Check Basic Rates Before Making International Calls (2024)

FAQs

Will I get charged for making an international call? ›

Inside the US: If you have a US phone number and call an international phone number, you're charged international rates. Outside the US: International calls use minutes from your mobile phone plan. If you make a call from outside the US, your mobile phone company might charge you extra roaming fees.

Option 3: Rely on Wi-Fi Only. You can avoid paying all international roaming fees by keeping your phone in airplane mode and sticking with whatever free Wi-Fi you can find, or by renting a Wi-Fi pod.

To call a phone in another country, dial 011, and then the code for the country you are calling, the area or city code, and the phone number. For example, if you are trying to call someone in Brazil (country code 55), in the city of Rio de Janeiro (city code 21), you would dial 011 - 55 - 21 - XXXX-XXXX.

The cost of international calls from an iPhone varies depending on the country, the carrier, and the plan. International calls cost on average $2.70 per minute, taking into account all carriers Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile¹.

FaceTime is a free voice and video call app for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. You can call people over Wi-Fi or using mobile data around the world, except for a handful of countries. To set up an account, you need an Apple ID. On an iPhone, FaceTime automatically registers your phone number.

You can stay in touch for less with AT&T International Calling^SM* for $15 per month, per line. You'll get unlimited calling from the U.S. to 85+ countries, and discounted calling to 140 additional countries. If you don't need unlimited calling, you can pay-as-you-go instead.

Why are international calls so expensive? Different factors affect the cost of international calls, but the cost usually comes down to the network provider. Network providers work with multiple parties to process calls and use cables and satellite systems, which can be expensive to build and maintain.

Some calls may be via satellite, some via fiber, or other transport. These resources must be paid for by somebody, since they are more expensive than local calls (equipment, switching, multiple business relationships, etc.) Plus, each country establishes inter-country call rates based on various bi-lateral agreements.

Do I get charged for receiving texts while abroad? ›

For SMS, most operators do not charge for receiving an SMS while roaming, in much the same way as there is usually no charge for receiving an SMS at home. How does SMS and data roaming work? SMS and data roaming build upon the same principles used to enable voice roaming.

While you're in the US, you can make calls to another country using your device. If you call other countries only occasionally, you can pay a standard per-minute rate.

Voice calling lets you call your contacts using WhatsApp for free, even if they're in another country. Voice calling uses your phone's internet connection rather than your mobile plan's minutes. Data charges may apply.

Standard text messaging charge of $0.20/message applies to messages sent and received in the Nationwide Rate and Coverage Area, except for International Text Messages, which cost $0.25/message sent and $0.20/message received, and which do not use messaging bundle allowances, unless you are on a MORE Everything plan ...

The easiest way to make an international call is to dial the + (which should be the same key as the 0), followed by the country code, and then the phone number. The + replaces the International Direct Dialing (IDD) code when you use a mobile phone to call to another country.