Skype unlimited to Thailand is changing their pricing

[Andy and Pui 16]

Anybody else get an email from skype today? I think this will effect the people who were grandfathered into their unlimited plan that they had back in 2009. Going from about $5 or $6 a month to $12.99. Just curious if anybody else got the email.

[Mark&Took 1]

Anybody else get an email from skype today? I think this will effect the people who were grandfathered into their unlimited plan that they had back in 2009. Going from about $5 or $6 a month to $12.99. Just curious if anybody else got the email.

I don't use Skype, so I'm not familiar, but we have been using magic jack for the past year. I sent my fiance a magic jack that gives her a U.S. number. I can call that number or she can use it to call me and we talk all we want (as long as the Internet connection is good). I think to buy the device and first year sevice was $30, each year after its $20. She has to have a high speed internet connection for it to work.......which is really only weekday mornings up to about 10am and almost never on weekends. Not sure if that is just her building/area but by late morning or weekends the Internet is basically too busy and useless. I've been wondering how others are connecting with family/friends/loved ones in Thailand. We will need to figure out an economical way for her to talk to her family and friends when she gets here (parent dont have internet or computer).I travel a lot and have my own magic jack as well. I can call her Thai cell number for something like 1-3 cents a minute if I add money to my account. That connection is good and doesn't require her to have Internet.

Hope that helps. Looking forward to hearing what others are doing.

[Pocho 1]

I've been paying $12.99 on Skype for over a year and if you were paying $5-$6 per month, you must have been one of the lucky ones.

[Karee 4,190]

I use Vonage. It's unlimited to Thailand (and alot of other countries) for $24.99 +tax a month. Quality is always good.

[Andy and Pui 16]

I got a month to decide which I will do since Pui is already here. It is for her to call home and talk to family and friends. I got a feeling I will stick with skype because she can call from the computer or her cell phone.

Mark&Took, thanks I always find it interesting how everybody else keeps in contact with their loved ones in Thailand as well.

Pocho, I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I know back in early 2009 I had to purchase $10 and get charged I think .09 to .12 cents a minute and then a few months later I looked and noticed from skype you could get unlimited for $5 or $6 a month so I jumped on that. I noticed in 2010 they changed the price for the unlimited to a higher price but I was still being billed at the same price of $5 or $6 so I figured I must have been grandfathered in.

Karee, thanks that is another option for me to think about.

[Mark&Took 1]

After doing research I think we will use Skype when Took gets here. Although I did see their unlimited international plan is now $13.99/mo. Still a great deal as she can call any land line or mobile. Vonage is $25.99 a month after the first 3 months. Magic jack is cheap but everyone she would call in Thailand would need one AND high speed Internet. Even then many times the connection is not good. With magic jack you can call Thailand land and mobile phones for a per minute fee that would quickly add up to the cost of Skype......or more. Magic jack is most useful if you take it outside the U.S. and use it to call back to the U.S. (no per minute fee).....or call jack to jack free anywhere in the world. There are only a few countries you can call using the magic jack while in the U.S. calling outbound unlimited (no per minute fee).....like Canada, PR, Mexico, and US VI.....maybe a few others but not Thailand.

I'm switching to Skype. I hope this helps.

[ThaitoUSA 15]

We use VOIP Discount. It's about $16 for four months of "unlimited" calls.

You can initiate the call from any internet connected device e.g. computer, iPod, Droid, iPad and either have the service call your phone number from a local number, or use the internet device. So my wife can call home while out using her cellphone, or can sit at home and use her iPad. This service does not require her family to have internet at all, as it will connect to any landline or mobile number.

Quality is not always excellent, but I've never found a service that always was. Generally quality is from alright to very good. On the rare occasion, quality is poor, but it usually seems to be the phone system in Thailand that is the weak link.

I'd been using this service for about a year before my wife came to America and we've been using it nearly three years since. It's another cheap option.