There are so many different services that provide alternative ways to make international phone calls via your mobile phone. They all cost less than the “international” plan your mobile provider offers which is usually at least $1/minute.
If you use the services recommended here, international calls will probably be at most $.29/minute and probably a lot less. If you’re going to Europe, mobile phone costs will be as little as $.02 a minute to even free.
Before you choose a service
- Make sure you have a phone with the right network chip (GSM or CDMA) for where you’ll be traveling. In general, Asia uses CDMA and Europe uses GSM. Although, you’ll be pretty safe with GSM for international travel. It’s pretty much available in all developed nations. Here in the U.S., Sprint and Verizon use CDMA and AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM.
- If you’re going to swap SIM cards in your phone with an international carrier, you’ll need an unlocked phone. If you purchased your phone from a carrier, contact or check their website for steps on how to do this. AT&T nor Verizon will help you unlock your iPhone, you’ll need to hack it or pay for software to do it.
- Either unlock your phone, or purchase a cheap phone with the appropriate chip to where you’re traveling. Unless you’ll be constantly traveling internationally, don’t buy an expensive “worldphone” which has both kinds of chips and is usually larger.
- Don’t buy your SIM card beforehand. Purchase your SIM card, plus pre-paid minutes, when you arrive at your destination.
- In except one case, all these services require you to prepay minutes, at least $5-$10. That’s often more than enough for a simple vacation.
Here are some recommended services. I’ve included the pros and cons of each.
Google Voice – Great to make international calls if you’re in the U.S.
- You can port your mobile number over to Google Voice to take advantage of all the features such as integration of multiple phone numbers, speech-to-text transcription of voicemails, and free conference calling on top of cheap international calls. Most providers charge $20 to port over, but Sprint is making it a lot easier by offering porting for free. In fact, if you port over to Google Voice, all your international calls on Sprint will go through Google Voice.
- You can make calls through the website or through any mobile phone (even if it isn’t Internet-enabled). Or, if you have an Android-powered phone, and you have the Google App installed, you can make calls directly from the phone’s native dialer.
- You can’t get an international number or forward calls to an international number.
Jajah – Great for calling family internationally
- To use, you must register for the service. Here’s the process. Enter the phone numbers you want to call, and you’ll get a local number to add to your phone. You’ll use that number to dial your friend. If the person you’re calling becomes a Jajah member as well, depending on where they are, you can talk to each other for free. Check the rates sheet to see where you can call your friends for free.
- If you’re traveling, and switch SIMs, you’ll need to update your list of numbers with all new local numbers.
Skype To Go – If you’re going to be on your phone all the time
- Similar setup to Jajah, but they also have a flat fee subscription that ranges from $8-$20/month for unlimited calling depending on where you’re calling.
Truphone – Great for traveling and calling locally or staying connected back home
- Call locally where you’re at, plus call cheap to international calls. Give your family and friends a local U.S. number (works with Google Voice) to call while you’re traveling. No matter what international SIM card you have, people will still be able to reach you via the U.S. number. Plus, those calling you in the international location can use that local SIM number.
- Doesn’t use your local pre-paid minutes if you’re calling within a Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Has an unlimited plan for $12.95/month, but extremely limited locations for calling mobile phones.
- Must install the Truphone app on your phone. Must have an Internet-enabled phone. Not available for all phones.
- Having app constantly running can drain battery. Bring an extra battery.
Mobile Globe – Contract-free calling
If you don’t want to make a commitment to any one provider, Mobile Globe offers a call back service where you just SMS the number you want to call and you get a call back connecting you with the other party.
Final Tips:
- Plan ahead.
- Except in the U.S., you almost always pay a different price for calling a landline vs. a mobile phone. If you have the option, call a landline phone. It’s always cheaper.
- If and when you purchase a local SIM, especially in a country where you don’t speak the language, ask the attendant at the store you purchased the SIM to set up the phone for you and add additional minutes. It will be impossible to follow the voice menus if you don’t speak the language. Give the salesperson a nice tip as a thank you.
- You can check the prices, but in general they’ll all be the same. What you’re ultimately looking for is the service that provides the best convenience for where you’re traveling.
- You don’t have to settle on just one. You can actually use a combination of these services.
I know this isn’t all the services, so if there’s one you really like a lot more, please let me know.
Stock photo images courtesy of Shutterstock.
