Who Pays for International Calls? The Caller or Receiver?
Clarify the nuanced world of international call costs. Understand the factors determining who pays for global phone connections.
An international call is a telephone call made between two different countries. The financial responsibility for these calls is not always straightforward, influenced by factors like service type and location. This article explores typical cost structures.
Initiating an International Call
The person making an international call is generally responsible for the associated charges. These costs vary significantly depending on the method of communication. Traditional landline calls are typically billed on a per-minute basis, with rates that can fluctuate based on the destination country and time of day. Consumers often subscribe to international calling plans or utilize prepaid calling cards to reduce these expenses.
For mobile phone users, charges for international calls are levied by their specific mobile carrier. Without a dedicated international calling plan, standard per-minute rates can be high, sometimes ranging from approximately $0.10 to over $4.00 per minute. Many mobile providers offer international calling plans, such as T-Mobile’s $15 per month plan for unlimited calls to landlines in over 70 countries, or Verizon’s Global Calling Plus for $15 per month. These plans bundle minutes or offer lower per-minute rates, making regular international communication more affordable than pay-as-you-go rates.
Receiving an International Call
When an individual receives an international call while remaining in their home country, they typically do not incur any charges. This applies to both landline and mobile phone services within the United States.
However, if a mobile phone user is traveling abroad and receives an international call, they may face significant charges. These are known as roaming charges, imposed by the user’s home mobile carrier for utilizing a partner network in the foreign country. Roaming fees can apply to incoming and outgoing calls, text messages, and data usage. The cost of receiving a call while roaming can vary substantially, potentially ranging from $0.36 to over $1.00 per minute. To avoid unexpected high bills, travelers are advised to check their carrier’s international roaming rates or consider purchasing international roaming packages before their trip.
Internet-Based Calling Services
Many modern communication methods leverage the internet, altering the traditional cost model for international calls. Services such as WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, and Google Meet enable voice or video calls over the internet. These app-to-app calls typically do not incur per-minute charges directly from phone carriers. Instead, the cost is indirectly covered by the user’s existing internet service plan, whether through Wi-Fi or mobile data.
While the calls themselves are free of per-minute charges from the application, they consume data from a user’s internet plan. If using mobile data, particularly when roaming internationally, the data usage can still lead to costs from the mobile carrier. Some internet-based services also offer the capability to call traditional landline or mobile numbers directly from the application. These app-to-phone calls usually require the user to purchase credits or a subscription, often at significantly lower rates than standard international calls. For example, Skype offers various subscription plans and “pay-as-you-go” options for calls to non-Skype numbers.