There is a lot of hype about the free services of Skype and as such, it is necessary to analyze what is free and which are the services that you have to pay for and how.

What's Free
The free services of Skype include: calling from your computer's Skype connection to another such computer; redirecting Skype calls to other connections; making video calls; chatting on one-to-one basis or in groups; making conference calls up to a maximum of nine people; and forwarding calls to any other Skype connection.

Services for Which You Have To Pay
For any calls made to any landline or mobile phone, you have to pay a specific charge. However, you can get some good deals such as:

1) Skype Unlimited: If you pay $29.95, you can make unlimited calls to any phone within the US and Canada for a year. You can also avail of low, per minute rates for international calls.
2) $18 for 3 months or $60 for 12 months: You can receive calls from SkypeIn phones and get free Skype Voicemail.
3) $6 for 3 months or $20 for 12 months: You can send and receive Voicemails.
4) Ringtones: Starting from $1.20
5) Pictures For Your Profile On Skype: $1.20
6) Gift Certificates: Starting from $25
7) Webcams, Headsets etc.: Starting from $10

Payment Methods
There are various ways of making payments for Skype services.

PayPal
This is a safe way of making online payments and it operates in 103 countries. Moreover, you do not need to divulge any of your financial information to traders or anyone else. You can make purchases and pay for them with PayPal. The first time you pay, a PayPal account will automatically be registered free of cost and all that you will need to provide are, your credit or debit card details that will be safely kept in your PayPal account. You can use this account for dealing with eBay or any other website that accepts PayPal. There might be some restrictions on using PayPal for Skype payments, such as, the association of PayPal with only one Skype account. There might also be some monthly purchase limits on PayPal payments.

PayPal pre-approved is a fast and easy way of making payments for Skype products. You will not need to enter your full details a second time and you can make your purchase in just two clicks. Enabling Auto-Recharge is an easy way to replenish Skype credit.

Diners, Visa or Master Card
Skype payments can also be made with your Diners, Visa, or Master Cards. The same restrictions might apply like, being able to use the cards for only one Skype account. Monthly purchase limits also might apply.

Moneybookers
You can also make Skype payments through Moneybookers that allow you to send and receive money safely via email. It can be used in combination with either your bank account or your credit or debit card.

Skype and the Skype logo are trademarks of Skype Technologies S.A. U3

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