Thailandbuckeye

I finally came down to two: Sonetel and Callcentric. Callcentric uses Zoiper which is free and easy to set up. Both will accept my Skype number to be ported in. Not sure which one I will end up keeping but Callcentric seems to be better than Sonetel. Not using either very much since I am using up my Skype balance before porting in.

My credit union that is a “partner” with Wise is in the U.S. but what you say makes sense since the receipt shows a local transfer into her account. Thanks. i don’t mind the wait as my other credit union is a pain to transfer money and I am at the mercy of the exchange rate.

I am new to Wise and only made my 3rd transfer today. Wise is linked to my Credit Union so it is initiated with them and then Wise to my wife’s account. Today it took a little less than 2 hours. All 3 transfers completed around 11am which is the time her bank opens at Central. Not sure if that has anything to do with it or not.

An update to my post above. Sonetel fixed my calling issue. and I have decided on them to replace Skype. Their support was top notch although it to several days to get where I could make a call. During the process they always kept in touch and at one time offered a refund if I wasnt satisfied. I will keep Hushed as a backup since its lifetime. I made a couple of calls with Sonetel, the quality was at least as good as Skype if not better. Also Fanytel had its problems and their support was terrible. I never got an answer or fix to my problem.

First off I have spent too much time on this. For info I use Apple products and I need a number in the USA preferably the Houston area since my mailing address is there. I subscribed to Hushed lifetime offer (25.00 USD), it came with 1000 phone minutes per year and SMS which counts against your phone minutes. I have only tried it a couple of times but the phone quality has been excellent. It also has a number in Houston. I am not sure about security so I decided to look further. Next up was Sonetel. Still in progress after 6 days, initially upon signing up I could make a call to the US, to get a number in the US I had to verify my identity. Once that was approved I could no longer make calls. Support has been timely but they have not been able to fix and have offered to refund all the money I signed up with. I am giving it a couple more days and then decide. The support is closed on weekends. I also looked into Zadarma but didn’t sign up at this time due to id verification for phone number. I have briefly look at Fanytel and this looks promising. Once I see what happens with Sonetel I’ll look into Fanytel a little further. I do not know about 2fa codes on any of these services since I don’t need. My banks use my Thai number and my credit cards are tied to these banks. I have ruled out GV, Google Fi and Teams for various reasons. Hopefully this info good or bad will help others.

After some further research I do not recommend the stacksocial offer. Instead google "Hushed lifetime offer" and buy directly from Hushed. According to their support once you have purchased they will send an email with instructions. I apologize for any confusion.

I ran across the forum listed below for Hushed. I also pasted a link to a lifetime offer. The forum is a long read but it does have some good info scattered through it. It appears Hushed is iffy on 2FA codes but somewhere in all of this I found that by “whitelisting” your voip phone number to the bank it may work. Has anyone tried contacting a bank and whitelisting a number? https://forums.redflagdeals.com/hushed-20usd-lifetime-sub-number-1000min-call-6000-sms-per-year-forever-sale-recurrent-2513188/16/ https://www.stacksocial.com/sales/hushed-private-phone-1-line-plan-1000-mins-6000-sms

The Basic doesn’t show porting on the website, Pro+ shows porting but that price is $129. Can I ask which one you purchased?

I should have stated that I used Iphone/Ipad to try Google Voice.

I tried Google Voice and it stated it wasn’t available in my country, with and without VPN. I mentioned Sonetel earlier in thread, didn’t get any yay or nay on it. Here is their info as an alternative to Skype. Easy Setup that Lets You Focus on What Matters Choose number Choose your virtual number in a country of your choice, such as the US. You can also port your existing number to Sonetel. Sign up Most types of numbers offer a free trial. Forward incoming calls Forward incoming calls to any phone number at the cost of a local call (free if included in the selected plan). Make calls Make calls worldwide at the cost of local calls, from your mobile or computer, with the Sonetel app. Activate AI Features Get a written summary after each call you make or receive. Get draft follow up emails that you can send to the person you spoke with. Get meetings summarized. Get a score for every customer call you handle, and get suggestions on how to improve. Why Switch Now As Microsoft phases out Skype’s pay-as-you-go model, Sonetel stands out as a reliable, affordable Skype alternative. You’ll get a professional phone number at a lower monthly cost than Skype’s old pricing, plus advanced features that help you run your business more efficiently. Switch to Sonetel today and experience a seamless way to manage your business calls worldwide, all while saving money and sounding more professional than ever.

