How to call home from abroad

The easiest way to call home from abroad depends on who you are calling. For friends and family who use the same messaging app as you, an app call over Wi-Fi is usually enough. For anyone else, such as a bank, an airline, a hotel or a relative’s landline, use Wi-Fi calling on your own number if your carrier supports it, or an app that calls the regular phone network. Leave plain roaming for when you have no Wi-Fi or data, and check your carrier’s rates before you rely on it.

Check what roaming will cost before you go

Roaming means your home number keeps working on a foreign network. It is the simplest option, because nothing changes on your phone, but it is also where surprise bills come from. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) notes that for most US customers, domestic plans do not cover use abroad, and that higher rates can apply to calls, voicemail, texts and data. It also warns that roaming charges can show up a billing cycle after you get home.

Before you leave:

• Look up your carrier’s own international or travel page, or call them, and ask what calls, texts and data cost in the country you are visiting. Many carriers sell travel add-ons, but what they include and cost varies by carrier and plan, so get the details from yours rather than from a blog.
• Confirm that international roaming is switched on for your line, if you want to use it.
• Find out how to track your usage while you are away.
• Turn off automatic app downloads and updates over mobile data. The FCC points out that background downloads can run up roaming charges on their own.

Use Wi-Fi calling on your own number

Wi-Fi calling is a feature of your mobile carrier, not a separate app. When it is on, your phone places normal calls and texts from your own number over a Wi-Fi network instead of the mobile network. The people you call see your usual number, and you call them from your normal Phone app.

How to turn it on:

• iPhone: Settings, then Cellular (or Mobile Data), choose your line if you have more than one, tap Wi-Fi Calling and turn on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone. Apple’s support page says your carrier must offer the feature and you may need to confirm an emergency address.
• Android: Google’s Phone app help describes it as Settings, then Network & internet, then SIMs, choose your carrier SIM, then Wi-Fi calling. If you do not see the option, your carrier does not support it.

What it costs depends entirely on your carrier. As one example, Verizon’s Wi-Fi Calling FAQ says that from outside the US, calling back to the US is free, while calls to other countries are billed at international rates. The same page says iPhone users cannot turn Wi-Fi Calling on while outside the US, so switch it on before you fly. Google’s help page notes that some carriers may charge for calls over Wi-Fi. Check your own carrier’s page before you count on free calls.

Two more things to know: Wi-Fi calling needs a working Wi-Fi connection, and Apple notes that some Wi-Fi networks do not support it. If calls fail on hotel Wi-Fi, try a different network.

Photo by Ross Sneddon on Unsplash

Messaging-app calls for people on the same app

Messaging apps such as WhatsApp, FaceTime or Signal let you call contacts who use the same app over the internet. If your family and friends are all on one of them, this covers most everyday calls home. The FCC’s travel advice makes the same point: calling apps used over free Wi-Fi can help you avoid voice roaming charges.

Keep in mind:

• Both of you need the same app and an internet connection.
• On mobile data instead of Wi-Fi, the call uses your data allowance, which may itself be roaming data.
• Public Wi-Fi carries security risks. The FCC advises care when sending personal information over a public network.

Calling banks, airlines, hotels and landlines

Some calls cannot go through a messaging app: your bank’s fraud line, an airline about a cancelled flight, a hotel’s front desk, a doctor’s office, or a parent who only has a landline. To reach those numbers, use an app that calls the regular phone network.

CallTuv is one option. It calls regular landlines and mobiles in 232 destinations from a web browser, an iPhone or an Android phone, using one pay-as-you-go balance. There is no subscription, credit does not expire, and rates start from $0.03 a minute. No app is required if you call from the browser. Free verified caller ID can show your own number, so a bank or a family member sees a number they recognize. It is for outgoing calls only (it cannot receive calls or texts), and it cannot be used for emergency calls.

To compare CallTuv with other options, see our lists of the top 5 international calling apps and the top 5 apps to call landlines. For many people who need a new way to call now that Skype is gone, this is the gap to fill.

How to dial an international number correctly

Most failed calls from abroad come down to the number format. Every international number has three parts: the international prefix, the country code and the national number.

• Use the plus sign. On a mobile phone, the + replaces the exit code your current country uses (such as 011 from the US or 00 from much of Europe). Verizon’s guide explains that you press and hold 0 on the keypad until + appears, then enter the country code and the number. Saving every contact in + format means the number works wherever you are.
• Add the right country code. Country codes are assigned by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under its E.164 numbering plan, and the ITU publishes the official list. The US and Canada share code 1, for example, and the UK uses 44.
• Watch the leading zero. In many countries, numbers written for local callers start with a 0 that you leave out after the country code. When an organization publishes a separate number for overseas callers, use that one exactly as written. The UK tax office, for example, lists 0300 200 3310 for its Self Assessment line inside the UK and +44 161 931 9070 for callers outside the UK.

If a call will not connect, check for a missing +, a wrong country code or an extra 0 before anything else.

Toll-free numbers from abroad

Toll-free numbers are built for callers inside the country. The FCC describes them as numbers that can be dialed from landlines with no charge to the caller, which is a domestic arrangement. From abroad, a toll-free number may not connect at all, and if it does, you may not be calling for free.

Before you travel, look on your bank’s and airline’s websites, or on the back of your card, for a number meant for callers outside the country, and save it in + format. Many organizations publish one, like the UK tax office example above.

Keep your home SIM active for bank codes

Banks and many online services send one-time security codes by text message to your home number. If you remove your home SIM or let the line lapse, you can get locked out of your own accounts while abroad.

Phones that support Dual SIM let you keep both lines active. Apple’s Dual SIM page explains that you can choose which number to use for calls and texts and which line to use for mobile data. A common setup is to keep your home number on for calls and texts, with data roaming switched off on that line, and use a separate travel eSIM for data. A data-only eSIM such as Pelesim gives you internet access but no phone number, which is exactly why you keep the home line running for codes. Compare data eSIMs in our top 5 unlimited data eSIMs list, or see the country lists for Europe, Japan, the USA and Thailand.

The FCC notes that roaming rates can apply to text messages too, so ask your carrier whether receiving codes abroad costs anything. And keep your SIM’s PIN somewhere safe in case your phone restarts.

Mind the time zone

The easiest call to get wrong is a well-timed one. Before you call home:

• Add a second clock for your home city on your phone, so you can see the time there at a glance.
• Check business hours in the home time zone before calling a bank or government office. Many lines are closed on weekends and public holidays.
• Agree a regular call time with family that works for both sides, such as your morning and their evening.
• For anything urgent, like a blocked card, call as soon as the line opens rather than waiting until the end of your day.

With your home number on Wi-Fi calling, a messaging app for family, and a way to reach any landline when you need to, you can stay in touch from almost anywhere without coming home to an unexpected bill. If you are planning a longer stay, our moving abroad checklist covers what else to set up before you go.