Free calls to all landlines and mobile phones within the US and Canada
Update: This offer has now ended, unfortunately. However, you can still make cheap calls to the USA, or check out our subscriptions for even better value for regular callers.
We just announced that SkypeOut is now free within the US and Canada to all landlines and mobiles, until at least the end of 2006.
How does this work?
If you’re in the US or Canada, you can use SkypeOut to call any landline or mobile number in both the USA and Canada for free.
If you’re in the US or Canada and calling any other country, OR if you’re in any other country and making calls to Canada or the US for both landlines or mobiles, the standard SkypeOut rates apply.
Of course, Skype-to-Skype calls continue to be globally free, so no changes there.
See also the campaign FAQ.
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Is it really free? What are the strings attached?
Yes. It is really very, very free. There’s no prepayment, no minimum use, no subscription, no monthly fee, no nothing. You just download and install Skype and then you start calling. Both the caller and the number called must be in either the US or Canada. There are no strings attached. (UPDATE: please note that free calls at this time may not apply to Call Forwarding. If you forward a call with SkypeOut, we charge you the standard rates.)
The only condition is that we have said free SkypeOut within the US and Canada is guaranteed to last until the end of this year — that is, until December 31, 2006. We’re not quite sure yet what we will do after that. Maybe we extend the free period, maybe not. You’ll hear more about this towards the end of the year.
Until then, happy calling.
Trivia
Note that if you haven’t bought any Skype Credit, your Skype client may still tell you something about needing to buy some before you can use SkypeOut. Just disregard that and place your call. It will work fine 
We already had this for toll-free 800 numbers where you could call them for free without actually buying any credit so we know this works. And it works on all platforms where SkypeOut is available, which at this time means Windows, Mac, Linux and Pocket PC.
If you use Call Forwarding to SkypeOut, then it costs you the standard SkypeOut rates.
As far as we know, this is the first time in history when unlimited calls to a standard telephone network are free without any form of payment or subscription. That’s kind of cool. (Update: ok, as the comments here and on Digg say, there were a few others years ago. Oh well.)
This is also a great example of Skype being lean and mean. We continue to innovate rapidly. From the inception of this “project” of free North American SkypeOut to you actually reading this and being able to use it, the time period was really short. Many thanks to the whole team involved in making this.
No dice in Orange County, CA.
Cox Cable, 72.194.x.x
This would be cool… I’d replace the other softphone I use with Skype, if it worked.
Not working for me.
70.81.x.x
Videotron in Montreal (Canada)
Rogers Canada, downtown Toronto, IP 70.30.X.X.
Worked fine.
The window still tells me it costs $0.024, but credit didn’t seem to go down. Skype 2.5 beta
71.109.xxx.xxx Verizon California not working
Ok, so I confirmed that I’m connecting using Cox Cable through Atlanta, GA (though I’m physically located in OC, California), so that shouldn’t be an issue.
Question I have is, on all the announcement segments, it says “In order to use this free product, you need to agree to the SkypeOut Terms of Service.”
So, I go to the ToS page, and it references an ACCEPT button like 5 times, but I don’t see the button anywhere. Anyone know where/how to accept the SkypeOut Terms of Service? Without buying credit, of course…
Thanks!
IP: 71.205.x.x
ISP: Comcast
Status: Not working, requires Skype Out credit.
OS: Windows XP
Skype Ver: 2.0.0.105
Country: US
Making it a form seems much cleaner to me.
Verizon fios 71.251.x.x
No go launch my vpn client & connect to work.
Ooh yeah it works. …well sort of our vpn sucks!
This is great please continue to do this sykpe rocks !
Thanks guys !
Your IP Address is 70.30.X.X
You’re located in
(CA) CANADA,
ONTARIO,
MISSISSAUGA
You’re connecting to the Internet through
ROGERS CABLE INC. WLFDLE
NO LUCK
works fine on 70.* ip. just gotta follow instructions. dial +1areacodethentellnumber
any deviation from that will result in being asked for credit
IP: 71.XXX.XXX.XXX
City: Santa Cruz
State: CA
Country: USA
OS: Mac OS X 10.4.6
Not working.
If one more moron says “don’t forget the +1″ I’m going to vomit!
Live Demo Using IP2Location™ – May 2006
Your IP Address is 72.240.*.*
You’re located in
(US) UNITED STATES,
OHIO,
PERRYSBURG
You’re connecting to the Internet through
BUCKEYE CABLEVISION INC
It doesn’t work on my home IP which is 70.X.X.X but it works fine when I use a vpn to connect to my school’s network which is 128.X.X.X
IP: 71.241.23X.XXX not working
My hostname is pool-71-241-2XX-X.washdc.fios.verizon.net
Error:
Failes: No SkypeOut
Not working at:
IP: 71.71.xxx.xxx
IP2Location says I’m in Herndon, VA, but I’m actually in Winston-Salem, NC, connecting through Road Runner Triad (Time Warner Cable). Both are in the US.
24.53.x.x
Make sure you add the +
ie +1xxx5551212
I just called my own cell phone.
SPRINT DSL NETWORK Not working 71.50.XXX.XXX bummer, i was eager to give this a go, was gonna see how the quality was and if this worked out, might wanna ditch the landline all together.
I am desperately hoping that Skype gets enough paid subscriptions to keep this type of offer going for as long as you can.
Oh, and this service works for me just fine from my 70.66.*.* IP. I measured the audio delay from speaker to listener using the Canadian time service at +1 (613) 745-1576, and it turned out to be just a *fifth of a second*! Nice!
As far as i can tell, it doesn’t work. I just dialed my cell phone number (i typed in +1972*******). At first I thought it was working, because it didn’t appear to be taking away from my 24 cents of credit, but after i was done i checked online and i had payed for the call.