Doing some quick searches Sonetel looks like a viable alternative. I will try it out in the next couple of days.I didn’t find anything else of interest but someone else may come up with something. It appears that you can no longer add credit to Skype.

Not sure what you mean. I scanned from my printer and saved it on my computer. Downloaded to the LTR website. I used the PDF toolbox which allows you to select where the file is located (e.g. scan from printer, file on computer, etc.).

I downloaded PDF24, it’s free and you don’t have to register it. I continue to use it a year after my LTR, works great.

I took this as January 2028…..

I had a problem with my SSA card and emailed Manila 5 working days ago. Today I received all the information I needed for replacement. Overall I have never had a problem with Manila including once when I phoned them. When phoning be prepared to just keep trying!

I have looked around on this site and haven’t seen anything lately on LTR, specifically WP regarding taxes. I have had two Expat Tax companies tell me I need to have the Tax ID and file basically a blank tax return with the LTR Visa attached. Can some of you please chime in on whether or not you are going to get a Thai Tax ID or not? Any other specifics would be appreciated. Thank you, TB

I renewed my health insurance about 4 months early to meet the 10 month criteria using both policies. I recently was at BOI to change my passport and asked about the 10 month requirement for every year. The representative stated that it would be best to do the early renewal every year. She wasn’t sure if it would be looked at when the 5 year renewal came up. I renewed early again this year and will continue to do the same every year. The insurance company came back in one day with the renewal rate, apparently very happy to take my money about 3 months early.

Thanks, I sort of thought so but I appreciate the confirmation.

I have used the drop down menu in the past but I can’t seem to find it on their website. Not sure if it’s no longer available or I just can’t find it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks TB

I sent the form back the next day after receiving it in the mail using the tracking method of 355 baht. It was delivered as shown below. Note that on the same day as receiving the SSA form 7162 I also received my tax refund that was mailed on May 24 and a letter from the IRS that they were mailing my return in lieu of direct deposit. This letter was dated prior to May 24. So it appears somewhere the mail is being held before delivery. 27/07/2567 18:35International (United States)Final delivery (J D) 27/07/2567 16:58International (United States)Arrival at post office 17/07/2567 12:58International (United States)Perform customs clearance 16/07/2567 12:58International (United States)Arrival at inward office of exchange 16/07/2567 12:37Air carrierThe receptacles delivered to the destination post 16/07/2567 11:09Air carrierThe transport departed from transit airport 13/07/2567 11:40SUVARNABHUMIDeparture From Outward OE 13/07/2567 09:45SUVARNABHUMIArrival at outward office of exchange 12/07/2567 14:59LAK SIIn transit 12/07/2567 10:20SI RACHAIn transit 11/07/2567 20:24SI RACHAItem into sorting center 11/07/2567 18:33PattayaIn transit 11/07/2567 12:29PattayaPosting/Collection

Solar is now installed so we went to the PEA today, no problem at all getting a TOU meter, not sure why my wife was given the run around the first time. The person she dealt with wasn’t around today so maybe that was the problem.

I have used usa2me for 15 years, never a problem.

Just a follow up to changing my DD from Bangkok Bank to a U.S. Credit Assn. I submitted the change to Manila, two weeks later they responded that my bank info has been changed. A day or so later MySSA showed the new bank account as requested (shows only last few digits but enough to verify). So bottom line is to change back to the US it’s best to go through Manila.

This is probably dead on, thanks for the comment.