Skype alternative.

[harryopal1]

I am ready to try Zadarma but sorry I have a question, when I was using Skype I used to buy credit 10 euros and I could call any country, now I am checking Zadarma and is asking me to call to where, the country and I wonder if the credit is only for one country? terimakasi

Once you buy credit you can call any country and you are paying at the rate of a local call in the country you are calling. You put the country code at the start of the number you are calling.

 

[gemima]

I am ready to try Zadarma but sorry I have a question, when I was using Skype I used to buy credit 10 euros and I could call any country, now I am checking Zadarma and is asking me to call to where, the country and I wonder if the credit is only for one country? terimakasi

i can call any country with my Zadarma credit

 

[Jaime C]

How much do you pay for this per month if you don't mind me asking? I need something like that for acct verification stuff. I used to have a T-mobile number a long time ago that I only had to pay whatever (20 bucks) per year to buy the airtime...downside was it can only do text (at that time) and all, no wifi. But one year I forgot to pay and T-mobile canceled and recycled that number...

So far I've tried MS Teams...not working at all.

Well, it’s an add on line to a business group. Costs me about $25 a month. Includes a little data, can get free “slow” data after I hit my cap. No extra costs to get texts from US. It does have some sort of international plan that is part of the business line.

I did try to use a Mint phone for the same thing, and I thought it would work (since it’s also Tmobile), but they wanted extra fees per text received, etc.

MS teams is hit or miss. Mostly no notifications when a text comes in, so you’ve got to check frequently.

 

[Saudade]

I tried for the first time Zadarma yesterday to call my mother in Europe and it was a bad experience, I had to call her four times because each time the call was cut every one minute, and it was around 3 euros, with 3 euros I could be hours and hours using skype or calling a whole month every week, skype was increible cheap and always good and easy! skype it was a bargain to be honest.
Beside I sent Zadarma a sms on the chat box to tell them about the cuts and nobody reply yet. Maybe I didn´t set up properly? no idea because I have no much idea how these things works. Sometimes I feel too tired to have to learning new things all the time!

 

[harryopal1]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I understand your feeling weary about having to learn new things all the times as systems change and set ups tend to be complicated. But don't give up. Try the chat box again.

 

[jstar]

I’ve been using Yolla for years to make phone calls outside of WA and it works perfectly. It has been cheaper than Skype.

 

[john madden]

Welcome back jstar. Voice of reason and source of reliable advice.

 

[harryopal1]

Using Zadarma. I just made a 43 minute call to a friend in Melbourne which cost $1.70

 

[gemima]

Using Zadarma. I just made a 43 minute call to a friend in Melbourne which cost $1.70

Yes - I topped up with 10 euro 6 weeks ago and I call my mother (in europe - a landline) for about 30 to 40 mins each week. I still have more than 9 euro credit on my account. I find it incredibly cheap.
If you are calling to a mobile phone its possibly more expensive BUT if you are calling a mobile you should use whatsapp or a similar app that is FREE anyway.

 

[jstar]

Using Zadarma. I just made a 43 minute call to a friend in Melbourne which cost $1.70

Mobile or landline?

 

[harryopal1]

Mobile or landline?

View attachment 4862

My friend doesn't have the internet. I called his mobile phone using my laptop.

 

[Saudade]

Yes - I topped up with 10 euro 6 weeks ago and I call my mother (in europe - a landline) for about 30 to 40 mins each week. I still have more than 9 euro credit on my account. I find it incredibly cheap.
If you are calling to a mobile phone its possibly more expensive BUT if you are calling a mobile you should use whatsapp or a similar app that is FREE anyway.

I must be something wrong, because I used it to call my mother the other day and lest than 4 minutes, four times the call was cut, one minute each call and spend 3 euros, I only bough 5 euros because I wanted to test first and 3 euros gone for 4 minutes, uhhhh I need to check again and learning what I am doing wrong maybe!
Gemina, do you give them your phone indonesian number isn´t it? I remember in skype I think they never ask about that.

 

[harryopal1]

I must be something wrong, because I used it to call my mother the other day and lest than 4 minutes, four times the call was cut, one minute each call and spend 3 euros, I only bough 5 euros because I wanted to test first and 3 euros gone for 4 minutes, uhhhh I need to check again and learning what I am doing wrong maybe!
Gemina, do you give them your phone indonesian number isn´t it? I remember in skype I think they never ask about that.

Try the chatbox again. If you connect with a Zadarma person, hopefully they can sort this out for you. Still, it must be vexing for you having had assurances that it is a good system. The cut offs might be to do with atmospherics. My call yesterday had moments of being crackly. The local TV provider MNC occasionally pops up with a channel not being available due to sun spots.

 

[jstar]

The local TV provider MNC occasionally pops up with a channel not being available due to sun spots

No, that’s not really relevant; although solar activity can cause temporary disruptions to radio and TV signals it has no impact on cell towers and cable infrastructure. So your internet will not be affected. Besides StarLink (satellite) perhaps.

To cut a lot of corners; it seems Zadarma is more for professional use with many options. And a Yolla is more suitable for the ‘simple’ consumer market. Since I only call (landlines of) banks and governmental institutions in the US and Europe, for me that suffices.

 

[harryopal1]

No, that’s not really relevant; although solar activity can cause temporary disruptions to radio and TV signals it has no impact on cell towers and cable infrastructure. So your internet will not be affected. Besides StarLink (satellite) perhaps.

To cut a lot of corners; it seems Zadarma is more for professional use with many options. And a Yolla is more suitable for the ‘simple’ consumer market. Since I only call (landlines of) banks and governmental institutions in the US and Europe, for me that suffices.

Skype often had very crackly connections and my call yesterday varied from good to crackly occasionally. What then is the causeof this?

 

[jstar]

Probably your internet service provider. Or your laptop. Or Skype itself. Or the servers they use. Or the other side. Or ….

 

[Shadrach]

Skype often had very crackly connections and my call yesterday varied from good to crackly occasionally. What then is the causeof this?

I have this same problem even using WhatsApp. It will cut out, if I move around the room, or sometimes just lose the connection. Then I have recall to reconnect! It really varies. It could just be the WiFi connection is not strong enough, or the distance, or Basically I really Don't Know?

 

[jstar]

Of course if you use a home network you need to be aware how good your connection is. There are many tools available which help you to check that. If you use wireless on a smart phone for instance, the app Wi-Fi SweetSpots can be useful to determine what’s the best location in your house. And Speedtest always makes sense of course. There are many more.

Something else to check: In your wireless home network you can use two frequencies; 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Which one you select(ed) for Wi-Fi can impact (WhatsApp) calls, the 5 GHz is faster but it has a shorter range and may be less stable than 2.4 GHz. There is always a trade-off. I have my smart TV’s and phones and tablets on different frequencies.

Then there’s the age and location of the router and the antennas and their direction; it makes sense to cover the piece of the wall behind it with aluminium foil. Or update your router to a newer model which will offer higher speeds.

 

[John indonesia]

My contacts moved to Teams, but they lost their names.
The Skype cred is there, and the dial appears when you click on your avatar.
I have not yet tried it.

 

[Banana72]

I have been slightly addicted to chatgpt lately so just remembered to ask it about skype alternative (after going back and forth with what i needed, cost criteria, how much i use etc)....looks like it recommended Numero. Seems the easiest and cheapest and sensible to what I need. Forgot what it said about Numero vs Zadarma though.