Want to Make Free International Calls to Landline? Let us tell you how!

“The world is my oyster,” said the man consumed by wanderlust as he stepped onto the narrow path that led to the nearest small town in a faraway land. Seems romantic, doesn’t it? The life of a digital nomad or a traveler.

But reality strikes when they have to call home to let family know that they are well. And that is when they start looking for ways to make free international calls to landline, or any home number. Because, let’s face it, making international calls is pretty expensive.

The challenges of making international calls to landline

Whether you may be traveling the world for leisure of are on a business trip, it is absolutely essential to stay in touch with your home base. For a business traveler who spends most of the time traveling to other countries, it is imperative to stay in touch with other colleagues and the home office to share reports and updates and, of course, home. For a leisure traveler, it is vital to share their whereabouts and other updates with friends and family.

Businesses usually mandate calling on their office landline numbers as a way to keep communication seamless, centralized and uniform. In such cases, while it is easy for the receiver to take down details and updates from the caller and keep a record of the communication, it creates challenges for the caller.

The first problem is of cost. International calls to landline are expensive. The average cost of calling a landline number in the US, for instance, is $0.46 per minute. This can vary significantly depending upon the country from where the call is being made and the service provider. Considering that an average business reporting call lasts from three to five minutes, individuals have to shell out more than $2 for every call, several of which are to be made during the course of the business trip.

The second problem is of network, inter-operability and reachability. In many cases, due to these problems, it is not possible to place an international call to landline because there is no or poor coverage or the inter-operability between carriers is cumbersome. This creates a major hurdle in seamless communication between the business traveler and the home office.  

Making free international calls to landline is easy

Wherever we may find ourselves in the world, we are not away from our loved ones. Technology has brought the world closer, quite literally. And so making free international calls on landline today is really no big deal. While “free” here is a relative term, there are more than enough ways that help you make international calls at a fraction of the cost – you only pay for data usage – of conventional calling methods.

The technology that has sparked this telephony revolution is VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. This tech converts the analog sound signals into digital ones and using the power of the omnipresent internet, sends it to its intended destination. And while only a few years ago what was seen as a luxury – making international calls – is today a commonplace thing.

There are many VoIP apps for free international calls. These apps convert your smartphone into a powerful device using which you can make free international calls to landline, or any number you wish. Let’s take a quick look at some of the top free international calls app.

Apps for free international calls

1.     Skype

Used mostly by businesses, this app is one of the most popular free calling apps. Skype is very easy to use. You can use it for sending text messages, and for making voice and video calls. For a fee, you can also call a landline number. The mobile version has a lot of issues and does not perform as seamlessly and efficiently as the desktop version.

To call a landline number from Skype, you have to buy Skype credit or a paid subscription plan. So for 63 destinations around the world, for instance, you have to pay $13.99 per month (and $0.70 per minute if you use 2000 minutes per month). You need the latest version of Skype installed on your phone that lets you call any landline number.

2.     PopTox

PopTox allows free VoIP calls from your PC or smartphone. You only need a standard web browser and no apps or plugins are required. You just input the number you wish to call and chat for free. There is, however, a limit on the number of calls and duration per call (only 4 minutes) you can make in a day, because there is a cost associated with it. People have given mixed reviews on whether the service actually works or not.

3.     Line

This popular messaging app can also help you make free international calls to landline. The LineOut feature in this app allows you up to five minutes calls for free to almost any number on the world. But there are restrictions on the number of calls you can make in the day and the duration of the call, depending on which country you are calling to. Line also has paid plans that depend on which country you wish to call to. Plans aren’t flexible and you can choose only one country at a time in one plan.

4.     App-to-app calling

App-to-app calling is free in that you only have to pay for your data connection. Apps like WhatsApp, Viber, Google Duo offer these services where you can call any individual in the world (provided they have the same app you are calling from and are connected to the internet). These apps may not support calls to landline numbers, though.

5.     Phoner

Phoner is an app that not only helps you make free international calls online, but is also loaded with a bunch of features that make it a must-have in your mobile. A top-rated second phone number app, it offers free texting and cheap voice calls, including international calls. More importantly, you get to choose a second phone number that sort of becomes your identity while you are traveling. It is like having a local number while you are traveling within a different country.

Why choose Phoner?

If you value your privacy and want complete freedom and flexibility – things that are at a premium in this age – then getting Phoner is frankly a no-brainer. You get to choose an anonymous second phone number, texting and calling options, the flexibility to change the number without changing your mobile and an excellent backend support for an ever-evolving app. You can get all your calls forwarded to your primary number, in case the network isn’t perfect. And the app is supported on multiple platforms – web, iOS and Android. And yes, you can make free international calls to landline.

Want to know the best part? If you download Phoner, you will get free credits on signing up so that you can make free international calls to landline and mobile lines immediately. How’s that?

So while you are traveling in a different country for leisure or business and want to make an international calls, you can either use your own number or a local SIM. However, be prepared to get a huge, discomforting bill. But if you are a smart individual and wish to save money by making free international calls to landline, simply get Phoner and talk your heart out.