The Gmail calling feature available to those in the US has now been expanded to include 38 new languages, Google said on Tuesday. As such, calling credits can be purchased in Euros, British pounds and Canadian or US dollars. There are no connection fees, and users are only charged for the time they spend actually talking.
The feature will roll out this week in the new countries and when users see a green phone icon at the top of their chat list, they’ll know it’s arrived. The voice and video plugin will still need to be installed, however.
At the same time, Google has lowered calling rates to more than 150 locations. Calling cell phones in the UK, Francem or Germany from the US now costs 10 cents per minute, while dialing landline numbers in those countries costs two cents per minute. VAT (tax) applies to credit purchased from European Union member countries. Reaching cellphones in Mexico costs 15 cents per minute, and any number in China or India is priced at two cents per minute. Calling between the US and Canada will be free during 2011. Calling either from outside the two will cost one cent per minute.
