Keeping up with the grandkids

18 Dec 2012

Talk non-stop with family and friends over Christmas without blowing your phone bill budget. We explain how to set it up, add your contacts and make a call.  

Skype is a downloadable software program that allows you to communicate with friends and family all over the world, online. Skype has three main functions: free Skype-to-Skype voice calls, cheap Skype-to-phone voice calls and free Skype-to-Skype video calls.

Setting it up

The first thing you will need to do is download and install Skype on your computer. To download Skype, visit www.skype.com and select ‘downloads’. Then select which version you need according to what type of computer you have, either a PC or an Apple Mac.

You will now be prompted to download Skype and follow an installation guide. Do all of the steps listed in the guide and use the details you used to register in order to log in.

Adding a contact

It is now time to add some of your friends to your Skype contacts list.

1. Click on ‘contacts’ in the navigation menu at the left of the Skype screen.
2. Click ‘add contact’ from the top right in the top navigation bar.
3. Type the person’s email address or name as instructed and then click the ‘find’ button.

A request to connect will be sent to that person. Once the contact has accepted your request, you can start talking to them online.

Making a Skype-to-Skype voice call

A free service, you can make Skype-to-Skype calls to anywhere in the world, as long as the person has a Skype account.

1. Click on ‘contacts’ in the navigation menu at the left of the Skype screen.
2. Hover your mouse over the contact you would like to call and the option should appear in a green box. Click on the green box if you would like to make a call.
3. If the green box says ‘video call’, click the down arrow and there will be a second option to ‘call’. 
4. Click this option to make a Skype-to-Skype call.

Making a Skype-to-phone call

Skype allows you to call any landline or mobile phone in the world. You can expect to pay, on average, three cents per minute plus a connection fee for calls to landlines, and 27 cents per minute plus a connection fee for calls to mobiles in Australia. Alternatively, you can buy a monthly subscription for a fee and receive a certain number of minutes to talk.

To buy Skype credit:

1. Under your name in the top left corner of your Skype window, you will see an ‘add credit’ option. Click this.
2. A pop-up will appear with a number of options including buying Skype credit or purchasing a subscription.
3. Follow the prompts once you decide what you would like to purchase.
4. If the contact you wish to call has a Skype account, select ‘contacts’ from the left navigation menu and hover over their name in your contacts window.
5. A green box will appear. Click the down arrow to see whether they have a phone number attached to their account.
6. Click this button to start a Skype-to-phone call.

If you wish to call someone who is not on Skype, use the details in the ‘adding a contact’ section and enter the person’s phone number in the bottom section of the window where it says ‘save a phone number’. Then follow the above steps.

Making a Skype-to-Skype video call

1. Click on the ‘contacts’ option on the left-hand side of the Skype window.
2. Once you find who you want to call in your contacts, hover over their name. A green box will appear.
3. If ‘video call’ is the first option, simply click the green box. If not, click the down arrow and select video call.

This will send the request to the contact and the Skype-to-Skype video call will start as soon as the contact accepts the request.