What is Skype To Go? With Skype To Go, use any phone to easily make cheap long distance phone calls (at Skype’s low calling rates) by dialling a personalized local number. No software or apps are required; just use any landline or mobile phone.
To use Skype To Go, assign a unique local Skype To Go number to each of your frequently called long distance contacts’ phone numbers. Dial the local Skype To Go number to directly reach your friends, family or contacts, anytime from any phone.
Skype To Go is free to use. It is included with a Skype subscription (pay monthly) and with Skype Credit (pay per minute). Keep reading for more on Skype To Go, including why you should use it, how to set it up, how to use it, and the costs.
Why Use “Skype To Go” For Long Distance Phone Calls?
Skype To Go is a simple, convenient, and cheap option to make long distance calls from your mobile phone or landline. It allows you to:
- Save Money: Get the benefits of Skype’s low calling rates when using your mobile phone or landline to make long distance calls. Avoid high international call charges from your long distance provider or phone company. Save more with a Skype subscription, with no connection fees and cheaper rates. For example,
- Calls to the United States using Skype Credit cost 2.3 cents/min.
- Calls to the United States using a 400 minute subscription cost 1.2 cents/min.
- Calls to the United States using an Unlimited subscription cost $6.99/month for unlimited calls. Save 15% on all 12-month Unlimited subscriptions.
- Avoid Calling Cards: Simplify making long distance calls by only needing to dial a local number to reach long distance contacts. You won’t need to enter as many digits along with a password before your call is connected.
- Call From Anywhere, Any Phone: Make long distance calls at Skype’s calling rates, without the need to be at your computer. Use any mobile phone or landline.
- Call Without Data Charges: Skype To Go does not require any data connection, and does not cost you any network data fees. The Skype mobile app on your mobile phone (iPhone, Android) requires a Wi-Fi network connection or a data connection from your phone service provider (ie. 2G, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, HSUPA).
- Avoid Paying Extra For Long Distance: If you already have a Skype subscription or use Skype Credit, then if you use Skype To Go when calling from a phone, you can avoid paying another service for those long distance calls when you’re away from your computer.
With Skype To Go, get the benefits of Skype when away from your computer. Use any phone to easily make a local call to reach a long distance number, while paying Skype long distance rates that are charged to your Skype account (subscription or credit).
For example, you live in New York and your friend lives in London, England. With Skype To Go, use your phone to call her in London by dialling the local (New York) Skype To Go number you’ve set up. The long distance charges will be at Skype’s low calling rates.
Skype’s overview of Skype To Go:
Make low-cost international calls from any phone
No computer required – call from any mobile or landline
Great savings – get the same low Skype rates you pay now
Easy to use – dial a local number to connect
How To Setup and Use Skype To Go
Setup Skype To Go to save on long distance calling from your mobile phone or landline:
- Sign up for a Skype subscription or purchase Skype Credit.
- In your web browser, sign in to your Skype account, then select “Skype To Go Number”.
- Select the country you are calling from. If you are in one of these countries, you can get a local Skype To Go number in the same country:
Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom, USA
- Add a contact: Enter your contact’s name, your contact’s country, and your contact’s phone number (ie. a long distance number).
- Register phone: Enter your country, your location, and your phone number (mobile or landline), to register the phone that you will normally make calls from (ie. your registered phone). Create and confirm a 4-digit PIN that you will use when calling from any other phone (ie. unregistered phones).
- When you have completed the setup, Skype will provide you with a unique and local Skype To Go number, for calling your contact from your phone. Create a total of up to nine different Skype To Go numbers for your international contacts, friends or family.
Use Skype To Go from any mobile phone or landline:
- Call from a registered phone: From your registered phone, directly call a long distance contact by dialling their local Skype To Go number.
- Call from an unregistered phone: From any phone, directly call a long distance contact by dialling their local Skype To Go number. Enter your 4-digit PIN for Skype To Go to connect the call.
Note: Skype To Go cannot be used to call China, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, or Vietnam. You can still use Skype on your computer or Skype mobile apps to call these countries.
How Much Does Skype To Go Cost?
As mentioned, Skype To Go numbers are free to setup with a Skype subscription or Skype Credit. The cost for calling a Skype To Go number comes from two parts:
- Local Call Cost: Your calling plan likely includes the cost of local calls at no extra charge. Some phone plans may charge you per call or per minute.
- Skype Call Cost: Skype call charges are equal to the cost when using your computer to make a Skype-to-phone call to the same long distance number.
There are no data charges when making a call to a Skype To Go number.
Just as when you use Skype from your computer, there is a call connection fee if you use Skype Credit. There is no call connection fee if you have a Skype subscription. Skype subscriptions provide you with varying amounts of talking time per month, depending on your level of use: 60 Minutes, 120 Minutes, 400 Minutes, or Unlimited.
In other words, this is what a call costs, from Skype:
Calls via a Skype To Go number to phones abroad are made up of two charges:
Operator: Your operator will charge you for a local call to your Skype To Go number. This may be included as part of your operator’s calling plan.
To start saving on international calls, you need to buy a little Skype Credit first.
Skype: Skype will charge you the same low rate as if you were calling a phone using Skype on your computer.
The Cheapest Way To Use Skype To Go
If you plan to use Skype To Go regularly for long distance calls to mainly one country, with occasional calls to other countries, then get the most value from Skype and avoid extra costs by combining a suitable subscription with a small amount of credit.
- Subscription: No connection fees. Cheaper calling rates. Can make unlimited calls. Get more than one if you like.
- Credit: Call multiple countries. Call countries not covered by your subscription(s). Only pay if you make a call; unused credit does not expire until after 180 days from your last Skype call or text message (SMS message). Continue to make calls with Skype Credit, even if you reach your subscription’s monthly minute limit.
Skype To Go is included with both, but which subscription and/or how much credit to get depends on your calling habits.
Related Information
» Comparison: Skype Monthly Subscriptions or Pay As You Go with Credit
» Can I continue to make calls when I reach my monthly limit of minutes?