How much does an international call cost?
Anything from nothing to several dollars a minute, for the same call. Three things set the rate: how you call, which country, and whether you ring a mobile or a landline. Then rounding and connection fees decide what you are billed.
- Carrier, no planAT&T basic rate$5.00
- Carrier plan, $5.99 a monthAT&T Worldwide Value Calling$0.28
- Internet calling appSkype, since closed$0.015
The basic rate cost 333 times the app rate. Same country, same minute.
In depth: E.164 format, the way to write any number for international dialling, and the free international number formatter.
Updated 10 November 2026.
Four ways to call, and what each costs
From dearest to free. Each cheaper step asks a little more of you.
A carrier with no plan costs nothing to set up and the most per minute. An app costs nothing per minute and needs the other person to have it.
- $$$
Your carrier, no plan
Dollars a minute to many countries
The default when nobody chose anything, which is how most surprise bills start.
- $/mo
A carrier add-on
A monthly fee, then cents a minute
Worth it only in months you call. Covered countries and mobile rates vary by plan.
- ¢
Prepaid app, card or SIP
Cents a minute, set by country and number type
Connection fees and rounding can double the real price of short calls.
- $0
App to app
Free over Wi-Fi; mobile data otherwise
Both sides need the same app and a connection. It cannot ring a landline.
What your call really costs
The rate is one of four inputs. Put in yours and see the bill.
Take the rate, rounding and fee from your provider's price list. The sums are the same billing code that charges LinkedSIP calls.
How time is rounded
Whole minutes
Connection fee per call
How long you talk
Calls a month
- Per minute you actually spoke
- $0.3450 against a rate of $0.25
- 20 calls like it a month
- $23.00
- Same rate, per second, no fee
- $16.67you pay 37.9% more
Why one country costs more than another
A call passes through up to three networks. The last one sets most of the price.
Carrying a voice across an ocean is cheap now. What costs money is the fee the network at the far end charges to put the call through to its phone.
- 1
Your provider
Takes your call and your money. Sets the price you see.
- 2
Carriers between
Wholesale networks that carry calls across borders and charge your provider per minute.
- 3
The network that answers
Charges to finish the call on its phones. This termination fee is the part that varies most.
Mobile costs more than landline
In many countries the mobile network sets a higher fee to finish a call, and the caller's side pays it. The same country can carry two prices.
Regulated markets are cheap to reach
Inside the EU, a network may charge at most 0.2 euro cent a minute to finish a call to a mobile and 0.07 euro cent to a landline, for calls from inside the EU and EEA.
One gatekeeper keeps prices high
Where a single operator or the state controls incoming international calls, the fee to finish them can stay far above the cost of carrying them.
Satellite and remote numbers top the list
Satellite phones and some island and remote networks are among the dearest destinations on most rate lists.
Who pays for an international call
The caller pays the border. Roaming is the exception.
You call abroad
You pay the international rate. The person you call pays nothing extra.
Someone abroad calls you at home
The caller pays the international part. You pay at most what your own plan charges for any incoming call.
You answer while travelling
On roaming, your carrier can charge you to receive calls, because it carries them to you abroad. Check before you travel.
Five checks before you pay
The cheapest rate on a list is not always the cheapest call.
Check the full number first: the international number formatter turns any number into the + format and shows how to dial it from your country.
- 1
Ask for the rate to that number type
Landline and mobile prices for one country often differ. Look up the one you will actually ring.
- 2
Check how time is rounded
Per-second billing charges what you spoke. Whole-minute billing turns a 61-second call into two minutes.
- 3
Look for a fee per call
A connection fee costs the same on a 20-second call as on an hour. Many short calls make it the biggest part of the bill.
- 4
Read card minutes as one long call
A card's minute count usually assumes no fees and no rounding. Work out yours in the calculator above.
- 5
Dial the full international number
Plus, country code, number. A wrong prefix can fail, or reach a different and dearer destination.
International call cost questions
How much does a 1 minute international call cost?
What is the cheapest way to call internationally?
Why am I getting charged for international calls?
How do I avoid international call fees?
Why are international calls so expensive?
Most routes billed by the second. See the rate to your country.
Landline and mobile rates for each destination, with the billing increment beside them: international call rates.