Have you ever wanted to quickly check your email from a public wifi system only to discover they want $9.95/hour to connect? And, they make you pay for a full hour even if you only use a couple of minutes. Cheer up! Skype has a solution you might find handy – Skype Access. This service will allow you to connect to a huge list of public wifi systems for 19¢ a minute and you only pay for the minutes you use.
To use Skype Access, you’ll need the most current version of Skype installed on your Windows or Mac OS X computer and a credit balance in your Skype account. When you select a public wifi system, you’ll see a pop-up Skype window asking if you’d like to access using your Skype credit if that network supports Skype Access. There’s no connection fee and no minimum charge – you just pay for the minutes you use. And, those payments are made by Skype using your Skype credit – saving you from passing credit card information across unfamiliar wifi networks.
Skype Access offers a safe and easy way to connect while you’re traveling. For a quick connect, it’s a great deal but for longer access it can become costly. I’d just love to see this feature added to the mobile versions of Skype where we could really put it to good use.
