Let me put some money in my Skype account!!!!

Like Loic , I have had trouble crediting my SkypeOut account with my credit card. My issue was that I was trying to use my US credit card whilst travelling in France. The payment system rejected it on the basis that users connecting from France (through a French IP range ?) should not use a US credit card, according to a very polite online help desk rep.

Too bad Skype seems to have a glitch in this piece of back-end system, key to converting their users into paying customers. However, I am a big fan and will try again later... or make sure people I want to call move to Skype as well.

Update: Skype has fixed a buffer overrun flaw in version 10.0.100 of its Windows software. Make sure to download and install this fix (i.e version 10.0.100 and up).

Comments

[Marc]

I have the same problem. I have tried two credit cards from different banks in different countries, both in my name. Both card have plenty of credit, but I could not even buy €10 credit.
Skype stuffed up on this one no doubt. Does anybody have a solution?

[Jeff Clavier]

The explanation I got was that their credit card payment service provider was checking that your IP address (range) corresponded to the country of your credit card issuer. If you have a german credit card, and tried to credit your skypeout account from Germany, that ought to work.
Have you tried to talk to Skype's online support ?

[Avi Leoni]

Me and several friends tried to buy credit from SkypeOut with a perfectly legal credit cards but failed time and again. We all concluded that the "revolutionary" SkypeOut is hopeless and gave up on the idea of using it. We now look for more user-friendly alternatives which already exist. You may try to look for "PC to Phone" services on the web.

[Caterina Fake]

I've been trying to find out why Skype has been rejecting my credit cards, and came upon this thread. I've been coming from an IP in the same country where my credit card is located, but have still had my purchase cancelled. The Skype site claims that this is because I have entered the wrong Card Verification Code, but I've got the card (both cards) here, and they're clearly legit.

This verification by IP idea seems astonishingly stupid. Perhaps Skype is rejecting the card because I am based in Vancouver, and the bank issuing the credit card is based in Torontol?

[Joe Morrison]

I agree - Skype's credit card restrictions are incredibly frustrating. I'm currently living in Beijing, China for a year and when I found out about Skype, I thought it was the answer to my dreams. I was planning to use SkypeOut to call friends and family at home (Canada and US) from my Linux desktop. But I've tried 3 different credit cards, all valid - and all rejected by Skype with no explanation.

Even the theory that my IP is not in the same country as my credit card doesn't hold, since I tried using a Canadian credit card and proxying my HTTP connection through a friend's server in Canada. (Both the server and the credit card are even based in the same city - Ottawa!) Same result. "Transaction cancelled."

At this point, I'm going to experiment with www.sipphone.com, Free World Dialup and other alternatives. SkypeOut is the only reason I went with Skype in the first place, and I don't get the sense that Skype is taking this problem seriously.

[Nathan Smith]

Hallelujah!

After reading these posts I feel somewhat vindicated. After 10 (unsucessful) attempts to purchase Skype-out credit using both my own, and my wife's visa card, I've given up. Numerous emails to support, the Skype Billing Dept. and seemingly endless hours waiting for 'live-help' have all resulted in absolutely zilch. I checked with my c/card provider, no problem there. Each and every transaction was 'approved' at their end. Furthermore, the IP argument didn't hold water either. All transactions were attempted through my own home computer which corresponds with my c/card billing statement.

Don't get me wrong, I think that Skype is a terrific app, it's just incredibly frustrating trying to buy time for the 'highly-touted' Skype Out. If anyone's interested, I've built a website featuring PC-Phone providers which give alternatives to Skype:

http://www.netphonedirectory.com

I'd really like to add Skype to my PC-Phone directory but will refrain until they improve their c/card processing and handling of customer concerns/complaints.

[RadimB]

An observation. Just like many users here, I have failed to buy Skype credit. In my case it was using major US bank issued credit cards with US billing addresses carrying out the transactions from two different US-registered domains. A friend of mine, currently residing in the Czech Republic, told me that he never had any problems. Just for the fun of it, he set a proxy for me so that the transaction would appear to come from a Czech domain. With this change, but everything else the same, the transaction went through without a glitch! This is not it, ten minutes later I received a call from the credit card company asking me to verify the $13 transaction!

[Bob]

I've had all the same problems as you people and the same stock answers from SkypeOut. It's as if SkypeOut just don't want our money. I've tried four different credit cards between October and now. All have plenty of funds, especially 10 Euros and all verified by the various banks. I've spoken to people on the live help line about four times now and they, as good as, informed me that I must be the only person in the whole world with this problem. Having now found this site I find that I have been mis-informed. This does not come as a big surprise to me. The last time I spoke to them it was to introduce me to 'MoneyBookers'. They almost wanted my whole life story, backed up with photos of my credit card, birth certificate, passport, driving licence and hat size. I take a six and seven eighths and that's all the information they're going to get. Apparently SkypeOut, who are based in Luxemburgh, don't accept cards from [quote]'some countries, like Spain'. The only resemblance that New Zealand has to Spain is that it is about the same distance south of the Equator as Spain is to the north of it. I would like this European based company to know that NZ is a very westernised country, situated in the Pacific Ocean, larger than the UK and is certainly larger than Luxemburgh and that our money is as good as anybody's!! Thanks for the website Joe; I'll now be trying the alternatives.

[udlett]

ALL IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS!!! NO SKYPEOUT IF YOU OUTSIDE THE EU!!!

