# Keeping US Address and Phone Number



## MangoMike

We plan to be in the group who live in Mexico full time. Although we will definitely visit the US to see family or do who knows what for some weeks at a time. We are selling our home so we will have no address in the US. Is it advantageous in any way to get some sort of US mail drop or PO Box and how would that work? One of the things I'm wondering about is auto insurance for those short trips NOB. About the phone, ... we have Vonage and plan to take the device to México and then get a pre-paid Mexicano Cell for local calls. Any advice on this topic is welcomed.
MM


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## nctomexico

We keep a US address mainly so we had one to catch up on all the last bills you receive after closing out utilities, etc. We also have the address for credit card statements, etc. But, instead of using one of those PO Box services, we use my sister's address. We had a bunch of bills, etc when we sold our house and moved here so it was helpful to have someone we trust opening our bills. Now, we hardly receive anything at the US address. We purchased our auto and health insurance here in Mexico and they have our Mexico address (as if you actually get consistent mail service here) and handle all our payments for those with a credit card. 

As far as Vonage, we use it and like it. For me, it actually sounds better here via my Telmex internet connection than it did with my internet provider in NC. If you don't already have a phone/internet line to your new home in Mexico....be prepared for that to take time--depending on where you live. Took us about 2 months. When you get your Mexico cell phone, ask the company you buy it from for help registering the cell phone--it has to be done.

Good luck with your move...always exciting and as my husband and I learned....patience will be key during the transition.... things don't move at the same pace but hey---that's why we moved here, right?
Cheers



MangoMike said:


> We plan to be in the group who live in Mexico full time. Although we will definitely visit the US to see family or do who knows what for some weeks at a time. We are selling our home so we will have no address in the US. Is it advantageous in any way to get some sort of US mail drop or PO Box and how would that work? One of the things I'm wondering about is auto insurance for those short trips NOB. About the phone, ... we have Vonage and plan to take the device to México and then get a pre-paid Mexicano Cell for local calls. Any advice on this topic is welcomed.
> MM


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## moisheh

If you plan on keeping your USA bank accounts I think you will require a USA address. Best to use a relative so mail can be forwarded. Mexican banks suck and they are getting worse. I would not cut any ties just yet.

Moisheh


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## Southbound

*Based on a previous discussion from a few days ago on this forum, it may prove advantageous to have a U.S. address when filing income taxes. Overall, it is not a bad idea, at least for your first few years, to see how it all shakes out!*


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## Bevdeforges

It's not necessary to maintain a US address, but it can be handy to have a stateside address you can use to clear up the last bills and all. I've had no trouble whatsoever changing my US bank account over to my foreign address, and I bank at a small, regional bank as it is. I've had thoughts recently of changing one US credit card back to a friend's US address, as there are a few sites I've run into lately that will only sell to those using US credit cards with US billing addresses. There are ways around this, however, and it depends on how vital it is to you to be able to buy stuff from those few websites.

I don't understand the problems people have had in filing US income taxes with a foreign address. I can't e-file, but that's because I'm married to a non-resident alien and he has no social security number. You want to assert your foreign residence if you're planning on making use of the overseas earned income exclusion or any other quirk of the tax code.

Not sure how vonage works, but I had a US phone number through Skype for a couple years when I was expecting to have calls from folks in the US. If the same sort of thing is available through Vonage, it can be very handy. (Also gives you a local phone number to use for when you're back visiting.)
Cheers,
Bev


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## cheldear

I have a Skype telephone US telephone number. It's really cheap. It allows people in the US to call me. They can call me from their landline or their cell phone as if they are calling a regular US number, at no charge to them, unless they pay for long distance in general.

I then pay a monthly rate (it's like, six bucks) for me to call the US and Canada unlimited. I don't know anyone in Canada, so that doesn't apply to me. I have to use my computer to call them, but I really don't mind doing that. I have voice mail, and everything I would have with a regular phone.

When I am in the US, I purchase Skype credit so I can call my friends in Mexico on the cheap from Skype.

