Microsoft has quietly stopped selling Skype credits and phone numbers, redirecting users towards subscriptions. This significant change impacts how millions of professional and non-professional Skype users will interact with the service. Skype, once a pioneer in internet calls, is now striving to maintain its position in the competitive world of messaging and video call apps.
The halt in selling Skype credits and phone numbers occurred without an official announcement from Microsoft. The change was first discovered through a post in Microsoft forums and later confirmed by a Microsoft spokesperson to TechCrunch. This move signifies Skype’s shift from a pay-per-use model (credits) to a subscription-based model.
From now on, users will no longer be able to purchase Skype credits or new phone numbers. Instead, they will need to buy a monthly subscription for making calls to landlines and mobile phones. However, existing credits will still be usable, as long as they are used at least once every 180 days to prevent deactivation.
This shift in Microsoft’s approach could create problems for millions who have relied on Skype for both international and domestic calls. Skype was once a pioneer in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, playing a crucial role in reducing the cost of long-distance calls. The platform was founded in Europe in 2003 and was acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion.
In recent years, intense competition from platforms like WhatsApp, Zoom, and even Microsoft’s own Teams has led to a decline in Skype’s popularity. Teams, another Microsoft product, has attracted many of Skype’s organizational users. In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Skype reached 40 million daily active users, marking a 70% increase compared to the previous month.
However, the latest official figures from last year show that over 36 million people still use Skype daily for phone calls and chats. This shift in strategy will likely impact the tens of millions of users who have relied on Skype for making calls to landlines and mobile phones. Meanwhile, advertisements promoting the sale of credits and phone numbers continue to appear on parts of the Skype website, which has caused confusion for many users in recent days.