Using online numbers

Question

I want to use my Verizon phone in Germany to make business calls back to the US.
If I get a US online number, will Verizon treat my calls as local US calls?  Or will I be charged Verizon's international rate for being in Germany when I make the calls?
On the other hand, if I get a German online number, are calls to the US considered international and therefore subject to Sype rates?

Answer 1

joshuaparkinson wrote:
I want to use my Verizon phone in Germany to make business calls back to the US.
If I get a US online number, will Verizon treat my calls as local US calls?  Or will I be charged Verizon's international rate for being in Germany when I make the calls?
On the other hand, if I get a German online number, are calls to the US considered international and therefore subject to Sype rates?
Remember that Skype's Online Numbers do nothing for making calls to telephones (except that Online Numbers from some countries are usable as Caller ID when calling telephones from Skype).  You would still need to purchase Skype Credit or a subscription to use Skype for calling telephones.  Click on "Online number" below for more details on these numbers. 
If you are not using your iPhone's Skype app on a WiFi connection, you will probably be liable for roaming charges from Verizon while in Germany.  This may not be a big deal if your office is picking up the tab for your foreign phone usage, but roaming charges - voice and data - while in Germany can be substantial. Remember that roaming data charges include the amounts of data sent by your phone to the Internet as well as data downloaded by your phone from the Internet. 
First of all, I believe you would have to show that you are a German resident in order to get a German Online Number.  There is no residency requirement for US Online Numbers.  Numbers are available for most US states and area codes, but not for all states and area codes.  When logged into Skype, this would allow you to receive calls on that Online Number without paying Skype anything else.  If you are on WiFi, then you are also avoiding roaming data charges from Verizon. 
Online Numbers have no effect on Skype's - or Verizon's - rates for calling from your phone.  If you use the phone itself, and not the Skype app, then you will be billed by Verizon for those calls.  If you use the Skype app while on a German mobile network, you would be charged by Verizon for the data usage to make that call.  Skype would either charge you for the call at its per-call rates, or you would have to purchase a subscription to cover the call - for example, the Unlimited USA & Canada subscription at US$ 2.99/month or the Unlimited World subscription.  Using your iPhone on WiFi would keep Verizon out of the picture, and you would still need either Skype Credit or a subscription to call telephones using Skype. 
All of Skype's rates - either paying per call (click on "Pay As You Go" below for those details) or with a subscription (click on "Subscriptions" below) - are based on the destination of your calls.  Your location when making those calls is irrelevant.  Skype would charge the same amount to call a US phone number, whether you are in the US, Germany, or anywhere else using Skype. 
Patrick
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