Philippines
  • Unlimited local and long distance calling in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico
  • Price: $19.99/month for the first 12 months with 1-year contract^§
  • Shipping and activation included
  • 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

^§ Promotion available only for new customers. $26.99/mo. after first 12 months. $26.99/mo. without a 1-yr contract. Additional taxes and fees apply. High speed internet required.

 

ⓘ Vonage Philippines Calling Plans

 

Vonage Phone Service – Easy Setup

Vonage phone service is really easy to setup. All it take is three steps, and you are ready to start making or receiving calls through your Vonage phone service. The three steps to setup Vonage service are these:

1. Plug in your Vonage Box™ to a high-speed internet router.
2. Plug your home phone into the Vonage Box™.
3. Start calling with your Vonage phone!

Yes, just like that. Plug it in, and start using it. Remember, shipping and activation, plus the Vonage Box™, are all included with all Vonage for Home plans.

Vonage Broadband Phone Service Hardware

There are several brands that make adapters that are used for Vonage VoIP phone service. Besides Vonage Box™ Telephone Adapter, there are D-Link, Motorola, Linksys, VTech, Uniden, and UTStarcom. Upon signup, adapters are free with all Vonage home phone plans. These devices provide an analog port for your existing analog telephone. Some of the Vonage phone adapters also provides a data port for connecting one PC to the Internet. Upgrades with more analog and data ports are available for modest additional charges. For the Vonage broadband phone service, you can also use a fully-featured Vtech cordless VoIP hardphone with one handset, a Uniden hardphone with handset on the base unit and one cordless handset, and a UTStarcom WiFi hardphone that works with your wireless router connection.

Features Included with All Vonage Calling Plans

Vonage offers a rich set of included features. The following features are included in the price of any Vonage monthly service plan:

 

Vonage Calling Plans – Features Explained

• Vonage® Extensions® App – Designed for use on smartphones by mobile users. The Vonage® Extensions® app lets you use your Vonage home calling plan to make and receive calls on up to three smartphones. more info right below.
• Call Filter – This feature allows you to filter unwanted calls. There are three filters available for SPAM calls: Block, Send to Voicemail, Continue to Receive.
• Vonage Voicemail Plus – A very powerful voicemail package that allows you to check your voicemail from your VoIP phone or by regular phone, with access numbers in the US, Canada and Europe. You can play messages back online by logging on to your web account. Voicemails can also be sent to you as attachments to your email, which you can save and forward as you would any email. You can also record scheduled greetings for different hours of the day or even different days of the year. This feature can automatically transcribe your voicemails to text so that you can read them right from your e-mail.
• Enhanced Call Forwarding – This lets you forward calls to any other number, even a mobile or international. Calls forwarded to numbers in countries outside of your calling plan will be charged at our low per-minute rates. Enhanced Call Forwarding feature is free with any Vonage for Home plan.
• Vonage® boomerang™ – In your Vonage® Extensions® App, choose the numbers you want to add to boomerang™. Then whenever your selected contacts call, Vonage answers and asks that they hang up. Once they do, Vonage connects you both automatically using YOUR Vonage number – at no charge to them!
• SimulRing® – This feature lets you ring up to five additional phones at the same time – landlines, cells, and smartphones – so you’ll be sure to catch critical calls. For international phone destinations, this works with numbers in the UK, India, and Mexico only. You can receive incoming calls on any phone number you include in your list.
• Add a Line – Allows you to add a second voice line to your Vonage service through your Online Account. Price varies with service plans.
• In-Network Calling – All calls placed between Vonage users are free, regardless of location. These calls do not count against your monthly minutes if you have one of the limited plans.
• Take Vonage With You – You can take your Vonage service with you when you move or even when you travel. All you need to do is take your Vonage ATA along and plug it into any high-speed internet connection.
• Virtual Phone Number – You can add a virtual phone number to your service. The area code from the virtual number can be anywhere that Vonage provides service. The price is from $4.99/mo, depending on the country. More about Vonage Virtual Phone Number.
• Fax Service – Vonage customers can get a dedicated fax line with residential service. This frees up your home phone line.
• Toll Free Plus® – Add a toll-free 1-800 number to your Vonage account. Includes 100 inbound toll-free minutes from anywhere in the US.

The above are just some of the features of Vonage phone service explained. For the full list with detailed explanations, see our Vonage Features page.

Vonage® Extensions® App

One of the coolest things about Vonage is the Vonage® Extensions® App. It is available for Apple iPhone and Android smartphones. How does the Extensions App Work? The Vonage Extensions App links your iPhone or Android smartphone to your Vonage service. After you install it onto your smartphone, you can use the app to make and receive calls like you are at home. The only thing you need is an Internet connection. This can be achieved either via Wi-Fi or your data connection (standard rates apply if you pay for your cellular data). Any call to your Vonage home phone number will ring on your smartphone as well. You will always know if the call is to your app or your regular mobile number. The app can be downloaded and used on up to three smartphones at no additional cost. From within the app, you can navigate through and manage many of your account settings. You can view a call log, view contacts, list voicemail messages, see rates, SMS permissions, and so on. On iPhones, you can use Siri to make calls. you say "call <contact name> using Extensions" or "Use Extensions to call <contact name>".

Vonage – Summary

As you can see, Vonage Phone Service is truly a full-service VoIP phone services provider. Vonage has a history of being the first to provide innovative new features to VoIP users, and this trend will certainly continue in the future. Given the fact that it is one of the largest providers of monthly VoIP service, has one of the richest feature sets available, is one of the easiest VoIP services to install, and has excellent customer service and support, Vonage should certainly be at or near the top of your list when considering which VoIP provider to choose.

 

ⓘ Vonage Calling Plans