When choosing to make international calls, VoIP is an option to consider, due to the low cost and the ease of connecting. Making international calls VoIP often means that staff or users must be at home, or in the office and fixed to a specific location, where the internet is stable, and the users are in range of their routers and WiFi signals.

Whilst implementing international calls VoIP is often chosen purely on a cost basis, but does that mean that it is best for you, and your customers? Through international calls VoIP can have hidden costs, and those additional costs can mount up, making it possibly more expensive than you first realized and impacting your decision to use the service. There are some great international calls VoIP systems, and there are some that can negatively impact your decision and make you wish that you had considered alternatives to international calls VoIP.

If you are making international calls, VoIP is usually the first system to consider, so we will look at some of the providers here and the reasons why people use VoIP instead of Mobile PBX systems.

When making decisions on your international calls VoIP charges are an essential element of the discussion. Some providers charge standard fees for certain countries, some have different fees for different area codes and knowing the volume of calls that you make to mobile; landline and non-geographic numbers will help you to decide who is the best international calls VoIP provider for you.

Who are the providers of  international calls VoIP?

OpenPhone is an international calls VoIP solution for growing teams making large volumes of international calls. The Openphone international calls VoIP solution offers SMS, MMS, and phone calls at cheap rates and with fast connections through the internet. Using OpenPhone for your international calls VoIP makes the process simple, and with an easy to top up facility, it is user friendly for large teams looking to grow.

Making your international calls VoIP systems like Openphone offer local numbers to use for dialing. Through this international calls VoIP solution, you can get local US numbers, Canadian numbers or toll-free numbers that you can use for unlimited calling, and texting from anywhere in the world. Just make sure that your internet is connected and stable and you have your international calls VoIP solution set up.

When making international calls VoIP solutions that offer local numbers increase the connectivity rates and make customers much more likely to receive your call. If they believe that the call is a local call, and it has the number structure of a local service, they are more likely to connect and speak to you. Making international calls VoIP supports local numbers and with a local connection and no latency issues, the receiver could think that they are speaking to someone just across town.

If the Area code is the same as theirs, is increases the connectivity rate further, since people could expect a call from friends, family or local services. Making international calls VoIP connects you to your customers and with that connection comes the chance of sales. Using this service for your international calls VoIP also connects to people using US and Canadian numbers abroad, since it is always a local connection.  Vise versa, your US and Canadian customers can call you on your international calls VoIP solution free of charge, as it is a local call.

Connecting with customers in the US and Canada through international calls VoIP makes you communicate effectively with your customers wherever they are. You customers might be on holiday and still need to speak to you, so giving them the options through international calls VoIP provides that customer service that your business and your clients expect.

Additional features for international calls VoIP offer a standard range of services, like Call Forwarding, IVR routing, Voicemail and transcription services, group messaging and calling and simple integrations with the main plug-and-play CRM solutions that businesses use alongside their international calls VoIP solutions.

We will try to compare prices of all the major solutions that we discuss, so you might be able to see the cost benefits of going mobile with conXhub by the end of the article. With this goal in mind, Openphone packages start at $13 per user, per month, making is a cost-effective international calls VoIP solution, but highlighting that costs can increase with more users connected to the service. Whilst they offer a free trial, there are extra costs that you could incur for this international calls VoIP system, such as adding Canadian or US numbers, or mobile phone accounts.

Vonage is one of the most popular tools in the international calls VoIP arena, with over 20 year of experience and several thousand users, making this international calls VoIP provider a popular choice. Using this international calls VoIP service you get free calls to every state in the US, and to the border countries of Canada and Mexico. Making calls to other countries through this international calls VoIP solution means paying by the minute, so if your call centre has dedicated teams based on locations, you could implement this solution for your North American teams and then your European teams would need a different solution to maintain the cost-effective reasons for using international calls VoIP solutions.

