Making international calls

Making calls from the UK to abroad can quickly become expensive if you’re not aware of your provider’s international call charges, or if you don’t have a plan or pay as you go SIM that includes a set number of call minutes. On this page, we explain how you can call internationally and which charges you should be aware of. You’ll also learn the difference between calling abroad from your home country and making calls to another country while you’re abroad.

How much does it cost to make international calls from the UK?

The cost of making international calls from the UK can vary depending on the country you are calling and which provider you use. Calling a country within the EU/EEA can cost between approximately £0.20 and £1.50 per minute, while calls to the rest of the world are generally priced at just over £2 per minute and upwards. It’s also worth noting that it’s generally more expensive to call a mobile number than a landline number.

However, some plans or pay as you go SIMs include a certain number of international call minutes as standard, and some providers provide the option to sign up for so-called International plans which may include both international minutes and roaming in selected countries.

Many major providers also offer specific add-on packages for international calls, which either include a certain number of call minutes to selected countries for a fixed monthly fee, or reduce the cost per call minute. Whatever the arrangement, such an add-on can be a cost-effective solution if you make regular international calls. Below, we cover the plans offered by the four largest providers.

International call add-ons from the leading providers

  • EE: With the The International add-on, you get 500 international call minutes to 50 countries for £14.05 per month. If you want to call even more countries, there’s the The International Extra add-on, which gives you 250 international call minutes to 100 countries, including Kenya, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, for £28.15 per month.
  • O2: International Bolt On costs from £3 per month and lets you call international mobiles and landlines in over 200 countries for 1p per minute.
  • Three: With Three, you can add the Call Abroad service to your SIM only plan and choose either 100 or unlimited call minutes to 55 countries for £7 or £12 per month respectively. For those with a pay as you go SIM, the service includes 200 call minutes to 39 countries and costs £5 per month.
  • Vodafone: Vodafone offers a range of different International Saver packages to choose from. Some are aimed at those with SIM only plans, while others are for pay as you go SIM users. With a SIM only plan, you can, for example, add 100 or 500 international call minutes to 100 countries for £6.15 and £12.30 per month respectively, but there is also the option to upgrade each package with more minutes and more countries. If you have a pay as you go SIM, you can add 50 international call minutes to 65 countries for £5 a month.

How do you make international calls from the UK?

When calling from the UK to another country, first dial 00, followed by the country code, the area code without the initial zero, and finally the phone number itself. This applies to both mobile and landline numbers. On your mobile, you can use “+” instead of “00”.

How much does it cost to call from the UK to a British number abroad?

You pay the same rate as making a call within the UK – in other words, there are no extra charges. In fact, it is the recipient who may have to pay to receive the call. If your plan or pay as you go SIM includes free calls (to UK numbers), you can call completely free of charge regardless of where the person you are calling is located. However, the person you are calling may have to pay a certain rate per minute to receive the call, depending on their roaming charges.

Before Brexit, the person you called would not have had to pay any charges as long as they were in an EU country, but after Brexit, some British providers have stopped offering free roaming in the EU.

Can you make international calls without paying call charges?

Yes, by making calls through apps like Facetime, Viber and WhatsApp, you use your home WiFi or mobile data, so you don’t need to pay international call charges. This means you need to have internet access (via WiFi or the data included in your contract or pay as you go SIM). 

One thing to bear in mind is that some calling apps require the person you’re calling to use the same app as you, but there are also apps that let you call a phone number directly.

Roaming charges may apply if you are abroad

If you are abroad and want to use a calling app to contact someone back home or in another country, you should first make sure that your provider offers free roaming in the country you are in. Otherwise, you may incur charges for using a local provider’s network.

How do you make calls when you’re abroad?

How you make calls abroad and how much it costs depends on the country you’re visiting, which provider you have, and the roaming terms that apply in that specific country. As we mentioned earlier, some British providers decided to remove free roaming within the EU/EEA following Brexit. This means you cannot assume that you can use your contract or pay as you go SIM as usual without paying for it, even if you travel to another European country.

Tip! On our page about roaming you can find out more about what roaming and free roaming mean, how to enable and disable roaming on your mobile, and useful tips to keep costs low.

Calling within the EU/EEA

Whether or not your provider offers free roaming within the EU/EEA, in most cases you can still use your SIM only or pay as you go SIM while travelling, but this may incur additional charges. Always check with your provider to see what applies, which charges may be involved and whether there are any restrictions you should be aware of.

Info! Even if your provider offers free roaming within the EU/EEA, there is usually a certain limit on data usage, but the allowance varies between different providers.

If your plan or pay as you go SIM does not include free roaming within the EU/EEA, many providers still offer the option to purchase specific roaming packages, making it much cheaper to use your mobile while travelling.

Calling outside the EU/EEA

If you’re travelling to a country outside the EU and Europe and plan to use your mobile, it’s even more important to check your provider’s roaming terms and any potential call charges. As the government has increased VAT on roaming charges outside the EU by 20 per cent, costs can spiral unless you keep a close eye on them.

However, some providers offer free roaming or roaming packages even in selected countries outside the EU/EEA, so we recommend checking this in advance. Even if you have to pay extra for the add-on, it will probably work out much better value in the long run than paying a fee for each call.

How to call the UK from abroad

If you call the UK from a British mobile while you are abroad, you don’t need to do anything special – you simply make calls as you normally would. But it’s still important to check the provider’s roaming terms and charges. Depending on the terms and which country you’re calling from, it can become quite expensive if you’re not careful.

How do you call the UK from a foreign number?

The country code for the United Kingdom is +44. If you need to call a UK number from a foreign number while abroad, start by dialling +44, omit the first zero in the area code, and then enter the rest of the phone number. If the UK number is, for example, 020 6853 0987, you should dial +44 20 6853 0987.

Three tips to try if you can’t make calls abroad

  • Restart your mobile. In many cases, a simple restart is all it takes to get things working as they should. So restart your mobile and try calling again.
  • Make sure you are connected to a network. If the signal strength is too weak or simply non-existent, you won’t be able to make calls. At the top of your mobile screen, there’s an icon indicating your signal strength – usually shown as four bars in a row. The fewer bars you see, the weaker your signal – and if there are no bars at all, you’re not connected to a network. Try reconnecting to the network or change your position and location to get better network coverage.
  • Ensure that your contract or pay as you go SIM is not blocked for international use. With some providers, you have the option to block your subscription or pay as you go SIM for international usage, so double-check your plan is not blocked. You can usually do this via My Account/My Pages, which you access by logging in on the provider’s website or app. This does require internet access, but if you can use your mobile data or otherwise connect to a WiFi network (that you trust), it’s relatively quick to review the settings.