I'm a big fan of VOIP. I use voip.ms, I think it's one of the best and cheapest VOIP services out there. All you need is a voip adapter, I got mine for $40, and you can transfer you existing phone number for about $20. I get a decent number of calls and I put $25 on my account and it lasts for 3 months or so. They charge $.95 a month service charge if you use one of their numbers, they have them available in virtually all area codes or $1.95/mo if you transfer your number. Then it's only $.01 a minute or less for calls. They also have other plans with all incoming calls for free, but then the rate jumps to $4.95 and $6.95 respectively. I have 2 phone lines, one I transferred the number on, one using one of their numbers. I use the second one for the very rare fax I send or receive, but for $.95/mo it's worth it, so my base charge each month is $2.93 -- and there are no taxes of fees, and 911 works.
I've been using them for over 2 years and have had zero problems, calls sound great, and there are no long distance charges anywhere in the US and I believe Canada where they are based. The one main advantage they have is that they have servers all over the world, I think 6 in the US and you connect through whichever one is the closest, I use Chicago, so there is no echo or lag. Can't recommend them enough.
