Calling a landline vs a mobile abroad: why the price is different
Two calls to the same country, same length, different price. It surprises a lot of people, but it isn’t random: what a call costs depends on the kind of number you dial and the network behind it. Here is how it works, and how Hyallo turns it into the per-minute price you see.
Who you really pay when you call abroad
Your call travels through several networks, and the last one - the network the number belongs to - charges a fee to deliver it, called termination. That fee is most of the price of an international call, and it varies a lot: mobile networks usually charge far more than landline networks, and many charge extra for calls that come from outside their country or region. Some regions cap these fees, but often only for calls that start inside them.
Why two mobiles in the same country can cost different amounts
Each mobile network sets its own fee for delivering a call, and in many countries one network charges several times what another does. Hyallo prices a mobile number at the rate for the range its first digits belong to, so two mobiles in the same country can have different prices. The cost checker shows the price for the exact number you type, before you dial. Landlines tend to be cheaper, because fixed networks charge less to deliver a call.
The gap depends on the country. In some, mobiles and landlines cost almost the same; in others, like the UK, a landline starts at $0.02/min while mobiles cost a few times that. Special numbers are their own category: some toll-free lines are cheap to reach (US toll-free costs $0.02/min), while premium and service numbers can be expensive.
What a "from" price means
The rate on each country page is a starting price: the cheapest kind of number in that country, usually a landline. The number you actually dial may cost more. Before you call, Hyallo shows the exact per-minute price for that specific number - in the dialer, or in the cost checker without an account.
How per-minute billing works on Hyallo
- You pay per started minute, at the rate shown before you dial: a 4-minute-10-second call is billed as 5 minutes.
- Billing starts when the call is answered. Unanswered, busy and failed calls cost nothing, and there’s no connection fee.
- An answering machine, voicemail or phone menu counts as answered, because the line has picked up.
- Your first 1-minute call is free for any number that costs up to $0.50/min.
- Credit is prepaid, with no subscription: you only ever spend what you added.
Ways to pay less
- If the person has both, call the landline.
- For businesses, prefer a regular geographic number over premium or service numbers.
- Check the number in the cost checker before you top up, so you know how many minutes your credit buys.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is calling a mobile abroad more expensive than a landline?
Mobile networks usually charge more than landline networks to deliver incoming international calls, and the fee differs from one mobile network to the next. Hyallo prices each mobile number at the rate for its own range, so the cost checker shows what that exact number costs.
Am I charged if nobody answers?
No. Unanswered, busy and failed calls are free. Billing only starts when the line picks up - which includes voicemail and automated menus.
Is Hyallo billed per second or per minute?
Per started minute: any part of a minute counts as a full minute, at the per-minute rate shown before you dial.