anyone use Skype??

[hulkster]

im currently paying around $23 a month for vonage to have a land line phone.  i really dont use it all that much, but i like to have a backup in case my cell phone is dead.  ive been reading up on skype and skype pro but am unsure of the "gotchas" if there are any.  like, with vonage, if my internet connection goes down or my power goes out, all calls are forwarded to my cell phone....which is nice in case of an emergency or whatever.  the land line phone isnt used all that much, so im just looking for a way to save money monthly since im not using my land line all that much. 

so does anyone use skype or skype pro?  pros/cons? 

[ChadTower]

Vonage isn't a landline phone, it's a VOIP phone, and probably the least reliable type of phone service out there in terms of failure points.

[hulkster]

Vonage isn't a landline phone, it's a VOIP phone, and probably the least reliable type of phone service out there in terms of failure points.

well yeah....i didnt get my wording right.  i meant, handset phone, not land line.  sorry.  as for reliability....ive never had a problem with vonage, its been great actually.  the only thing that sucks is that i dont use it very much at all, and am paying $23 a month.  hence the reason for the question.

[Justin Z]

My wife, who is from Belgium, and likes to talk to her family rather than just using e-mail and chat, swears by Skype.  You just dial a number and that phone rings.  She uses a headset to talk.

I think it's a great alternative to Vonage because of what you said -- the monthly fee aspect.  With Skype she just buys say $20 worth of call time and then when she's close to using it up she buys more.  Plus I think the cost to call Belgium is like 2½¢ / minute.  To the U.S. is even less I'm sure.

[ChadTower]

A lot of people have a cell only now.  If you're concerned about a dead battery, buy a couple of backups and keep them charged.

[hulkster]

A lot of people have a cell only now.  If you're concerned about a dead battery, buy a couple of backups and keep them charged.

yeah, i mean ive got a cell phone, as does my wife....and we use those for the most part.  maybe its just part of me that cant let go of a physical phone.  i dunno.

[ChadTower]

I can understand that.  I have a true landline and keep a hardwired/noncordless on the wall by my electrical panel so that I still have a phone if everything else goes out.

[patrickl]

My GF uses Skype a lot. We bought one of those Skype phones. She mostly calls Skype users and then it's free. She also uses SkypeOut and their rates are reasonable. I sometimes use SkypeOut myself to call clients in foreign countries.

You could simply install Skype and wait. If you ever need it you can start it and easily put some money into the SkypeOut account. Or just add some cash to it once. Not sure how long the account stays good though. Could be that if you don't use it you lose the remaining account. Still it's going to be a lot cheaper than a monthly fee.

They also have SkypeIn (if you want to enable being called on your computer from a landline/cell phone), but I have never used that.

[hulkster]

what about call forwarding?  like, one of the features that i like about vonage is that if it goes out, it defaults to your cell phone or whatever number you tell it to default to.  a good failsafe. 

and im guessing since its a pc thing, i have to leave my speakers on all the time in order to hear if someone is calling?

[patrickl]

what about call forwarding?  like, one of the features that i like about vonage is that if it goes out, it defaults to your cell phone or whatever number you tell it to default to.  a good failsafe. 

Like I said, I have no experience with SkypeIn (or Skype pro), but the Skype site says that you can use call forwarding yes.

and im guessing since its a pc thing, i have to leave my speakers on all the time in order to hear if someone is calling?

When you buy a standalone Skype phone you don't need a computer. They tend to be a bit expensive though. A phone (cordless or with cord) connected to your computer is cheaper and you don't need your speakers. The cheapest option is just using your computer, but yes then you need to keep the computer on and the speakers too.

[hulkster]

what about call forwarding?  like, one of the features that i like about vonage is that if it goes out, it defaults to your cell phone or whatever number you tell it to default to.  a good failsafe. 

Like I said, I have no experience with SkypeIn (or Skype pro), but the Skype site says that you can use call forwarding yes.

and im guessing since its a pc thing, i have to leave my speakers on all the time in order to hear if someone is calling?

When you buy a standalone Skype phone you don't need a computer. They tend to be a bit expensive though. A phone (cordless or with cord) connected to your computer is cheaper and you don't need your speakers. The cheapest option is just using your computer, but yes then you need to keep the computer on and the speakers too.

ah, so you can connect the phone to your pc directly.  makes sense.  thanks.

[patrickl]

Looks like SkypeIn (landline number) is pretty expensive 15 euro a month or 50 euro per year

Skype: Your personal online number (SkypeIn)

Skype pro is a cheaper option then:
Skype pro ($3 per month)

[patrickl]

ah, so you can connect the phone to your pc directly.  makes sense.  thanks.

Well it depends. There are phones with a WiFi network adapter on board. They don't need a PC. The cheaper models connect directly to the computer (actually with a wire to the USB port) or use a wireless transmitter (Dect?) connected to the computer.

BTW The WiFi Skype phones look expensive, but if you don't normally have your computer on and for Skype you do then you waste a lot of electricity and money. Powering a computer 24/7 costs a lot of money.

[Donkey_Kong]

Been using skype Pro with Skype In. The whole thing cost about $12 per month and it works great.

[hulkster]

Been using skype Pro with Skype In. The whole thing cost about $12 per month and it works great.

$12 a month??  the ad on the site says $3 a month for skype pro.  speaking of which....im really confused as to what i get with skype pro.  is it a better option to do skype credit, or to do skype pro?  it seems like with skype pro you get all the features for $3 a month....but with skype credit, i only pay for what i use or something....im confused. 

[patrickl]

Skype pro only gives a 60% (up to 60% to be exact) discount on SkypeIn. It's not entirely free. Still $12 sounds high (was thinking more like $9 or $5).