With Vonage international calls VoIP can be more expensive than normal phones, it simply depends on the geographical locations that you are calling. Calling tier 1 and tier 2 countries the price is consistent and these countries are the common international calls VoIP phone solutions make. Calling the US, Canada, UK, Australia is all within the price ranges, but if you suddenly get customers, or clients or suppliers in other countries outside of these commonly called places, your international calls VoIP phone bills will increase dramatically, making Vonage not the most suitable solution.

In terms of price for your international calls VoIP Solution through Vonage, you are looking at around $20 per line, per month, and a line can support a small team of around 4 people. This makes it cheaper than OpenPhone, but still an expensive solution if you have a large call centre making international calls VoIP connections, expensive.

Ringcentral is one of the most popular international calls VoIP solutions and has been one of the top providers in a busy marketplace for years. With this international calls VoIP solution, you can make unlimited calls to the US and Canada built into the fixed package price, but if you are calling other countries, you have the option to add them into the package, or to pay extra for those calls. Since there are different call charges per country, it is always best to know who you are calling when making your international calls, and if you know how many minutes you use per country, that can help you to decide which international calls VoIP solution is best for your business.

Using this international calls VoIP provider, you need to know who and where you are calling the most. If you are calling Australia for example, you need to break it down by city and by area code so you can manage your budget. When planning a budget for an international calls VoIP provider, knowing what you spent before and after implementation will prove to you that you have made the right choice by switching your international calls VoIP suppliers around.

Ringcentral has a huge array of features and services available, as you might expect from one of the biggest suppliers on the market.  They focus their international calls VoIP services on customer service and help to build your IVR program over multiple levels of interaction. They offer call recording as standard and believe that the better the customer service experience, the more likely that you are to stay with their international calls VoIP solution.

This is best suited to larger call centres, since the features are targeted at bigger operations, however, looking at the price of $20 per user, per month, you might question the value of their international calls VoIP solution.

From the 3 above you can clearly see that a payment average is emerging, and you should be budgeting around $15 to $20 per user per month. As a reminder and regarding information that will follow further down, conXhub is still cheaper!

More Providers of international calling VoIP Solutions below:

The aptly named phone.com does exactly what it says on the tin and makes international calls VoIP connections through their solution. Making calls to the specific countries that they work with makes this a good solution. The features and services on offer compare it to the bigger players in the market and the usability makes it friendly and simple for your users.

If you are targeting the US, Canada, UK, Puerto Rico, France, Germany and Italy, this international calls VoIP solution is a good fit, and it is at the cheaper end of the market at just $16 per user per month with inclusive minutes and SMS messages available too.

You could add in additional numbers at an extra cost of course, so if the countries that you are calling are not listed, you can buy a local number in those countries to reduce your costs. Again, with this service provider of international calls VoIP costs can increase based on where you are calling and when you are calling these locations, also which device, or number you are phoning. If you need something simple with a transparent pricing structure, this might not be your first choice.

8×8 is a call centre solution for international calls VoIP connections. It is well used by a lot of call centres and has been in the market a long time, however, it is not the cheapest option for businesses.

It is a call solution, so it misses out if you are looking for SMS and MMS features, it has packages based on which countries you are calling, so again, you must focus your search on the places that you call the most.

With prices starting at $24 per user per month, you can see this is on the high end and with the lack of some features, you need to make the most of the countries that it contacts to make this your international calls VoIP provider of choice.

For Cheaper international calls VoIP might not be the first choice

Using conXhub  and its app for international calls is a cheaper option than a lot of other VoIP providers and their features exceed those of other providers in the market. When you are making international calls, it is not important where you are calling from, but where the customer sees that you are calling from. If they see that you are calling from a local number, in the same state or area code as them, they are more likely to pick up the phone, and with conXhub you have a choice of phone numbers to dial out from. Each number has a minimal cost of around $2 and if you add on the basic package for their service, the total cost per month comes to just under $7 per user.

If you compare this to the average $15 to $20 per user per month of VoIP providers, you are already making a saving.

With features as standard such as call recording, IVR routing, call divert and call groups, this callc entre solution is perfect for businesses of any size.

