Skype offers customers an optional Skype Number which links your account to a phone number. When people call that number, your Skype app will ring. And there’s an optional feature that allows your Skype number to show in caller ID when you’re calling a phone number from Skype.

Now it looks like a price hike is on the way.

Update: Skype has issued a response, stating that it is changing the price of Skype Number subscriptions and that “in some cases the incorrect price was included” in the email messages it sent out. The company says it’ll be communicating the correct pricing next week. 

The rest of the original article continues below. 

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skype changes

I’ve had a Skype Number for almost a decade and for much of that time I’ve paid about $24 per year for the number. But this morning I got an email from Skype telling me that the rate was about to go up to $29.94. Per month.

That comes to $359.28 per year, which would be a nearly 1400% increase. I’m not the only person getting this sort of message.

The Skype forums are filling up with alarmed postings from customers with similar stories. One says their bill is going up from $30 per year to $480. Another says the rate is going up from £14 per year to £307.77, while another UK user has a bill that’s going up from £21 per year to £229.68.

What’s particularly odd about these changes is that if you sign up for a new Skype Number, the price will be much lower.

Currently Skype tells me I can get a new number for $6.50 per month or pay $39 for a 12-month subscription to get a 50 percent discount.

Hopefully this means that the emails Skype users are receiving are in error. But Skype and Microsoft haven’t weighed in on the matter yet.

Anyway, I haven’t actually used my number for much recently, so this is a good reminder that I can save $24 (or more) per year by simply canceling the service.

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15 replies on “Got a Skype phone number? You rates might be going up (updated)”

  1. This old, but the most recent forum I saw. My skype number jumped to about $14 (from about $10) usd for 3 months in the last year. This time, I had been mailed a new chip card from my card company and the card on file with skype failed. I paid for the $2.99 monthly unlimited calling to other phones manually. I had an email from this morning saying my skype number would expire in 3 days. I went to pay for the skype number and the price had risen to $18 and change US for 3 months.
    I found how to chat with customer service (no easy feat) and was told it may be due to the card decline. I was told to add the new card and try again in 24 hours. I was also told that it may not work and prices may increase WITHOUT NOTICE. I told the rep this goes well over $100 US for a year for the 2 subs when there are many free apps offering MORE video options. She really didn’t care. I think this has to do with Microsoft having bought Skype and they may be tired of dealing with subscriptions. Other than International minutes, where I think they make the money. I have had this skype number for about 10 years.

    So tomorrow night I will check again. If it is still such a high price, I may end both subs and seek a cheaper or even free app that offers an incoming number.

  2. Not sure why people pay for this if you just want to make regular phone calls try one of the SIP phone clients. One time payment of $5 or so. I use an old cell phone that is only connected to wifi. That $5 has given me a “home phone” for a couple of years now.

  3. Skype’s finally weighed in: a price hike *is* coming, but the incorrect price was sent out via email. We should know more next week… but I suspect the actual price increases won’t be going up by 1000% or more.

    1. Talk about an own goal. I suspect a few heads are going to roll over this one.

      1. Skype has become disgusting since Microsoft owns it.

        They don’t update the Linux client, so it barely functions anymore, since the Windows and Android clients have been worked over multiple times in the same number of years. Building the NSA back doors must have been a lot of effort.

        Years ago, I got a massive surprise price hike for my skype number (not 1000% but it was more than double), so I cancelled it.

        That SIP recommendation is a good one.

        I wish I find a functional replacement for Skype some day soon.

  4. I got the same email, mine said my rate was going from $12 year to $14 a month. They also doubled the cost of unlimited incoming and outgoing calls from $30 a year to $60 a year. No way am I going to pay $480 a month for a phone number, even if it is my office number.

    I am hoping it is a mistake and the pricing is suppose to be $14 a year instead of month.

    Just found this on the skype message board.

    “There was a little mistake with the text of the email. That price is per year, not per month. Official update will come soon.”

    https://community.skype.com/t5/Skype-Number/these-messages-must-be-fake/m-p/4180057#M18749

  5. I received the email as well. Says my $24/year subscription increases to over $40/month. When I go to my Skype account though, it shows my Skype number renewing in July 2016 at $24/year. What gives M$?

  6. Also received the email; from the Skype forum members who have reached chat support, it appears this is a “known issue” but no one knows if it’s true or an error. I’ve been waiting to chat with them for over an hour and I’m still #5 in the queue.

    Kudos to Brad for jumping on this hot story. I’m blown away Skype and Microsoft have not posted a single “we’re working on it” Tweet on Twitter. People are cancelling accounts; a true marketing and customer service fail.

  7. That can’t be right. You can get a SIP DDI number for free elsewhere. Costs are re-couped by call termination charges from the OLO.

  8. Brad – you are the only mainstream tech media site on this story. This is either a huge marketing screw up by Skype under Microsoft (days after announcing Skype/Chrome integration) OR a CRM screw up by skype at the price increase is “only” (for me) $24/year to $40/YEAR and their mass email / marketing automation / billing system can’t tell the difference between those on monthly plans vs annual plans. — That’s my guess. Maybe they are using MSFT marketing automation software for this !?!?

    See the howls of anger on Twitter and on the support forum – https://community.skype.com/t5/Skype-Number/bd-p/Online_Number

    Run with this story! Power of the press (blog!) to right wrongs and injustices!

    1. You consider Liliputing mainstream? Don’t insult them…
      They probably have this story cause they’re not part of the FUDLP media.

      Everybody seems to be paying totally different prices from each other to begin with… what mess.

  9. simple,,blow skype out of the water,,,MS needs more money to gouge out of you,,and you thought win 10 was really going to be free…

    1. What’s this got to do with Windows 10? i don’t know anyone who expects MS to give away their products and services, without some form of payment (cash, ad views, etc.)

  10. They should have an “opt in to continue” option so that people who have a number don’t have to remember to go opt out before the deadline! Some people open up these accounts and then don’t use it and forget! I’ve thought I had one for some time. I read the blog and immediately went in to make sure I had not kept it open. Thankfully my account was closed so I must have closed it sometime ago.

    1. As far as I can tell, just about anyone affected should get an email from Skype. So I guess the primary purpose of this post is to point out that if you got this message, you’re not alone… and there’s at least a chance there may be an error.

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