Skype, WhatsApp, Verizon for International Calls

When we visited Iran back in 1996, we set up Skype on our desktop computer upon our return. It would be a great way to stay in touch with our nieces and nephew. Time has passed and we all now have iPhones where FaceTime is available, but it has limitations - not everyone has iPhones. When it comes to making international calls we have been burned a couple of times. We used to have a land line with Xfinity just for that purpose. Since we moved to northern Virginia, we no longer need nor have a landline. When my husband made a call to France a few months back, it unexpectedly went on for over an hour - to the tune of $600+! I got the charge reduced to $15 - the cost of ATT international monthly plan for being a loyal customer for so many years. Shortly after that, we decided to switch to Verizon so as to get additional monthly plan reductions for having both internet and mobile service together. In the meantime I added the international plan to our phone lines - which only meant that we would be charged a reduced rate when a call was made. Because the phone calls are rare and not usually more than 15 minutes, that arrangement was “ok.” Since then I’ve been exploring other options. And Skype resurfaced again. We downloaded the app and tried using it - successfully. We were advised that WhatsApp was also an option, but that requires the other party having the app too. Since most of our overseas friends use Skype, we just decided to take that route. So I’m hoping I don’t need to think about it anymore. At least now we have a solution and hopefully we won’t have any more unexpected international calling charges. There is really no excuse given all the options.