Cost
For a while now Skype has had a monthly plan for calling the US and Canada, but now it took it a step further, by offering UNLIMITED calling to the whole world (or the 34 countries that matter anyway). And the price for this awesome service is only $10 a month (or $3 a month for US and Canada)! $10 a month is 1/3 of what most companies charge for US phone service, let alone world. And for the price of a box of French fries in a Chinese store, you can call all your friends in the US for a whole month.
Do I Have To Use A Computer
When most people think of Skype they think of sitting next to a computer with a headset on. However, it does not have to be that way. If you decide to make Skype your default phone provider, you might as well purchase a USB Phone, Phone adapter, or a Wifi Phone.
The USB Phone is the cheapest answer. It is under $20. You just plug it into your computer, install a little program, and then you can make and receive phone calls as if it was a regular phone.
If you don’t want your computer on all the time though, you can get a phone adapter, available for around $40. It plugs into your existing phone and then into your network connection. You can’t even tell the difference.
If you want to go wireless for as little as $55 dollars from amazon! It works over the 1.8/1.9Ghz band, so it does not interfere with the wifi connection.
Still, there is one more option, a wifi phone. These are more expensive of course, starting from $120 on amazon.
I am sure there are lots of cool deals out there for skype phones. They are getting extremely popular. If anybody finds some good deals, please post them!
Countries
According to the Skype website, the world plan is able to call to 34 countries for free. Below is a complete list (as of April). Many of these countries even include cell phones!
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada (incl. cell phones)
- China (incl. cell phones)
- Chile
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guam
- Hong Kong (incl. cell phones)
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea, Republic of
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Mexico (Mexico City)
- Mexico (Guadalajara)
- Mexico (Monterrey)
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Singapore (incl. cell phones)
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
- United States (incl. cell phones)
The Catch
In my experience, there is no catch for Skype except that unlimited means 10,000 minutes. Then again, the chances of you using 10,000 minutes are slim. That is 7 straight days of talking on the phone. Remember, you have to sleep and work too J!
Another small problem you might have is that you have to have an open Internet connection in order to run Skype. However, since you are reading this article, you already have an Internet Connection. A broadband connection is recommended, although I have seen it work even on dial-up. You can get an broadband connection pretty cheap from Verizon (15 a month). Either way you will be saving. $18 a month for phone and internet, compared to Verizon’s Double Play Deal ($66) is 3.5 times cheaper.
Conclusion
In conclusion, using Skype as your primary phone service is an extremely good deal, which many people are overlooking. You should get it before they raise the price!
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