I was wondering what would be the best way to save my american phone number without having to pay for a regular cellphone plan. I have moved to Israel for a indefinite period, and I would like to have the same number if/when I move back. What is the cheapest way to reserve my number? I have Sprint service but I am not under contract. Sprint offers to put the line in vacation mode for $8 a month, is there a cheaper way? One possibility is to port my number to a prepaid cellphone service called STI mobile, they offer service without a expiration for the minutes added to the account and porting is also free. Their phones can be had for as little as $15 on eBay (used, but what do I care since I won't be using it) including shipping and you will need to buy a minimum of $10 refill card. Some sites report that the phone does need to be used once every sixty days to keep it active. Another option is to port the number to a pay as you go VOIP service or something like SkypeIn or GizmoIn. These services seem to cost a minimum of of at leat $3 a month. Some of these services don't even offer porting while others charge. I also suspect that these VOIP providers would take a very long time to port the number. Compared to STI mobile this option can be cheaper if you will need it less then one year. What are your comments, do you now of another option or something cheaper?