The conXhub solution is only available on mobile phones, which allows your staff to answer your important calls from anywhere. Not being tied to a desk is a great benefit of this solution, especially in times of working from home, or using freelance employees for your business.

Buying local numbers for your mobile, means that no matter you are in the world, you are making local calls at local rates . Furthermore, if you are calling potential customers from a number local to them, you will increase the chances of the call of being picked up compare to calling from an overseas number.

conXhub is the cheapest International Calling solution

When deciding on your international calls VoIP provider, cost should be a factor, but not the deciding vote. You also must consider usability and features available. When using free minutes through your mobile phone plan, this also makes conXhub free to use.

When using conXhub for your international calls VoIP connections, you are using your own handset, not one provided by the company, so you are already familiar with the hardware and how to use it. No need for any additional costs or software assistance.

For free calls to international numbers, you can simply get a local number, download conXhub, and use the free minutes on your mobile plan, which usually include unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles. Since conXhub dials a local number, the call is free. You can speak to people around the world at the lowest cost for your customers and your business.

If your business has international offices, customers or operations, testing all elements of the infrastructure can be a time consuming task, but it remains essential to ensure compliance, and optimization. When your phone lines are the channels of communication between customers, clients, colleagues and offices, having international test numbers means that you are always monitoring your communications to stay one step ahead of trouble.

If your customers are the ones to tell you that there is trouble in your communications, you have already lost business. They have found a bug, your business looks unprofessional and your prospective customers have gone elsewhere. By simply adding international test numbers to your phone numbers and having someone, or a computer program, calling them every morning, you know if your international test numbers are working, and you are testing bugs in your communications. Having crystal clear communications is essential for businesses, especially those with an international presence and communications in different countries, where protocols and internet lines are different!

How to use international test numbers

Firstly, how do you test them? International test numbers can be tested by simply making a call to them. If the call connects, you know that the lines are open and working. Is it really that simple though? Nothing ever is!

Calling the number is one element of the testing protocol. Using international test numbers properly also involves testing the latency, and the voice quality. International test numbers should be called from multiple locations too. Just because it works calling from the UK, does not necessarily mean that it works calling from Australia, or America.

Secondly, what are you testing for? Speed, latency, call quality and call connectivity.

Make the call, wait for the call to be answered, this could be by a human, or by a computer programed voice. Speak down the line and see how long it takes for the voice packet to reach the other end. If there are latency issues, the voice packet will take a long time, or will be received in a distorted manner. Get a voice response from the receiver, and test that voice response. If it is clear, fast, and connected, then you know that your international test numbers are working well, and your customers can still get in touch with you.

Why check your international test numbers?

Surveys say that between 30% and 50% of people visiting a website will not purchase from it if there are no phone numbers to call. Having a phone number and an email address on your website increases customers and improves sales.

The percentages of failed customer engagement increases if the numbers on the website used to contact the business do not work. If a customer spends time on a website, reads the FAQ page and learns about the product, then takes the time to make a call and speak to the team about their questions, they expect that call to be answered professionally and to have their questions answered. If the call goes unanswered, or the phone line is down, the customer will be frustrated, and will go elsewhere. International test numbers help to reduce customer complaints and ensure communication is working well.

Additional checks on your international test numbers.

Once you have checked your international test numbers for latency, connection and call quality, you can rest assured that they are working. There are additional checks that you might carry out on your international test numbers such as checking if the IVR is working, ensuring integration to the CRM is aligned with protocols and ensuring the voice recording messages for your voicemail are correct.

Further checks for international test numbers include testing the staff who answer the phone. Checking the scripted responses are correct and the information given is accurate is essential to training your team. If the voicemail is still the voicemail that you recorded for your Christmas break, obviously it is out of date.

Your staff use your CRM solution to make sure that they are leaving accurate notes and to improve customer engagement. So checking that the CRM identifies your international test numbers and the notes from calls are accurate means that operations and communications are working well.