ISP: Verzion DSL
IP Address: 71.96.131.233
Location: Plano, Tx (shows up correctly on one of the websites someone mentioned above)
-Perral1
I can confirm that this does work, though I can’t get it to work from home (70.78.*.*, Vancouver Canada). I tried it at work (209.53.*.*) today and it worked great, called my own cell phone to confirm. When I tried it out tonight from home, same user account, its a no go.
DMAN!! SkypeOut is eating my SkypeCredit minutes when i call my friend down the block!! WTF! Isn’t this suppose to be free locally?? Don’t tell me it has to use them… I’ll stop buying skypeCredit… ya hear me! – Pissed off Sam, NYC
p.s. Cool Concept anyhow =)
Sorry, call failed. You need Skype credit to call ordinary phones.
Skype Beta 2.5.0.72
Comcast, South Florida
IP Range: 71.57.x.y
Do what you can!
Thanks!
Toronto, Canada,
Rogers Internet, IP 70.30.*.*
tells me I need to buy credit.
Skype Management are you going to fix this problem? The community is waiting for you to live up to your promises and advertisements. Please unblock this range of IPs!
Not working in NJ either with Verizon FIOS IP address 72.68.xx.xx.
doesn’t work for me either sympatico 74.12.xx.xx
Adding another to the list for the 7*.*.*.* unworkable IPs..
IP: 71.137.XXX.XXX
City: Sacramento (geolocation says San Diego, but still California)
State: CA
Country: USA
OS: Win XP
ISP: ATT/SBC/Yahoo/whatever they call themselves this week
Skype client: 2.0.0.105
I, too, am getting the “you need Skype credit” message… and yes, before anyone yells, I am using +1 before I call. The client won’t let you dial without the +1, so why everyone keeps saying to “don’t forget the +1!!!” is beyond me.
While I appreciate what Skype has done, and really can’t wait to use it, I do not understand how they could limit the pool and basically exclude a HUGE swath of IPs…and from the looks of the provider names listed, they’re some of the biggest broadband providers… Comcast, RR, Verizon, SBC, and in Canada Rogers and Sympatico…
I think this could have used a bit more beta testing before the huge announcement. Close, but not quite Skype.
Call Failed
ip:67.190.*.*
the lovely Comcast
Minneapolis, Mn
Not working for me either
“You need Skype Credit to call ordinary phones”
ip: 71.139.xxx.xxx
city: Palo Alto
State: CA
ISP: ATT/SBC Yahoo DSL
OS: Windows XP SP2
Skype Version: 2.0.0.105
I don’t envy the Skype network engineers this week. Good luck lads.
Works perfectly for me!
69.x.x.x
(CA) CANADA,
ONTARIO,
KINGSTON
SYMPATICO HSE
Could this possiably be that the telephone companies, and cable companies that offer digital telephone service are blocking this?
I could see this as a possibility seeing as how they would loose a lot of money over people not using thier services to make outgoing calls over the next 7 months.
Also, if you look over the list of different ISPs that are having problems they all seem to be landline telephone providers or offer thier own digital telephone.
* [Telephone] Verizon (DSL and FOiS)
* [Telephone] Qwest
* [Telephone] Bellsouth
* [Telephone] SBC DSL
* [Cable] Time Warner Road Runner (offers Digital Telephone)
* [Cable] Comcast (offers Digital Telephone)
I don’t have Skype credit, but tried calling a Canadian number… but it simply gives me the message: You need Skype credit to call ordinary phones.
Location: Ottawa, ON, Canada
OS: Win XP
IP: 72.57.*.*
ISP: Rogers Cable
Mine doesn’t work .
Your IP Address is 72.136.xxx.xxx
You’re located in
(CA) CANADA,
ONTARIO,
TORONTO
ISP is Rogers Cable
Not working for me…
Comcast- Redmond, WA
71.227.234.X
My Comcast cable does work: I’m in Seattle, Wa, IP 67.183.x.x
Number Destination Rate/min. Duration Price
+1206x USA 0.000 00:10 0.000
Don’t work on SBC Global IP 75.3.72.X
Says You need Skype Credit
I’m in the Chicago area. I think we are still in the USA
Doesn’t work. I cannot get past the Skype Credit error message. IP: 71.108.166.xxx
Verizon, Philadelphia — not working: 71.242.x.x, geolocates fine… my SkypeOut minutes were wasted, because I was testing this. Please reiumburse, and please fix.
No skype here 71.56.xxx.xxx
NOT working:
71.117.xxx.xxx Verizon FiOS. Oregon USA
Windows XP Skype 2.0.0.67
Fails for me too
Portland, OR
Qwest DSL
71.214.**.***
I’m behind a router and am connecting wirelessly. I tried calling 503 area code and Skype says I need to buy credits to call standard telephone numbers. I was able to sucessfully call a 1-800 number sucessfully.
71.233.x.x from Boston, MA
Getting the ‘buy credit’ error
NOT WORKING
Cincinnati Bell Zoomtown DSL
IP 72.49.xx.xx
OS X 10.4.6
Failed: No Skype Out
It’s not working for me either.
Your IP Address is 69.205.*.*
You’re located in
(US) UNITED STATES,
NEW YORK,
You’re connecting to the Internet through
ROAD RUNNER HOLDCO LLC
IP Address: 74.56.*.*
Loc: CANADA,
QUEBEC,
MONTREAL
Connection: VIDEOTRON
No dice today. Skype-Out credits required.
ISP is Cox Omaha. IP is 72.x.x.x. Already using SkypeOut. Made two calls and it cost $.96 of my credit.
ISP 70.x.x.x working fine for me, I had to add information into contacts though before it would work.