Study Abroad and Phone Service

nauru
Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:07:25 +0000

Calling a European mobile phone from the US will cost you a fortune. Phone cards are a huge ripoff too, and too much hassle IMO.

I’ve lived abroad for 3 years and personally used Skype the whole time. It hasn’t really caught on in the US yet, but nearly all young people in Europe (and older ones who keep up with technology) use it. All calls anywhere in Western Europe, US and Canada are 2 cents a minute; that’s anytime, any day of the week. No connection fees, membership fees, no contracts, no bureaucracy, no hidden fees, no going to a shop, and no dealing with the horror of modern telephone companies. An added bonus is that if your billing address is outside the European Union, your purchase is tax free.

European mobile phones cost more to call, but it’s better if your kid just calls you using Skype. Calling North American mobile phones is 2 cents a minute just like land lines. For those families with excess cash on hand that they want to spend on unnecessary extras, Skype offers those for you as well. The website offers an array of fashionable handsets, accessories, services and other miscellaneous items on which money can be spent, if you’re into that sort of thing. However the main draw is dirt cheap calling overseas.