When testing your international test numbers and their IVR Routing you should ensure that the most popular IVR route is under option 1. The faster that a customer can speak to the correct person, the less likely they are to make a complaint, or to be frustrated by the time delay between calling and answering.  The importance of checking your international test numbers and your IVR Routing is emphasized by the statistics which show that over 90% of customers try to bypass the IVR and speak to a human, it is common for customers to just press the first number so they can speak to a human even faster.

When checking your international test numbers you are also checking the customer service received. If there are questions that customers ask that are answered differently depending on who the customer is speaking to, that could cause confusion with customers. Checking that the international test numbers and the scripts used are connected to the CRM and the content for training is easily accessible within the CRM is an important test to carry out.

Intuitive international test numbers check.

There are services that you can employ to check for you, just as there are mystery shopping services, there are international test numbers checkers. This is a simple service that you could employ someone to do, or you could write the code for a machine to do it for you. Having a service or a technology to do your international test numbers checking means that you are spending less money on staff, and you are having professionals test your service and provide great feedback that can be used to improve your teams.

These services also compare your services to those of one or more of your competitors. They can call from multiple locations around the world, they can test your customer service and your IVR programming and messaging, and they can test your connectivity and professionalism. They give a report at the end of each testing cycle and offer advice on how to improve your international test numbers and customer service. Once the recommended improvements have been finished, they run another test to ensure compliance and to check the difference.

In IT there are ethical hackers, who test and stress-test websites and services, in retail and hospitality there are mystery shoppers who go into the stores of restaurants to check on the staff, this is the same process for your communications for your business.

Checking your international test numbers against competitors also gives you the options to compete with the customer service your competitors are offering and to learn from others to improve your own.

These services are often carried out by an offshore contact center that has access to overseas numbers and to cost effective staff who specialize in offering the best customer service. It is sometimes used as a sales tool to identify gaps in customer service that they could fill themselves. However you check your international test numbers make sure that you are checking thoroughly and regularly, so your customer service constantly improves.

As the world gets smaller, and more people move abroad for work or pleasure, the need for cheap international calls increases. Communication with friends and family back home is essential when you move abroad, even if you are only visiting for a short time. The cost of calling, or using data roaming can rapidly increase, especially if there are important matters to attend to.  You do not want the cost of the call to be a factor in missing an opportunity. Cheap international calls help to keep you connected to your friends and family, your business, and to meet obligations or gain successful opportunities.

How much do Cheap International calls cost?

When comparing the price of calls overseas and looking for cheap international calls we must first look at the basic rate of calls to give us an easy comparison. When calling EU destinations from the UK, the price is around £0.20 per minute, calling other countries outside of the EU, the price can be much higher but averages at £3.00 per minute.  When calling from the USA, Canada is $155 per minute, India is $5 per minute and the UK is $3.70 per minute. These rates do not seem like cheap international calls.

When using VoIP services calls can be a lot cheaper, but there are set up costs involved in getting an account, and then there are additional costs such as headsets, internet usage, computers to fix your lines to and a desk to sit at. You can see that costs can rise and what used to be cheap international calls becomes expensive.

Switching to ConxHub as a Mobile provider of cheap international calls reduces costs of hardware and installation, as it is simply an app on your phone to download and a small monthly payment of £4 to have the basic account. Purchasing a number in Australia or the UK is an extra cost of around £3, but then the cheap international calls make the usage of ConxHub cost effective. Once you have paid the minimal set up fees, cheap international calls can even be free.  You can’t get much lower cheap international calls than calling for free!

Other costs associated with cheap international calls.

When making cheap international calls, if you are using your landline, there is hardware and a provider required to connect to the telephone lines. These phone systems are usually fixed to a wall, or to a desk, which requires hardware, wires, connection, and a physical place to make the calls from.

When making cheap international calls from the internet, the hidden extras can be the costs of the internet, the hardware to connect the phone system to, the headsets, and a laptop to connect everything together. This often also requires a physical location to make the calls from, which needs a desk, a chair and enough space to be comfortable. Does that make cheap international calls from the internet cost effective?

