Power of Technology

Power of Technology



The power of the internet and technology should be utilized to the fullest extent. It is wise while putting together your business plan to set up everything you will need to stay connected in Argentina. Just because you are leaving the United States does not mean you will not need to stay connected to the United States. Odds are you will have clients, business associates, advisors, and friends in the USA that you will need to operate efficiently in Argentina.


Vonage.com

Perhaps one of the most important technological advances for the expat moving to Argentina is the VOIP (voice over IP) phone service. It is amazing technology that allows you to make/receive unlimited calls to/from the USA for a flat $25 per month fee. You can go to Vonage to sign up for the service. Email us before you sign up if you would like to receive one month free. After you sign up, you will receive a small box that you simply plug into a high-speed Internet connection here in Argentina (or anywhere in the world).

As long as you have a high-speed connection you can plug in your IP phone and you can make and receive calls unlimitedly to the USA and Canada. Service is quite good as long as you have a good connection. You can sign up with the area code of your choice so you can get a number from any USA city. You can also sign up to receive a toll-free number (for an added fee) if you have many clients in the USA.


eFax.com

Email is powerful but there will probably always be a need for faxes. eFax is an amazing service that allows you to set up a USA fax number in the area code of your choice. Faxes received at this number are automatically sent to you via email to you in Argentina, or wherever you are traveling. You select an email address you want the fax delivered to. You can receive faxes from anywhere in the world you are traveling to.

Not only can you receive faxes via email but you can also send faxes via email or online via their website with your efax number and PIN number. Efax will convert your document to a fax and they will email you a confirmation so you know the fax was sent. It is amazing technology that should be utilized. Service is very affordable at $13 per month.


Paperless PO Box.com

Paperless PO Box is a great service that allows you to have a USA address even though you are living in Argentina. This company gives you a PO Box address in the USA. All of your mail is scanned by a computer and then they email you a copy of what they scan. Keep in mind that if you need a physical copy of the mail or it is an important document, you may want to have that mail sent to a family member or friend in the States. The US Postal service will forward all mail to you to Argentina free for a one year period although the mail service here in Argentina is not too reliable.

This service is wonderful for most documents that you don't need the original document. In this day and age of the internet, there are very few documents where you need the original copy. All the scanning of the physical mail is all automated by machines so there is never an actual person reading your mail. If you do need a particular document, their company can overnight you the document. The original mail is preserved for 90 days and then automatically destroyed if you do not request it. It is affordable at $30 per month.


PayTrust.com

PayTrust enables you to send payments to anyone in the USA. Even though you are living thousands of miles away in Argentina, odds are you will still have bills in the United States. Taxes, professional services fees to attorneys/accountants/advisors, credit cards, etc. are a part of most expat's lives no matter where they are living. We all have bills in the USA and this company allows you to pay these bills with no hassles effortlessly.

You get a user name and password and log in to your account. You can see your account balance from your bank and send payments to anyone in the USA. This is far different than online bill paying with your bank. You actually get a PO Box address that you can send your bills to. All bills are scanned and you can see these bills online. Paytrust allows you to even pay property taxes online which is not possible with traditional online banking. The cost is reasonable at $13 per month.