Initially I was super impressed with Skype. Here was software that provided PC-to-PC and PC-to-Phone telephony all in one! And the sound quality with PC-to-PC was excellent. Then I tried to buy a SkypeOut voucher. Ignorant of the real issue/s, I went through the whole routine. You know, applied with the Mastercard/Visa options etc. I frowned when my transaction was (CANCELLED) and thought initially I had entered the information incorrectly or my card had been cancelled or maxed out. I naturally checked out all these possibilities and still couldn't figure it out. Why could I not purchase SkypeOut credit? I went to the FAQ at the Skype website and low behold there was a breakdown on possible credit purchase problems. From all of the suggestions there I concluded if I wanted SkypeOut credit, I would have to register at Moneybookers.com. Then I was perplexed that after registering at Moneybookers, I still could not complete my transaction! Looking for answers I searched the internet and I found that I was not alone, many people had the same problem! I tried to find any consistencies with what people said on the internet and myself. I have come to the following conclusions. My findings show that only people within the EU can get SkypeOut and there were even people in the EU that had the same problem (Spain and others). Now what I believe is this:
OUTSIDE OF THE EU IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET SKYPEOUT CREDIT PERIOD

This can only be for a limited number of reasons:
1) the Skype software cannot provide the interface between international telecommunication providers, and will only be rectified after a patch which Skype developers are frantically trying to finish
2) there is some legal issue that Skype has to get around before they can provide this service
3) or possibly more sinister; Skype are in fact never going to provide this service, and are using the failed credit card transaction process to somehow make money with MoneyBookers!?

CONCLUSION

I think the fact that the issue of failed credit applications being the first issue discussed in their website FAQ was not a coincidence. There is a strong possibility that they are well aware of the problem and are stalling until they fix the problem and are avoiving announcing this so potential customer do not go to other VOIP vendors in the meantime. This is reinforced by the fact that they do not have a proper support structure and have an electronic chat service to fend off all the credit purchase queries. I also think its unethical that Skype still encourages people to purchase SkypeOut credit and even more unethical by encouraging people to "keep trying" if they still have a problem. I submit that all non-EU customers cannot purchase SkypeOut credits for some reason that Skype knows about but will not admit.
Thanks for nothing Skype

[lock]

I don't think in- or outside EU is the cause. I've heard people still buying skypout from African countries, but I live in the Netherlands and only the first time in August it worked. I too had a failure on my Visa recently. I know the card works, because I bought six gifts in december through internet, and each time I used the three digit code that is supposed to bounce.
Let's find an alternative.

[Jeff Clavier]

I originally had the problem I refer to in this post when I was spending time in France, and using a french Visa card. I have since been able to buy SkypeOut credits in the US, using a US Visa card. So EU or not EU does not seem to be a discriminating factor.

I had a chat with one of Skype's investors, and they assured me that they were pressing Management to get this credit card issue fixed asap. Skype is leaving money on the table, and leaving their (free service) users towards competing solutions. Just the kind of things VCs like...

[Peter]

Hi

I'm from Cape Town, RSA. SkypeOut CC billing works 100%
from SA but with an SA billing address. The only site which would not take my CCs was Net2Phone - otherwise all websites including Paypal were happy with my CCs. I expect this is an IP address vs billing address issue.
Hopefully they'll sort this out soon. :-)

Peter.

[Christian]

I have a US credit card, but I live in Japan.

The first time I tried to buy credit, the system took 2 - 3 minutes to verify my account info. Purchase approved.

The second time I was directed to my credit card company website where I had to enter my user name and password. Purchase approved.

So for me, everything has been fine, however I can't understand why a company makes it so difficult to give them money.

Since I love Skype, I hope they don't refuse customers until they go bankrupt!

[David R]

Hi All,
I wanted to add my support to the most commonly described problem discussed here (Cancelled transaction, explained by Skype as a failure or CVV verification).

I have tried more than 15 times since mid- December... no luck. Skype is about to lose my business, and the 20 or 30 other people I have convinced to use Skype in the last 4 months.

They better figure this out.

[Petrus]

I have been trying to use three different South African cards to top-up my SkypeOut account from Hungary without success. Skype Support could not give any useful information but nevertheless the amounts have been popping up as authorisations on my card. They can kiss my business good-bye - I'll continue to used their Linux app for free pc2pc calls but when I need to phone a POTS number I'll be using another service.

[abadplanner]

No problems from Switzerland with Swiss credit cards. Works 100% each time, almost instantaneously. Switzerland is not in the EU.

[Jiawei]

I've got the same problem in China. I failed to puschase any credit with two different Visa (one is issued locally and the other is issued in the U.K.). At last I figured out a way to get the credit. If you are in China, try www.taobao.com or www.eachnet.com and search the keyword Skype. These are the websites simliar to ebay. Someone is able to help you charge your account with a slightly higher price. Not bad at all. If you are really flustrated, why not spend a little bit more to get it work :)

[Karsten Jeppesen]

I just spoke to my bank (major US bank).
Accordingly to their fraud department, Skype is listed as fraudulent and they refuse payments to skype.
This must have happened somewhere between November and now.
So much for Skype

[Ralph Wiggum]

Hi

I'm from Australia and just succeeded in VISA transaction for EUR10. Cheers

[PAtrice]

Putting credit on my skype-out account is a real pain!!!

I had no problem when I was in the US. But then I moved to the Middle-East. And I have been trying to put credit on my account for 3 months...

First, it seems that depending on your IP address they forbid you to use any credit card. My only option was to use Moneybookers.

Getting registered at Moneybookers was hard stuff. They ask you to scan copies of your bank accounts, credit cards, and plenty of other documents and send them by fax or mail. I did that. But I NEVER heard back from them. I tried to send them emails, re-send them mycredit card info... Nothing. No-one from Money bookers ever sent me an email back. After 3 months I abandonned.

Finally, the only way I found to put credit on my skype account, was to ask a friend located in the US to pay for me.

A message to SKYPE : Guys, you are losing a whole bunch of paying clients. Not everyone will spend that much effort to send you money. Do something about it.