When using your mobile phone for cheap international calls be sure to be connected to 4G or 5G Mobile data, or to be connected to the internet, because if you dial a number and just call from your SIM, it is going to be very expensive.

Using International SIMS for cheap international calls

If you are a regular traveler, you might consider adding on international calling to your contract or phone package. This can be an added expense of between £5 and £15 a month, but the costs that it will save on your calls make this option good for cheap international calls.

There are Add Ons like Vodafone’s International Saver, or O2’s International Bolt on that can save money on international calls. These can either cut the cost or can give you a contracted amount of free minutes, making these options great for cheap international calls.

Other smaller networks have some specialist offers for cheap international calls, and getting a phone SIM from Lycamobile gives the biggest generous allowance of free calling, however there are more options for cheap international calls.

ConxHub offers unlimited free calls, as long as you are using your mobile data package and the allocation of minutes within that package, and with so many mobile operators now offering free unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles, this is the best route for cheap international calls.

Simply download the app for ConxHub, choose your international number from a range of countries around the world and connect that number to your app. You can then use your mobile data connection, and that number to make free international calls. If you want cheap international calls, you can’t get much cheaper than free!

International SIMs bonuses for cheap international calls.

Most international SIMs offer their services on a rolling 30 day contract, with a 30 day cancellation period, so you are not tied in for too long. Getting cheap international calls as well as mobile data, free SMS, and UK calls to landlines and mobiles is a great package offered by some carriers.

Just as with most carriers, premium rate numbers are not included, so calls to utility bills, hotel booking lines and customer support companies need to be closely monitored, as they might not be cheap international calls.

When using ConxHub for cheap international calls, you do not need a new International Sim, you simply use the app, your monthly subscription to the app and the international number that you have purchased. If you are making cheap international calls to multiple countries, then you can simply buy additional numbers for your phone for all the places you call.

If you are a student making cheap international calls, there are often offers made specifically for students.  These offers are also aimed at travelers, or the digital nomads moving from place to place and calling different overseas locations for their next trip. Phone companies know that people need cheap international calls to help them on their travels, and when they move abroad to a new school or university. Times like that can be hard on people, they miss their families, they miss their home comforts, and they miss their friends. All these issues can be resolved with cheap international calls through your mobile phone.

Specific offers for cheap international calls

Most major networks have a facility or an offer for people travelling. These offers include calls to local numbers and mobile numbers in the country that you are visiting or calling. They do not include calls to non-geographic numbers or premium rate numbers. If you need to contact the government, your bank, or a customer service hotline, these are often not included.

It is worth noting that sometimes the emergency numbers in the country you are calling are also not included. If you are in an emergency, you need to know the best number to call, so that you are still making cheap international calls, but also keeping your costs down. You do not want to be cut off mid-call!

O2 International Bolt On priced from just £3 a month offers inclusive calls and SMS messages to landlines and mobiles in over 200 countries.  The price varies depending on the country that you are calling. It can go as high as £20 for some countries.

EE International Pack offers 1,000 minutes of cheap international calls to 50 different countries including some of the expensive countries from other providers. They are slightly more expensive at around £12 a month, but if you use all your minutes, that works out at 1.2p a minute for all calls. This makes it a good service for cheap international calls.

Vodafone International Saver at just £5 a month offers 100 minutes to 100 different countries with options to upgrade your service to add more minutes or more countries as your business grows.

Three Call Abroad again at just £5 a month offers 100 minutes to 55 countries but can be quickly upgraded to unlimited calls for an extra £5 payment.

ConxHub offers cheap international calls through their app, they have a subscription fee of £4 a month then you buy a number for your chose country from £2 a month, and you have unlimited calls on a local rate to that country.

Cheap international calls by VoIP or by mobile?

Whilst VoIP services like Viber, WhatsApp or Skype are free to make international calls, you must be connected to the internet or use your mobile 4G or 5G data connection. There is no need for SIM card bundle offers and you will not be paying high rates for calls. As long as you are connected to the internet, and the person you are calling is connected, you can make cheap international calls through your mobile.

