A few years ago, you had to go through a human operator to make international calls, and this kind of calls were only reserved for certain situations of for people willing to pay steep prices.
Nowadays, you only need to have a landline, a smartphone, or a computer with internet connection. Depending on the situation, there are many ways of making free international calls in which you can enjoy excellent audio quality, the option of adding video, and even the possibility of talking with different people on different countries at the same time.
Below, you will find the best ways of making free international calls.
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How to make free international calls from a landline
There are many programs and apps that allow you to use the internet in order to make free calls, but if what you need is a way of making international calls from a landline, your options are limited.
The only way of achieving this is through a service provider. Since communication is becoming much easier to do, and that people are becoming more and more interested in talking with their loved ones overseas, a lot of businesses offer a certain number of free international minutes included in your basic plan.
To know if this is your case, contact your service provider and ask if this option is included on your subscription, or if there is another subscription that you can choose in which you could make free international calls.
How to make free international calls via the internet
The internet has destroyed the international barriers both at a communication and at a cultural level. Unless you are in unusual situations, it is currently very easy to be constantly connected to the internet, both at a computer and on a mobile device.
If you want to make free international calls, the easiest way to do it is through the internet. If you’re using a Wi-Fi connection, you won’t be charged any additional fee for calling. However, keep in mind that making videocalls can consume a lot of data. As long as you don’t use up all of the data included in your subscription, there won’t be any additional cost for calling by using your carrier data. If you exceed your data cap, your carrier may charge you an extra fee.
If both people are connected to the internet:
If the person to whom you want to call is also connected to the internet, you can make international calls for absolutely free and in an easy and quick way. Also, you’ll be able to enjoy videocalls, group calls, chat and you’ll even be able to share what’s on your computer’s screen. Below, we will show you the best programs and applications to make free international calls:
1. Skype
Skype was one of the first programs of this kind, and it still keeps being one of the most used programs to make international calls to users in any part of the world.
The only thing that you’ll need to do is to install the program and ask the other person to do the same and to add you on their contact list. Skype is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and you could even use it on a Smart TV and on videogame consoles.
Through Skype, you can make calls, videocalls, group calls of up to 25 people, chat and share your computer’s screen. Installing and using Skype is free of charge.
2. WhatsApp
WhatsApp is becoming the preferred application of many users in different countries to communicate for free with their loved ones.
This company’s app is being used by over a thousand million people in over 180 countries. To use it, you only need a mobile phone number in any country, an internet connection, and that the other person also uses WhatsApp.
WhatsApp also offers you an excellent protection for your personal information thanks to its end-to-end encryption.
WhatsApp allows you to send text messages and make calls and videocalls free of charge. It is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.
3. Viber
Viber is another popular application that is being used by users all around the world to communicate with others for free in a quick and easy way. Just like with other similar programs, the only thing that you need to make free international calls is that both people use Viber and to be connected to the internet.
This company connects over 800 million users all around the world, and it is available on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.
4. Calls via a web browser
If you’re looking for a way of making free international calls through the internet, but without having to install any program of application, there are websites that allow you to make calls and videocalls with just having to sign up.
Videolink2, Gruveo and Appear.in allow you to create rooms or conference rooms in which you can invite others through private links. Starting a call or videocall only takes up a few seconds, you can talk directly from your web browser without installing anything, and your information is always protected through different types of encryption systems.
The three websites are safe and are absolutely free.
Calls via the internet to landline numbers or mobile devices
If you have internet access, but you’re trying to make a free international call to a landline or a mobile device that isn’t connected to the internet, there are fewer methods that you could use.
1. VoIPStunt and VoIPBuster
There are some VoIP services that offer you the option to make international calls to landline numbers and mobile phones, but in a limited way. If you have Windows 7 or over, websites such as VoIPStunt and VoIPBuster allow you to make calls from a computer connected to the internet to phone numbers in over 20 countries.
Using all of their available functionalities has a cost, but these websites offer you the option to make free one-minute calls. You can make this short but free call from your computer or from your smartphone.
2. Poptox
Poptox is a website that allows you to make calls directly to landline numbers or mobile phones from your web browser without having to install any application nor extension.
You can male free international calls from Windows, Mac and from any smartphone by only having to open your web browser. On the startup screen, you will see mobile phone in which you will first have to select the country that you want to call, and then you’ll have to dial the number that you want to call.
Poptox works in over 50 countries, and it allows to call to over 1000 carriers.
Calls have a time limit, and you can only make a limited number of calls per day, but you don’t have to sign up nor pay. All calls are encrypted and Poptox doesn’t record your conversations nor keep any kind of call log.
How to make free international calls without internet
Without internet, making international calls from a mobile device to another is difficult since you depend on the options offered by your carrier, but there is an application that may help you and for free.
The Rebtel app allows you to make free international calls even if you don’t have access to a Wi-Fi network or if you don’t have a data subscription.
Calls are from app to app, so the person whom you want to call also needs to have Rebtel installed. This app doesn’t work globally, but it currently allows you to make free calls in 56 countries.
If both people have Rebtel installed, the calls made are transferred to a local number to reduce costs. Since the app uses real telephone lines, calls are stable and aren’t interrupted.
Thanks to this method, you can make free international calls without Wi-Fi nor data to even multiple people at the same time located on different countries.
How to make international calls at low prices
If making international calls is important for you, or if you know that it is something that you’ll have to do frequently, there are very cheap ways to do it both via the internet and via regular lines. Below, we will show you the cheapest methods to make international calls:
1. From the internet to a landline or mobile phone number: Skype and Viber
Both options allow you to make calls for absolutely free if both people are connected to the internet, but if you need to call from the internet to a landline or cell phone number, they also offer subscriptions and cheap fares.
Skype allows you to buy credit to call someone in any country of the world. Its fares are really low, and the credit will be decreasing depending of the country’s fare and the number of minutes that you use. Skype will adapt to the country that you call.
If you know that you will have to frequently call to landline and mobile phone numbers in a single country, you can buy one of Skype’s subscriptions. These subscriptions are even cheaper than buying credit, and you can cancel at any time.
Viber offers a similar service called Viber Out that also allows you to make calls to landline and mobile phone numbers in different countries in the world.
2. From smartphone to smartphone without internet connection
Besides offering free international calls from app to app without needing an internet connection, Rebtel also offers you cheap subscriptions that allow you to make calls to landline and mobile phone numbers without needing Wi-Fi nor data. Rebtel uses real telephone lines, so the calls tend to be stable and of good quality. There are no hidden charges, and you can cancel your subscription at any moment.
3. From a landline
The easiest method if you want to make low-cost international calls from your landline is to call your service provider and ask for the subscriptions that they offer. Some providers and carriers offer subscriptions with international minutes to any part of the world, while others offer you promotional fares to one country of your choosing.
To find out the different subscriptions, fares, and conditions, call your service provider and ask the offers that they have for low-cost international calls.
Conclusion
Although making international calls was difficult and expensive a few years ago, not only can you make them for free nowadays, but there are also different methods to make them.
The fastest and simplest way to do it is to take advantage of options such as Skype, Viber, and WhatsApp, which only require that both people be connected to the internet. Through these programs and applications, you can share photos, make calls, or even talk to others face-to-face through videocalls.
If what you need to do is to call a landline or mobile phone number that is not connected to the internet, you can use websites such as Poptox or applications such as Rebtel, which don’t require a Wi-Fi connection nor a data subscription.
What’s the program or application that you use the most to talk with people in other countries? Do you know other methods that you would like to add to the article? Tell us your experience making free international calls and share it with others in the comments section.