Calling Swiss cell phones from Skype

The husband and kid went to Bern yesterday for a day trip to the bear zoo. They said they'd be back around dinner time but when dinner time rolled around and I didn't hear anything, I decided to call my cellphone which I shoved on the husband as he left the house in the morning.

I used my Skype credits to call the cellphone which was pretty straightforward. And expensive. Unlike the price they charge for calls to US land lines (~$.02 per minute), Skype charged an outrageous $.36 per minute.

Guess we won't be using Skype to call Swiss cellphones from now on unless it is an emergency - like I am finally in labor.

Prepaid Cell Phones in Switzerland

Yesterday I bought S a gelato cone and walked into a cellphone store to buy a prepaid. In Switzerland, one cannot get a contract phone without a residence permit and those take about a month to process once you register (see last post).

For just under SFr 30 (about $30), I got a prepaid phone, SIM card and SFr 10 credits. The phone is just a cheapie Nokia but it will suffice until we can get a residence permit and a contract. The husband is bitter that he can't get a phone with internet yet but he'll live.

Oh, and I had to show my passport to get a prepaid so be prepared.