i have skype credit but cannot make calls

My British pal came through clear and static-free. The application started the phone’s dialer and automatically routed the call to a local number. It isn’t as complicated as it sounds: when using a MyTouch 3G phone, I selected a Skype contact in London. Skype Lite cannot make calls over Wi-Fi or 3G networks, but instead routes calls through a local cellphone number. Without the international calling plan, the fee would have climbed to $27.80.įor those without iPhones or Windows Mobile devices, Skype provides its Skype Lite application.

That same call on AT&T, even if I signed on to its international calling plan (which costs $4 a month), would have cost $8.80. We chatted for 10 minutes, which cost me only $2.40. Similarly, a call I made to a friend’s cellphone in Senegal using Skype Credit was crystal clear in sound and connected in only 15 seconds. (You currently cannot make Skype or other Internet-based calls on the iPhone via AT&T’s 3G network, though that could change soon.) After a simple tap of the call button, I could clearly hear his familiar accent without any noticeable lag or choppiness. Though I could send text-based chat messages to my Skype-using friend in Belgrade over AT&T’s 3G network, I needed to connect the phone to a Wi-Fi network to make a call.

The application for the iPhone and iPod Touch most closely resembles Skype’s familiar desktop program. Skype offers several mobile versions, including Skype for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Skype Lite for Java and Android phones, and Skype for Windows phones. You can also call non-Skype landlines and cellphones using Skype Credit, a fee-based service that charges pennies per minute for international calls. SKYPE FOR MOBILE Like the program for Mac and PCs, Skype Mobile lets you make free calls and send instant messages to fellow Skype users. In my tests of more than six different applications by calling friends in Europe and Africa, these stood out: There are also free calling mobile applications, each with its own layout, feature list and call quality. Applications can dial a local access number as if you were placing a regular call and your call is routed over the Internet at similarly discounted rates. There are calling services that use local phone numbers rather than wireless data connections to place calls, making them compatible with a wide range of devices. But if you don’t have a Wi-Fi-enabled smartphone, you are not out of luck.

I have skype credit but cannot make calls