Keeping in regular contact with loved ones who live in another country can be a significant monthly expense. Whether you have children studying overseas, parents living in their home country, or siblings who moved for work, the costs can quickly add up.
Fortunately, there are several reliable methods to keep these bills to a minimum. From free messaging apps that rely on your internet connection to traditional voice services, you have plenty of choices to stay connected without breaking your budget.
For those living in areas with spotty coverage or who don't use smartphones, specialized UK mobile networks offer an excellent solution. They bundle international minutes directly into their monthly allowances, treating them much like local ones. This eliminates the need to pay steep per-minute rates on traditional networks.
For example, the Lebara 5GB SIM-only plan costs just £5 a month and includes 100 international minutes to around 40 countries alongside its UK allowance. This makes it an incredibly affordable option for people who want to call landlines or mobile numbers abroad directly from their phone.
Lebara runs on Vodafone's network, which delivers reliable coverage all over the UK, and all plans support Wi-Fi calling and 5G technology at no additional cost. This means calls hold up even in lower-signal areas.
Data-based applications remain the most popular choice for families worldwide for daily updates and quick check-ins. WhatsApp works on both Android and Apple devices and allows free voice and video calls over Wi-Fi. It's widely installed across the world, making it the most practical starting point for keeping in touch at no extra cost.
Apple users can also use FaceTime for calls with other Apple device owners, though this does not extend to people on Android phones. These applications are incredibly useful for sharing photos, sending voice notes, and holding group video chats.
However, they rely on both parties having access to a stable internet connection. If your family members travel frequently or reside in regions with high data costs, relying solely on these apps can lead to missed connections.
When using apps like WhatsApp and FaceTime, it's essential to keep data usage in mind. Voice and video calls use your internet connection, which means they eat into your mobile data allowance. A standard voice call typically uses around 30-40MB per hour, but a video call can use anywhere from 250MB to over 1GB per hour.
The simplest way to keep usage down is to make calls over Wi-Fi whenever possible. If you are on mobile data, switching to a voice-only call instead of video will make a big difference. You can also lower the data usage in WhatsApp by adjusting your settings.
By combining free messaging apps and dedicated budget SIMs, you can maintain strong family ties while keeping your monthly costs completely under control. This is especially true for calling landlines and older mobile phones, where a budget SIM offers the best value.
