Microsoft has sent out emails to users, reminding them of the impending shut down of Windows Live Messenger as it’s replaced by Skype.
The company is offering users one month of free Skype service in order to entice them to upgrade, which can be used to make “calls to landlines and mobiles around the world, group video calling, group screen sharing (and more) absolutely free for a month”. The calling can be used to call anyone with a landline in over 40 countries or call mobile phones in 7 countries.
For landlines, these countries include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg only), Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and Venezuela.
In addition, both mobile and landline phones in Canada, China, Guam, Hong Kong S.A.R China, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Thailand and United States are also covered under the deal, which is being offered by Microsoft on a completely unlimited basis during the promotion.
In order to qualify for the offer, you must have received one of these emails and must also provide valid payment details in your Skype account. Once you’ve signed in to Skype using your Microsoft Account and have valid payment details on file, you’ll be able to return to the email and click on the link contained within to redeem the offer.
Microsoft expects to sunset Windows Live Messenger on April 8th. Users who do not switch over by this time may find themselves unable to sign in to the legacy Messenger service according to the company.