Yes. Skype credit is Skype credit. It doesn't matter where you call to or from on it, provided you have enough.

Yes, my daughter used it fairly regularly while she was in Paris.

dave

OK -- Thanks. Is there a way to send through Skype the code my answering machine needs to retrieve my messages from my US landline while I am in France?

If you have a netbook or laptop: when you use Skype, you can switch to a "phone keypad" tab that has a phone keypad where you can press numbers to get touchtone sounds as you normally would from a payphone, say, to enter the code to listen to your answering machine messages.

FYI, you an also get a Skype phone number in your own area code to receive incoming calls - for only $18 for three months (outgoing calls are separate). So someone in your town could make a "local" call to your Skype number and it would "ring" on your computer whether you are in the US or in France - costs the caller the same. Further, you could even do what I do: forward calls from my cell phone to my Skype numbers. So if people call my cell phone while I'm in Europe, it "rings" on Skype on my netbook if I'm logged in, or calls go to my Skype voicemail (which is free if you get a Skype phone number). Maybe you could forward your landline calls to Skype as well that way - then "listen" to your voicemail via Skype from the computer instead of needing to call the answering machine back home and listen to them.

Thanks for all the helpful info. When I call a US landline from France on Skype do I just enter the area code and phone number without the country codes?

You can do it two ways. You can set them up as a Contact, and when asked for the details it lists all of the countries (little flag icons next to them). You click on the desired country, then enter the phone number as though you were just going to dial it. From then on, the contact is listed on your primary contact page. Now, something I do, say if who I want to contact also has a Skype acct. I'll set up 2 contact entries for them. One I'll title something like "Bob Smith" for the Skype to Skype call, another "Bob Smith Home" for the phone contact.

The other way is the direct dial method using the CALL NUMBER option. When the keypad appears, at the top you will see a flag. Click on the flag, that brings up all of the countries. Choose the country, then dial in the number. Skype does the country code access for you.

As to Andrew's suggestion, I have the Skype-In option, simply so that people don't have to go through figuring out how to dial a different country's access code. With Skype-In, say if you are in the States, people just dial your Skype number as though they were calling you normally. If you aren't around, the call goes to voice mail. I will also do this to forward calls from Skype to my European cell phone. With that, they call the U.S. Skype number, it then rings my cell phone, if I don't pick up, back to Skype Voice Mail.

dave

montereybob. You don't just have to call landlines. You can call cell phones also. I think it costs a little more, though. My daughter doesn't have a landline so I have to call her on her cell phone.

Thanks for the helpful tips.

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montereybob, when you call with Skype, it doesn't matter where you and your computer are located. Skype bases the cost on where your Skype ACCOUNT originates. When you register, you indicate you are American (or French, or whatever). It knows you have an "American" account. So if you call someone in New York, the cost to call them with Skype is the same whether you are in New York or California or France or China - from YOUR account.

The downside of this policy is that if you call France while you IN France, it costs more for you to call than it costs a French resident with a Skype account - even if you are sitting next to each other. It costs you the same with Skype to call someone in Paris whether you are IN Paris or in the US.

Sher,

Sorry to sound ignorant but how do you call a cell phone line using Skype?
My daughter is in Paris and we have been using the traditional Skype video thing when she is in her apartment, but I would love to know how to call her cell phone when she is about.

She has a French cell phone that she is using and an american AT & T phone as well. I could call either one.

I have been using my Magic Jack from the computer to call and that is running about .16 cents a minute.

Is Skype better?

Thanks!

Bethyk, you call a cell phone with Skype the same way you call a landline with Skype. It will just cost you a bit more per minute to call the cell phone. That's common in Europe - I think it has something to do with the fact that most European cell phone plans offer free incoming calls.

To call any phone with Skype, you will need to buy some Skype credit at $10 increments (or perhaps sign up for a calling plan). Looks like the rates to call France from the US are these as of now:

http://www.skype.com/intl/en/prices/payg-rates/?currency=USD#cc=FR

and if that's correct, 24 cents USD per minute to call a French cell phone. I guess I'd stick with Magic Jack then!

You might try Google Voice for cheap international calling as well.

Looks like 15 cents per minute to call a French cell phone with Google Voice...

bethyk. Is your daughter using her US mobile number on a GSM ATT phone while in France?
If yes, then I don't see why you would have to pay any more for that call than if you called her on that number while you were in the next city using your Skype account. Of course, she would use minutes.
But I don't know.
Anyone?

I can't imagine anyone living in Europe for more than vacation would use a US cell phone there when the costs per minute are so astronomical. Yes, I assumed her daughter has a French cell phone.

Andrew. I cannot either but she said her daughter has two phones with her and one could have a US number.

Andrew and Sher,

Thanks for the input on the phone calling.

Yes, my daughter has TWO phones.
She has a french cell phone as do her other friends who are studying in Paris. Any calls received on that phone are free. They can call each other for free also.
BUT, if she goes out of France, calling on that phone becomes very expensive due to the roaming charges. We learned that from her friends that made that mistake last year.

SO, she also has an AT & T GSM phone with a U.S. phone number. She can use that when she is roaming out of France at $1.29 a minute and .50 for text messages. Not cheap, but ok for quick calls to connect with friends or home.

I can text my daughter for free to her AT & T GSM phone. It costs me nothing (well we have an unlimited text plan) and costs her nothing. But if she texts me, it's .50 cents a text.
I THINK, but now I'm going to double check, she also gets charged $1.29 per minute to RECEIVE a phone call on that phone. So, if I call her from skype on that phone, it will cost us a bunch.

That's why I have been calling her on Magic Jack at .16 cents a minute to her french cell phone. Costs her nothing on that end.

I'll check with AT & T on the receiving costs per minute and post again because I know that phone calling while in France is a big topic.

Ok, I just called AT & T.
If my daughter receives any phone call on her AT & T GSM phone while she is roaming, it costs the same as placing a phone call from that phone.
Sending OR receiving is $1.29 a minute.

I wish I could use Skype to call that phone. It would save some $$.

We have mostly been using the traditional Skype with video and so far it's worked great.

Thanks for the input!

You CAN use Skype to call her US AT&T phone while she's in France. It's a US phone number right? Costs you about 3 cents a minute but costs her $1.29/minute. If she's out of France, that's probably cheaper than calling her on her French phone right?

Yes Andrew. You are correct.
Calling her French phone when she is outside of France is not a good idea.

Calling her AT & T phone will be cheaper. Exactly. It is a U.S. number.

Actually, I can just call from our home land line and it costs me nothing and her $1.29 a minute.

What am I saying...It ALL costs ME. She's not paying for any of it!

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