What happened to Skype?

Microsoft retired Skype on 5 May 2025 and directed users to Microsoft Teams. Skype Credit, which was the pay-as-you-go balance used to call ordinary phone numbers, was discontinued rather than migrated, so the landline and mobile calling feature did not move to Teams with the rest of the product.

Can Microsoft Teams call a landline or a mobile?

Not on the free tier. Teams Free covers messaging and calls between Teams users, but calling an ordinary phone number requires Teams Phone, which is a paid business add-on with a monthly per-user licence. For someone who used Skype Credit occasionally to phone a bank or a relative, that is not a replacement.

What is the closest replacement for Skype Credit?

A browser-based pay-as-you-go calling service is the closest equivalent: you buy a balance, dial an ordinary phone number, and the person you call needs no app and no account. Airlophone works this way, with published per-minute rates, no subscription, and credit that does not expire.

Does the person I call need to install anything?

No. The call arrives over the ordinary phone network, so their phone rings exactly as it would from any other phone. They do not need an app, an account, or an internet connection. This is the difference between a calling service and a messaging app like WhatsApp or FaceTime, which only reach other people using the same app.

Can I keep my old Skype number?

No. Skype Numbers were discontinued along with the rest of the service, and a number issued by Skype cannot be ported to Airlophone. If you need a number people can call you on, you would need to rent a new one.

Alternatives

A Skype alternative for calling landlines and mobiles

Skype closed on 5 May 2025 and Skype Credit closed with it. Microsoft pointed everyone at Teams, which does not call phone numbers on its free tier. If what you used Skype for was dialling an ordinary number, Teams is not the replacement.

What actually happened

Skype was retired on 5 May 2025. Chat and meetings moved to Microsoft Teams. Skype Credit, the prepaid balance that let you call an ordinary landline or mobile, was discontinued rather than migrated, and Skype Numbers went with it.

That matters more than it sounds. Skype had been the default answer to “how do I phone a landline in another country from my computer” for two decades. The chat half of it had plenty of replacements. The phone-number half did not.

Why Microsoft Teams is not the replacement

Teams Free handles messaging and calls between Teams users. Calling an ordinary phone number needs Teams Phone, a paid business add-on licensed per user per month. If you used Skype Credit a few times a year to reach a bank or a relative, a per-seat business licence is the wrong shape as well as the wrong price.

What to look for in a replacement

Can it dial a real phone number? Messaging apps (WhatsApp, FaceTime, Signal, Telegram) only reach people using the same app. That is a different job.
Is the rate published before you pay? A headline “from” price with no full card behind it usually means the destination you care about costs more.
How is a partial minute billed? Rounding every partial minute up to a whole one costs real money on short calls, and it is rarely stated on the pricing page.
Does it need anything installed? On your side and, more importantly, on theirs.
Does the keypad work mid-call? If you are calling an institution, you will meet a phone menu before you meet a person.

Airlophone

Browser-based calling to landlines and mobiles in 220+ countries. Nothing to install on either side, and the person you call needs no app, no account and no internet: their phone simply rings.

Every rate published in full before you sign up.
Billed with a 60 second minimum and then by the second, rather than rounding each partial minute up.
US toll-free numbers are free to call.
The band is resolved from the digits you dial, so you are never asked to guess whether a foreign number is a landline or a mobile.
The keypad stays live, so phone menus work.
Credit does not expire. There is no subscription.
The first minute is free and needs no card.

Sample rates: $0.02 a minute to a US number, $0.07 to a UK landline. Every other country is priced per band, and they vary a great deal, so check the full card for yours. Carrier roaming for the same calls typically runs $0.25 to $5.00 a minute.

Try it

Type a number and the exact price appears before anything dials.

Make a callFirst minute free

Type a number to see its exact price.

Other options worth considering

We are not the only replacement, and for some cases we are not the right one. Prices change often enough that quoting them here would be stale within weeks, so check each vendor directly.

Viber Out: A large existing user base and subscription plans that suit heavy calling to one country.
Rebtel: Routes calls via local access numbers, so it can work when your internet connection is poor. If your problem is bad wifi rather than price, this approach beats any browser-based service, including ours.
BOSS Revolution: Strong in the US immigrant market, with local access numbers and a long track record on diaspora corridors.
Google Voice: Free calls within the US and Canada and a real number, but it requires a US number to set up and its calling is limited outside the US.

What none of these can do

None of them, ours included, reach emergency services, and none pass a caller-ID check at your bank, because the number you call from is not your own. Most institutions also reject internet phone numbers for two-factor codes. Keep an ordinary phone for those three things.

Common questions

What happened to Skype?: Microsoft retired Skype on 5 May 2025 and directed users to Microsoft Teams. Skype Credit, which was the pay-as-you-go balance used to call ordinary phone numbers, was discontinued rather than migrated, so the landline and mobile calling feature did not move to Teams with the rest of the product.
Can Microsoft Teams call a landline or a mobile?: Not on the free tier. Teams Free covers messaging and calls between Teams users, but calling an ordinary phone number requires Teams Phone, which is a paid business add-on with a monthly per-user licence. For someone who used Skype Credit occasionally to phone a bank or a relative, that is not a replacement.
What is the closest replacement for Skype Credit?: A browser-based pay-as-you-go calling service is the closest equivalent: you buy a balance, dial an ordinary phone number, and the person you call needs no app and no account. Airlophone works this way, with published per-minute rates, no subscription, and credit that does not expire.
Does the person I call need to install anything?: No. The call arrives over the ordinary phone network, so their phone rings exactly as it would from any other phone. They do not need an app, an account, or an internet connection. This is the difference between a calling service and a messaging app like WhatsApp or FaceTime, which only reach other people using the same app.
Can I keep my old Skype number?: No. Skype Numbers were discontinued along with the rest of the service, and a number issued by Skype cannot be ported to Airlophone. If you need a number people can call you on, you would need to rent a new one.