Hello, We're deciding which way to go for making calls to the US and UK from France. We'll be traveling for about 6 weeks and we're trying to keep expenses like this down to a minimum! We're leaning toward Skype. Can you give pro and cons? we'd be using it only in wifi hotspots on our smartphone and tablet. Just want to make sure this will be sufficient before we put money into a skype account. Thanks a bunch:)
Kelly
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Not sure what you mean by whether or not "this will be sufficient". Skype works fine most of the time, sometimes not, depending on how good your signal is. I recently got back from Spain, and found wifi all over the place, including all of my hotels (even the $28/night ones). I used a free texting over wifi app on my smartphone, but I didn't use Skype. (Because of the time difference, it's hard to find a good time to call home, so email and texting were easier.) You don't need to put much money into an account, though - just put the minimum and add to it if you need to.
Posted by
Baton Rouge, LA, United States
56 posts
Pro: It's free if you Skype to Skype, so if your people back home have a smartphone, iPad, computer, etc. they can use for the call, it won't cost you anything. To call from the wifi on your trip to a land line or cell phone (in the US) will cost you 2.3 cents/minute if you pay as you go, and it's cheaper than that if you get a subscription. Con: I occasionally get a dropped signal, but I blame my internet connection for that. :) A little bit of inconvenience is worth free phone calls.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32912 posts
Skype works the same wherever you are - it doesn't care. It depends on 2 things - your device and the quality of the wifi signal. Skype to Skype calls are free - why don't you try it before you leave. You don't need to buy a plan. I just put in €10 when I get low but calling phones in the US, Germany, France, Switzerland and the UK whenever I'm in Europe or away from home in the UK and €10 lasts a really long time. I use a netbook which lets me down a bit with Skype - plenty acceptable calls but not fabulous. Its more difficult for video calls because the Atom has trouble keeping up.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
We used Skype with an Ipod during our last trip. It works well anywhere you have a decent signal. For calling home, just dial the area code and number. For calling European phone numbers you have to dial the international access and country code as if you're dialing from the states. I did take an earbud set with a microphone. I liked using that when there was background noise more than the built in speakers/microphone.
Posted by
Tuscaloosa, AL
1152 posts
Just be forewarned: Skype has almost no customer service. Any help you get comes from the Internet. So don't invest a bundle before using.
Posted by
OP
Boca Raton, Florida, USA
6 posts
Thanks everyone. I'm going to put some money in it and give it a try!
Posted by
Santa Barbara, CA, United States
23 posts
We just used Skype about 8-10 times on our 2 week trip through Germany and Switzerland. We were using our Skype iphone app (connected to wifi) and our family would either use Skype on their iphone or on a computer. We had clear conversations except for one that was a little broken up in Gimmelwald which seemed understandable! Most of the calls were incredibly clear and the video worked very well. It was fun to show our family the view out of our room!