[hulkster]

Skype pro only gives a 60% (up to 60% to be exact) discount on SkypeIn. It's not entirely free. Still $12 sounds high (was thinking more like $9 or $5).

okay, so i saw that when you get skype pro, they give you credits.  im just confused as to what im exactly paying for.  do i pay for an alloted amount of minutes that i get? 

[hulkster]

alright, i dont know if im just completely retarded or if this skype pro/skype in thing is as complicated as it sounds.  im thinking its the former rather than the latter.

i emailed customer service at skype asking them my question, and the response i got was basically just a copy and paste from their website.  heres the part in the email that i was confused about (talking about the benefits of skype pro):

"Plus some extra benefits:

•  $5 Skype credit if you purchase Skype Pro for 5 months
•  $12 Skype credit if you purchase Skype Pro for 12 months
•  1 Skype To Go number
•  $30 discount on your SkypeIn number purchase
•  Free Skype Voicemail as long as your Skype Pro subscription is active"

k, i know i get free voicemail and access to this and that.  but what the heck am i paying $3 a month for....if im still having to pay for credit?  why do i pay $3 a month, and then still have to rely on the $12 credit?  what is it used for?  and what the heck is the $30 discount on skypein for???  is skypein an extra feature that i have to have in order receive calls or something?

[patrickl]

I guess you pay the monthly fee for those extra's and for the free outgoing calls within the US. Just the $30 discount on the SkypeIn number basically covers the $3 per month SkypePro price.

The SkypeIn number you need so people can call you. For incoming calls. Look for SkypeIn on their website. I gave a link before, but it automatically sends me to the european version (at least I get prices in euro's)

SkypeOut is for outgoing calls. SkypePro allows you to make outgoing calls for free inside the US so I doubt you actually need SkypeOut credit. If you want to call people abroad you would need it though.

[hulkster]

alright i think i get it now.  skype in is for calls to you, skype out is for calls to other people.  skype pro gives you unlimited calls out, but doesnt cover calls in at all....which doesnt really make much sense.  so in order to FULLY replace my vonage, i had to buy:

skype pro
skypeIn

seems like to me it would just be easier to give the option for a la carte, but then make skype pro include all services.  anyway, i got skype pro with skype in now....we'll see how it goes.

[Donkey_Kong]

alright i think i get it now.  skype in is for calls to you, skype out is for calls to other people.  skype pro gives you unlimited calls out, but doesnt cover calls in at all....which doesnt really make much sense.  so in order to FULLY replace my vonage, i had to buy:

skype pro
skypeIn

seems like to me it would just be easier to give the option for a la carte, but then make skype pro include all services.  anyway, i got skype pro with skype in now....we'll see how it goes.

So what did it cost then? I believe I just averaged it out to around $12 per month for SkypePro and Skype in, because it depends how much you pay in advance.

Still very happy with skype, we've been using it for about 3-4 months now.

[hulkster]

alright i think i get it now.  skype in is for calls to you, skype out is for calls to other people.  skype pro gives you unlimited calls out, but doesnt cover calls in at all....which doesnt really make much sense.  so in order to FULLY replace my vonage, i had to buy:

skype pro
skypeIn

seems like to me it would just be easier to give the option for a la carte, but then make skype pro include all services.  anyway, i got skype pro with skype in now....we'll see how it goes.

So what did it cost then? I believe I just averaged it out to around $12 per month for SkypePro and Skype in, because it depends how much you pay in advance.

Still very happy with skype, we've been using it for about 3-4 months now.

$12 a month??  is that like including tax or something and extra charges?  i paid $24 for a year of skype IN, and i bought 5 months of skype pro for $15.  this is all up front.  so if all in total, my charges for a year will be $36 + $24 = $60 for an entire year of skype.  thats like $5 a month.  where do you get $12. 

[patrickl]

Maybe a lot of SkypeOut credits?

Do you need to pay for SkypeIn minutes? Or just for the SkypeIn number?

It's annoying how difficult they can make these things. It's almost like they are saying, "just order and you will see how much it will cost and what you will get".

[hulkster]

Maybe a lot of SkypeOut credits?

Do you need to pay for SkypeIn minutes? Or just for the SkypeIn number?

It's annoying how difficult they can make these things. It's almost like they are saying, "just order and you will see how much it will cost and what you will get".

yeah no kidding!!

i got some free credits with my pro subscription, but if i have unlimited calls....what do i need credits for?  text messaging?? 

i dont think i pay for skypein minutes, i think i just pay for the number. 

[patrickl]

Maybe a lot of SkypeOut credits?

Do you need to pay for SkypeIn minutes? Or just for the SkypeIn number?

It's annoying how difficult they can make these things. It's almost like they are saying, "just order and you will see how much it will cost and what you will get".

...
i got some free credits with my pro subscription, but if i have unlimited calls....what do i need credits for?  text messaging?? 
...

No I was wondering about the difference between your $5 and DK's $12. Maybe he uses SkypeOut a lot.

[Donkey_Kong]

I had skype In before I had skype pro and that was $6 per month plus .02 per minute. (hence the $12 per month I guess)

Then I went Skype pro @ $15 for 5 months, or $3 per month.
When I re-upped my Skype In I only paid 3 months for $12, or $4 per month.
So I'm at $7 per month currently.
Had I paid 12 months of skype In I would be at only $5 per month for the whole shabang. Awesome deal and highly recomended if you are looking for some cheap high quality Internet phone service. Also, you can get the skype cell phones and use them over any wifi. You can do this with a PSP as well!