Calling abroad straight from a UK mobile or landline is still expensive. Unless you pay for an international add-on, networks charge their standard international rates, often well over a pound a minute, and inclusive UK minutes never cover calls overseas. You do not have to pay that. With Planet Numbers you dial a UK access number first, then the international number, and the call costs pennies a minute instead.
It works from any UK landline or mobile. There is no app to install, no data connection needed on either end and no contract.
The three ways to call
1. Prepaid account: the cheapest
- Set up an account and register the UK phone number you will call from. You can add more than one.
- Top up by PayPal. The minimum is £5 and the credit never expires.
- Dial 0161 328 7777, wait for the tone, then dial the international number starting 00.
We recognise the phone you are calling from, so there is no PIN to enter. Calls come off your credit from 1p a minute, with a 5p connection charge once the other person answers. Nothing is added to your phone bill, and because our access number is an ordinary 0161 number, the call to us comes out of your inclusive UK minutes on most plans.
2. Free, if your plan includes 0845 or 0870 calls
Dial 0845 222 6666 then the international number. If your plan counts 0845 numbers as inclusive minutes, the call costs you nothing extra. More than 100 countries are covered. See how free international calls work and the free calls list.
3. Instant access numbers: no sign-up
Every country page shows an 084 number you can dial before the international number with no account at all. Your phone provider bills you our advertised rate plus their access charge. It is handy for a one-off call or to try the service, but the access charge makes it dearer than prepaid if you call regularly.
Which should you use?
If your plan includes 0845 calls and the country is on the free list, use the free service. If not, or if you call often or for a long time, set up the prepaid account: it has our lowest rates and you always know what you have spent. Use an instant access number only for the occasional call.
What about bolt-ons and international SIMs?
The big networks sell international add-ons that give you a bundle of minutes to selected countries for a monthly fee, and some SIM-only networks include international minutes in their plans. They can be good value if you call one country heavily every month and the country is on their list. The catches are the monthly fee whether you use it or not, bundles that only cover certain countries, and minutes that often exclude mobiles or cap call length. A prepaid account has no monthly fee, covers hundreds of countries and works alongside whatever plan you already have.
What does it cost?
Pick the country on the home page or check the A to Z rates list. Each country page shows the prepaid rate, the mobile rate where it differs, the instant access rate and whether the country is on the free service. Prices include VAT.
Getting the number right
Dial 00, then the country code, then the number without its leading zero. A French number written 06 12 34 56 78 becomes 00 33 6 12 34 56 78. Our international dialling codes page lists every country, and our guide on how to dial an international number covers the exceptions.
If anything goes wrong, send us the number and the time of the call through the support form and we will check the call record.