I use it all the time. Not only to call family and friends, but to call businesses, the IRS (ugh), and other establishments that I need to get in touch with.

Let me know if you need more information.


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## tanderson0o

Vonage now offers toll-free calls to land-line numbers in MX as well as the US (and many other countries), and also offers a low cost option to tie a second phone number to your Vonage account. I have a number in DF that rings through to my Vonage service wherever I happen to be.


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## circle110

cheldear said:


> When I am in the US, I purchase Skype credit so I can call my friends in Mexico on the cheap from Skype.


You shouldn't need to do that! I purchase what I'm sure is the same skype package as you ($5.99/month) and it works in reverse when we're in the US and we can call Mexican landines for free from anywhere in the US. Mexican cell phones do require some Skype credit but all landlines are included in the package.

Come to think of it the package I bought was a US to Mexico package so I guess you can say it works in reverse when I'm in Mexico and I can call both US landlines and cell phones free. 

Either way... it works in both directions. You should check your package and change it if it doesn't go both ways to one that does.


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## cheldear

circle110 said:


> You shouldn't need to do that! I purchase what I'm sure is the same skype package as you ($5.99/month) and it works in reverse when we're in the US and we can call Mexican landines for free from anywhere in the US. Mexican cell phones do require some Skype credit but all landlines are included in the package.
> 
> Come to think of it the package I bought was a US to Mexico package so I guess you can say it works in reverse when I'm in Mexico and I can call both US landlines and cell phones free.
> 
> Either way... it works in both directions. You should check your package and change it if it doesn't go both ways to one that does.


That's interesting. When I had to renew my US/Canada package with them, I called them up, because they have 8 gagillion features and things you can purchase.

I wanted to find out specifically if they had a US/Mexico monthly package instead of a US/Canada monthly package that I could buy. I spent about an hour on the phone with the guy going through all the packages that they had, and making sense out of what I had to begin with, and the difference of when I needed to use skype credit and when I used my monthly package, because it was all so irritatingly complicated.

I found out that it worked the following way for me:

1. My US-based telephone number is for inbound calls only.
2. My monthly US/Canada package is for outbound calls. There are two ways for me to do outbounds:

a. I either purchase a monthly package (which I have) OR
b. I do Skype Credit.

The only package that was available was US and Canada. No Mexico. So if I wanted to call a Mexico number, I had to use Skype credit. SC is still REALLY REALLY cheap though.

So that's where I stand... I just use my monthly package to call home, and I have a landline and a prepay cell in Mexico. I am never in the US anyway except for a few weeks a year, so it's really moot for me to need to call Mexico from Skype anyway.


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## cheldear

Okay.

New information.

Two ways to call Mexico.

1. Skype credit. Problem for me on this one is I call mostly cells, and it's REALLY expensive with Skype credit.

2. There are two Monthly plans to call Mexico. One is the North American Plan and one is the Worldwide plan. The North American plan is landline only. The Worldwide plan includes the cell phones unlimited. North American plan is $7.99 a month. Worldwide plan is $13.99 a month. Choose your poison based upon your needs.

You can pay monthly, quarterly or yearly... Of course, I pay yearly for my US plan because I get a rate discount, but I'm going short-term on my Worldwide plan since I am only in the states for a short time and need to call cell phones in Mexico only while I am at home.

Circle, thanks for the information. That got me out there to research my options so I didn't spend too much money calling my Aunt on our cell. Cablevision is giving us a lot of trouble right now, and the internet is down a lot, so calling Skype to Skype has been problematic, and I need to call the landline and/or the cell down there from Skype here.


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## circle110

That's interesting. I must be grandfathered in because I pay $5.99 a month and have what appears to be what they are calling the North American plan. I pay monthly - they never offered me the option to pay quarterly or annually. 

I'll just keep paying and keep my mouth shut because the plan (whatever it may be called!) is working really well for me as it is!

PS - I think we're on the verge of a thread hijack!


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