Princess5 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I have family sprinkled around the world and we use WhatsApp a lot. It's free and it's easy to use. But I just had to call a business in another country and they don't have WhatsApp and it was wondering how I am going to call them? So if you were planning to call somebody else in another country, how are you doing it right now. I tried using my cell phone but I did not go through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet2ndchance Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I haven't had to call internationally since I had a land line but I think on a cell phone you have to have an international plan that includes the country you are trying to call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Zoom maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Do we no longer use country codes on cell phones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mominco Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Check out Skype,You can buy credit and use it.I have been using it for many years now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet2ndchance Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 3 minutes ago, SKL said: Do we no longer use country codes on cell phones? As far as I know it's still 1 then the country code then the area code then the number. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) We use Signal to chat with DS. There are no fees/costs. Otherwise we just call as usual. Country codes are still used. edit: Signal is a free, encrypted texting app. When we call him we can opt to do video or not. It's what we use for everyday texting Edited January 8 by MEmama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) 10 minutes ago, sweet2ndchance said: As far as I know it's still 1 then the country code then the area code then the number. From a landline, you need to first dial the international access code (from US it's 011) + country code then local number. Germany, for example, is +49. So, Germany from landline was 011 49... From a cell, you can just start with country code, I think - I've only called international from my cell with WhatsApp and Skype, because you pay $$$$$$$ if you call from a cell phone directly without an international plan on it. The US and Canada have the same country code which is +1, and you didn't need the international access code to dial between them, but i think you likely still get socked with international calling charges. Edited January 8 by Matryoshka 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet2ndchance Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 7 minutes ago, Matryoshka said: From a landline, you need to first dial the international access code (from US it's 011) + country code then local number. Germany, for example, is +49. So, Germany from landline was 011 49... From a cell, you can just start with country code, I think - I've only called international from my cell with WhatsApp and Skype, because you pay $$$$$$$ if you call from a cell phone directly without an international plan on it. The US and Canada have the same country code which is +1, and you didn't need the international access code to dial between them, but i think you likely still get socked with international calling charges. That's right, it's 011. It's really been a while since I've had to call internationally lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 If the person on the other side happens to have an iPhone you can Facetime on audio-only. Give it a try, there won't be a fee if it doesn't work. If that fails I'd load up $10 on skype credits and call audio-only that way. We used to do that all the time back in the day when our my brother/ eldest / BIL and his whole family lived overseas. You need the same country & city (click the drop-down menu within that site for a particular country, and scroll down a bit, to get cities within that country) codes you do for old-fashioned landline or full-charge cellphone calls, but it's VOIP so it's only pennies per call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) 11 minutes ago, sweet2ndchance said: That's right, it's 011. It's really been a while since I've had to call internationally lol. From a landline, me too. I use WhatsApp and Skype (free!) to do it all the time. And just select the contact with no dialing at all. But as OP pointed out, that doesn't work to call a business, only friends whose contact info you know on that same platform. My pre-homeschooling job was in international marketing, so I called international from a landline every day and had the dialing sequence and many country codes well memorized! The paid Skype option where you can call from Skype to a published non-Skype number is probably the best option for OP. Edited January 8 by Matryoshka 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I think I would buy a calling card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess5 Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 It's been a while and I was not sure if calling cards are still available 😀. I had to call an airport in Turkey and I was wondering how I would reach them. Because they would not have Skype or WhatsApp, signal etc. Eventually I didn't have to call them but I just got me thinking in case I had to call somewhere else where they had a landline only. And we don't have landline at home now. Thanks all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I see calling cards for sell here and there, I know I see them at a cell phone repair store and an international grocery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 For calling in another country, I think I would try getting an international SIM card before I went. Our cell phone plan doesn’t have international calling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) 4 hours ago, Princess5 said: I have family sprinkled around the world and we use WhatsApp a lot. It's free and it's easy to use. But I just had to call a business in another country and they don't have WhatsApp and it was wondering how I am going to call them? So if you were planning to call somebody else in another country, how are you doing it right now. I tried using my cell phone but I did not go through. did you use the country code first? I just want to add - Canada is the only other country I've called without using a country code in addition to the regular phone number. Edited January 8 by gardenmom5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) 2 hours ago, Princess5 said: It's been a while and I was not sure if calling cards are still available 😀. I had to call an airport in Turkey and I was wondering how I would reach them. Because they would not have Skype or WhatsApp, signal etc. Eventually I didn't have to call them but I just got me thinking in case I had to call somewhere else where they had a landline only. And we don't have landline at home now. Thanks all. Skype->Skype is free. With buying some credit on Skype, you can use it to call Skype->landline at a good rate. That's what people are referring to with that option. The receiving person does not need to have Skype. Edited January 8 by Matryoshka 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 We use WhatsApp or FaceTime. You can also make a web-based call on an I-phone. Does the business have an online chat feature? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 With Skype out, you can call any phone. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 3 hours ago, sweet2ndchance said: As far as I know it's still 1 then the country code then the area code then the number. 1 is the country code for the US only. You only need to dial it if you are outside the US calling to the US. We have an international plan on our phones because we need it. Without it, we could still make international calls but would be charged crazy expensive rates. Check with your carrier about how they charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 When calling overseas, I use +”country code””phone number” to call from my cellphone but it is costly so only if there is no other option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) For direct calls to landlines or cellphones Skype credits. Business (and some family) meetings - Zoom or MSTeams Business texting - Signal Social and personal texting - Whatsapp ETA: For signal and WhatsApp, the recipient also needs an account. For Zoom and Teams you can send a meeting link and the recipient can connect via the Web Edited January 8 by Hannah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 30 minutes ago, Hannah said: For direct calls to landlines or cellphones Skype credits. Business (and some family) meetings - Zoom or MSTeams Business texting - Signal Social and personal texting - Whatsapp ETA: For signal and WhatsApp, the recipient also needs an account. For Zoom and Teams you can send a meeting link and the recipient can connect via the Web For personal contacts, if all parties have WhatsApp accounts, it also good for both voice and video calls. I think you may also be able to do group voice calls (connect multiple numbers), though I've never used it, I seem to remember it giving me the option to add another voice line when I was on a call. And of course excellent for both 1:1 and group texting. For 1:1 voice/video calls, I usually use WhatsApp if on my phone, and Skype if on my computer. Zoom is really only better if it's a group video chat. For 1:1 it's clunky and unnecessary to set up the link and all that, not to mention the time constraints if you don't have a paid account. For calling an international landline, like all have said, Skype credits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarita Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Since I have WhatsApp now I really wouldn't know. When I was working I would just use the office phone and google the numbers I needed to dial for which ever location I was calling. We don't have a landline at our house and I'm not on an international plan on my phone because I have no need for it. Personally I suppose probably go over to my in-laws to make the phone call and ask them to send me a bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) We use Rebtel. It is a Swedish company. In NZ, we can call the USA for free; other countries cost us pennies. It routes the international phone call through a local phone number so uses my minutes which are a part of my local phone plan. It allows me to call a phone number with an area code and a country code like in the old days. It does not require the receiver to have the app. Edited January 9 by lewelma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 We call through Facebook Messenger usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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