Free text messaging?

[Anthony2816]

Is there a way to send/receive text messages on my Fascinate using my own cell phone number, without getting charged by Verizon?

I want other people to be able to initiate text conversations with me, without me having to give them a different phone number or app.

 

[JediSamReye]

Your best hope is a google voice number and if you have a month to month with verizon you should also be able to port your number over to it and its free and you can get texts

 

[Anthony2816]

Thanks for the reply, but can you walk me through this process a bit? This is all new to me...

How do I port my Verizon number to my Google Voice number? And is that going to affect my voice calls?

And how does this help me avoid text charges from Verizon?