njc1982

Hi,

Can anyone advise if it is possible to open a SKYPE account in Canada, or recommend the best phone package for making calls back to the UK?

Thanks in advance for any advice

Atlantic Xpat

Erm, yes it is possible to get a Skype account in Canada. It's also possible to buy skype credit for calls to landlines and obtain a Skype in number if so desired.

njc1982

Apologies for what prob seems like silly questions, but having never used Skype before, is it better to set up in an account in UK before I leave, or can I open one when In canada?

Any step-by-step guide to using Skype would be much appreciated!!

Thanks,
Nina

dbd33

Depending on location it might not be a viable option. I have a, er, frequent visitor who's a SKYPE user. She finds it just about unusable due to the speed and quality of the internet connection.

zednought

A Skype account is global, so it doesn't really matter where you initiate it from. I originally opened mine in the UK but I now use the same account from Canada. I just changed my account settings to bill me in CAD rather than GBP. Easy peasy.

Just start with the free (basic) account and add paid-for features as you need them.

chanceUK

Nina,

i have a skype account in the UK and have used it in multiple countries (including canada quite frequently). It works well without problems even on a fairly slow internet connection.

dont worry, its all very straightforward - more like an email account than setting up a real phone

paolosmythe

skype video feeds rawk

i dunno if we still use the account initiated in the UK or whether we started a new one in Canada (frankly who cares, the cost is the same?) but all is perfect.

we use it on the regular to communicate with people in the UK, Italia, Malaysia, across Canada.........

swoops

Skype!....best thing ever..when peeps want a house tour with the laptop

paolosmythe

hey! you stole our idea!

Zoe Bell

We use skype ( with skype in number) as our only landline , it works well for us but I'm going to repeat Dbd's caveat, if your internet connection is bad then its going to be worse than useless for you.

minimeeze

Yep, you can open a Skype accout from wherever you are in the world. Just had my Skype account hacked though so be careful.... I got up in the morning to two emails from Skype informing that I had topped my account up TWICE for phonecalls made to Taiwan Thankfully I had the money refunded by Paypal.

ninaDGBCA

Have you thought about vonage?

http://vonage.ca/calling-plans/

SambaDeAmigo

I still use my old UK account, I use Quidco to get 25% off

Chivers52

How about magicjack, it only does phone calls (no video) 1st year is about $50 after that $20 each year for the licence all call are then free. Send it to to whoever in the UK they register for a Canadian number then all calls to Canada become local.

Stormthirst

I've found that setting things up when you're still in England is *so* much easier when you use Skype. You can't dial the 1-888 or 1-800 numbers from England, but you can do it through Skype. So we've just set up power, and internet/telephone/TV (through Eastlink) from England before we get out there. On Monday we've only got to sort out water and we're good to go!