But there are problems.

The internet connection must be stable, and in many countries, the internet can be intermittent at best.

Using these services could drain your data allowance, and if you are paying extra for your data, this could lead to big charges. Saving your data allowance for web browsing and emergency use when you are abroad or for gaming and videos when you are at home, might be better use!

Making cheap international calls through your mobile must be monitored, with counting the minutes and watching your data allowance a priority.

Only making a few cheap international calls a month?

If your usage of cheap international calls is low, it might be worth making sure that the people you speak to are connected to the internet and you have allocated time for making these calls. Ensuring that both parties are connected to the internet is the best way to make cheap international calls, however, that is not always possible, especially in times of emergency.

For emergency contact, to make sure that you are monitoring the safety of your friends and family overseas, it is best to have a phone solution that is always available to make clear and fast phone calls, and the best on the market today is ConxHub.

If you speak to your landline provider you might get some prices and indication of costs of using your landline, but it is more common that you do not have your landline to hand!

With the advance of technology, easy access to fast internet and businesses expanding globally, more people are leaving the cold weather and the expensive living in the UK and moving abroad. The expat communities in Australia, Southeast Asia, and across Europe are growing with more people looking for better weather, cheaper living and an experience for their families. This can mean that people lose touch with friends and family, due to the costs of calling, and the time it takes to travel.  Time zones mean that communication can be a challenge, but costs are more of an issue. If we can help you to resolve the cost element of communication, would you stay in touch with your friends and family more?

There are several free call apps that reduce the cost of international calls, some use Wifi, some use Mobile Data, and some are on the Mobile Network. Some free call apps require both end users to be on the same app and same network, but many are cross network and do not have this requirement. For the best Free call app so you can continue speaking to your friends and family when they move abroad, keep on reading.

Go Mobile, not WiFi

Calling through the Internet via free call apps can mean choppy quality and intermittent reception, so it is best to look for mobile data or mobile network alternatives. Your friends and family might be travelling and exploring their new country, and the internet is not the same in many countries abroad. Using a free call app to ensure that you stay in contact and know where they are means you will have more peace of mind and they will enjoy their experience even more.

It is a great experience to move abroad, to go on holiday and to explore new places, staying in touch via free call app makes it even better, because the experience can easily be shared with others!

Here are some great free call apps to add to your phone before you go abroad:

1. Overseas Calling

This free call app provides double coverage. You can get a local number in the country you are visiting or moving to for local support, and you can maintain a phone number from your home country on your mobile phone. Having a local number on this free call app means that you can easily call a taxi, book a restaurant, call the local emergency services, and be contacted by your new group of friends.

Keeping a home country phone number on your mobile phone means that your friends and family can contact you whilst you are away. Staying local and connected to your home friends and family with a free call app means that you have the added security and reassurances that you are staying in touch with those back home.

When you use this free call app you can make and receive unlimited calls plus  you are dialling from a local number, for just the cost of the monthly subscription. This free call app uses mobile technology, so it is not dependent on a WiFi connection, meaning the calls are crystal clear and without latency or interference. If you have a mobile connection, this is a great free call app to use and all without bills or contract!

The country that you are visiting might not have strong and consistent internet, but if they have mobile data, mobile signals and you have battery on your smartphone then, you are good to talk locally, for free, to your friends and family.  In case of an emergency, you are available for your friends, and they are contactable by you.

• Google Voice

Mainly available in the US and Canada, you can get local numbers and stay in touch with your friends and family through this free call app. Google offer a No Advert version, which also gives you a local number and a business number. You can switch between the numbers when you need and turn off your number when you are no longer at work. 

The voicemail to email option here also means that you can receive transcribed emails with the content of your voicemail messages, so you don’t have to listen to your messages more than once, especially when you are enjoying your new place.

With unlimited calls to US and Canadian numbers if you are staying in the northern hemisphere this is a great free call app to have on your phone, and since it is Google, you know the quality is going to be good.

• Skype

One of the all-time great free call apps to use. Everyone around the world has heard of or used Skype at some point. You do need to have mobile data or an internet connection to use it, and it is available on iOS and Android with equally good quality.

Video calls, text messages, business use and personal use make this a versatile free call app to use. The video call option means that you can share great experiences with people back home and see the look in their eyes when you show them how happy your new place is making you.

You can add 2 numbers to this service meaning that you can keep a home town number when you are on your travels, and you can keep a business number, so you keep earning whilst living a nomadic lifestyle.  Calls from Skype to Skype are free but adding an extra number for an additional cost means that you can call anyone, from anywhere, from your mobile phone.

• WhatsApp

WhatsApp is more common in Europe and Southeast Asia and provides group calls, and messages free text messages, simple to use features and disappearing messages in case you don’t want other people to see that you are talking to people. The privacy settings keep communication private and secure; you never know when someone else might be looking at your phone.

You need to have internet or mobile data reception to use this free call app, but the service is free and there are no add-ons to use. You cannot get a new number through this service, so you are restricted to using your home number through the internet, and some countries and public transports block access to this provider, so make sure you do your research before using it.

Taking videos and pictures and sending them to your group of friends means that they can enjoy your new life as much as you are.

• Viber

More common in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, this free call app is similar to WhatsApp and Skype. Groups can be added, and communities created meaning that you can join events and network in your new home country.

Shops and services use this communication channel to advertise their services and for their customer service, so adding this to your phone will help to book hotels, order at restaurants and network locally. The built in QR Code reader is very helpful in the digital age.

• TextFree

As the name suggests this is for unlimited text messages however there is a paid upgrade that allows calls through the free call app too. You can text anyone around the world and get a free dedicated number for texting. The younger generation love to text, and whilst you are on the go, you might not want to draw attention to your native language in a new country, so it is good to text.

This free call app allows you to build up credits by watching videos, adverts, and receiving calls and text messages. It is free to receive a call from your friends, so you can text them, ask them to call you and you earn points towards more free minutes. Using this feature wisely reduces the cost of the app and turns it into a free call app for your friends and family.

• Telegram

One of the safest free call apps to use for communication means that your messages are encrypted from each end user. With group chat, conference calling, screen sharing, and sharing pictures this free call app means that when you are connected to mobile data or the internet, your friends and family are with you too.

Common questions:

Can Free call apps be used for emergency phone calls?

Some can, most cannot, and you need a local number to contact the local authorities.

How private are my calls?

There is never a 100% guarantee that your calls are not monitored, so always check the privacy policy of the free call app to see if they are recording calls, or who they share their data with. Calls can be hacked by national security agencies and calls can be recorded by free call app providers. Your numbers and your contact information for you and your friends might be shared, so if you do not want people to know who you are calling and when, watch your privacy settings and read the opt out section.

Can I use free call apps as a secondary number?

The simple answer is yes. It is common for people using dating sites, or job hunting, or using their phone for verification purposes to have a free call app as a second number. You do not want your main number getting out into the internet, so having a second number that you use for websites, or to give to new people is an excellent safety strategy.  Some of these features allow you to change numbers regularly, so you do not have to worry about that bad date calling you the following day!

Do I need a free call app if I like to chat?

No, you can use Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or whatever your friends like to use, and you do not need to use the above free call apps, however, the features listed above are not common on free call apps that everyone uses, especially the secondary number and the local country dialing codes.

What to do next?

Research which free call app works best in your new country and check out your internet speed and connection. If you have low internet speed and a weak connection, you know not to use a free call app that is reliant on the internet or WiFi connection to work! See if the free call app gives you a limited time trial so you can test it. Try to keep your home phone number on your mobile, you never know when an old connection will reach out to you, and keeping that number means that you do not have to change your profile on all the social media accounts, you can keep in touch with your bank, your friends and family, and if you return home, your number returns with you.