Recharging PIN
Make cheap international calls from Australia to 234 countries for a few cents a minute. Overseas calls from Australia cost less on a prepaid phone card than on most plans. Pick your country below to find the cheapest card and its international call rates.
Work Out the Cheapest Card for Your Call
Pick a country, the type of phone and how long you usually talk. The calculator compares our cards for that exact call and shows the cheapest one.
Choose a country to see the cheapest card.
The calculator covers all 234 countries and territories in our rate finder, for landlines and mobiles. Rates checked 22 October 2026.
The cheapest way to make international calls from Australia is a prepaid phone card matched to the country you call. You dial a local access number from your mobile or landline, enter a PIN, then dial the overseas number. Rates start at 1.4c a minute to the USA, 1.3c to China and 1.5c to Singapore on cards with a 49c connection fee per call. With no connection fee, rates start at 1.9c to the USA, 2.4c to China, 1.6c to Singapore and 2.8c to India. There is no contract and no monthly fee. The person you call needs nothing but a phone.
What an International Call from Australia Really Costs
A rate per minute only tells you part of the story. The real price of a call also depends on the connection fee and on how the card rounds up your minutes. The first column shows the lowest rate on a card with no connection fee. The other two show what a one-hour call costs on the cheapest card for that call, with any fee included.
Where the card names differ, a card with a connection fee and a lower rate wins on the long call. For short calls, the card with no fee is usually cheaper.
Prices in Australian dollars, including any connection fee and billing rounding, from each card’s local access number. Checked on 22 October 2026. Rates can change, and each card page shows the current rate before you buy. Tap a country for every card that calls it.
Three Ways to Make Cheap Calls Overseas from Australia
Prepaid phone card
Make calls to any landline or mobile overseas from the phone you already have. You pay a few cents a minute and only for what you use. No app and no new calling service to sign up for.
Best for calls to any phone
Your phone plan
Dialling 0011 straight from your mobile or landline uses your provider’s international rates, which can cost far more than a phone card. Check your provider’s rate for the country you call. Some plans add calling packs for a monthly fee.
Easiest, often dearest
Internet calling app
Free when both people have the same app and a good data or Wi-Fi connection. A free app call only reaches someone using that app, and it drops when the signal is weak.
Free if both are online
Many families use two of these. They use an app when both people are online and a phone card when they need to reach a grandparent’s landline, a basic mobile or someone in an area with poor internet.
Overseas Calls on a Mobile Plan, SIM or Roaming
Some Australian mobile plans and SIM plans include international calls to a list of countries, or sell an add-on pack for them. Check which countries and how many minutes the plan for international calls covers. Calls outside the pack use the provider’s standard international call rates, which is how bill shock happens.
International roaming is different. It covers calls you make while you are overseas with your Australian SIM, and roaming charges apply to each call. Before you travel, compare roaming with a local SIM or eSIM, or with a calling app on Wi-Fi. Call quality on an app depends on the internet connection at both ends.
A phone card is for calls from Australia. It suits people who call overseas often, because the rate a minute stays low and there is no monthly fee.
How to Make an International Call from Australia
Every overseas number from Australia uses the same pattern. Dial the exit code 0011, then the country code, then the area code without its first 0, then the number.
This international dialing pattern works from any landline and mobile phone. For example, to call a London landline you dial 0011 44 20 and then the 8 digit number. On a mobile you can type + instead of 0011, so +44 20 and the number works too. Our country dialling codes page lists every code.
With a phone card, from a mobile or landline
- Dial the local access number for your city. It is in the email we send you with your PIN.
- Enter your PIN. A voice tells you how much credit is left.
- Dial 0011, the country code and the number, then press #. The voice tells you how many minutes this call can last.
- Press ## to make another call without hanging up, or hang up when you finish.
Calling from a mobile works the same way. Your provider counts the call to the access number as a normal national call, so if your plan includes unlimited national calls, it costs nothing extra. You can also register your number for PINless dialling and skip step 2. PINless dialling may not work if your number is set to private.
Calls to Australia: Give People Overseas Your Number
When friends or businesses overseas need to call or text you, give them your number in international format. Write +61, the country code for Australia, then drop the first 0. International calls to Australia then reach your mobile in Australia or your landline number from any regular phone overseas.
| Type of number | In Australia | From overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | 0412 345 678 | +61 412 345 678 |
| Sydney landline | 02 9283 9292 | +61 2 9283 9292 |
| Perth landline | 08 9123 4567 | +61 8 9123 4567 |
The + stands for the exit code of whichever country the caller is in, so the same number works from anywhere.
Match the Card to the Way You Call
Short, frequent calls
Choose a card with no connection fee and small billing blocks. Every call is rounded up to the card’s block, so a 1 minute call on a card with 3 minute blocks is charged as 3 minutes. Golden Banana bills calls to Italian landlines by the minute at 2.5c, and Mabuhay Pinoy bills calls to the Philippines in 2 minute blocks.
Long calls once or twice a week
A card with a connection fee can work out cheaper once the call runs long enough. For Sri Lanka landlines, White charges 9.5c a minute plus 89c a call, against 16.5c a minute with no fee on All Seasons. From about 13 minutes, the card with the fee costs less. For UK landlines the gap in rates is small, so the fee only pays off after about 124 minutes. For most UK calls, Super Deal with no fee stays cheaper.
Calling more than one country
Credit on one card works for every country it calls, so check whether one card covers your list. Hello World is our cheapest no-fee card for landlines and mobiles in Greece, Indonesia, Germany, Bangladesh, Brazil and Colombia, plus mobiles in India and Fiji and landlines in Turkey and Egypt. Super Deal is the cheapest no-fee card for landlines and mobiles in the UK, New Zealand, Pakistan, Malaysia, Lebanon, Ireland and Nepal, plus mobiles in Malta, Japan, Italy and Turkey.
Small Things That Change the Price
- Landline or mobile. Calls to overseas mobiles often cost more. A UK landline is 3.2c a minute and a UK mobile is 9.8c on Super Deal.
- Which access number you dial. Our rates are for the local access numbers, available in 54 cities. The 1300 number works anywhere in Australia but adds 5c a minute.
- Card size. Some larger cards include bonus credit. The $30 India Call card gives you $33 of calls, and the $50 Hello World card gives you $55.
- Credit life. Credit lasts 6 months from your first call or last recharge. A recharge brings back any credit that has expired.
- Calling from overseas. Some of our cards also have access numbers in the USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Africa, which helps when you travel.
Choose your country and see every card that calls it, with its rate and talk time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an international call from Australia cost?
With a phone card it depends on the country, the type of phone you call and how long you talk. A 60 minute call to a landline in India costs $1.68, to the USA $1.14 and to a UK landline $1.92. Use the table or the calculator on this page for other countries and call lengths.
What is the cheapest way to make international calls from Australia?
If the person you call has no internet, a prepaid phone card is usually the cheapest way. Rates start at 1.4c a minute to the USA plus a 49c connection fee per call, or 1.9c a minute to the USA and Canada with no fee. There is no contract and no monthly fee. If both of you have a good internet connection, a calling app costs nothing extra.
Is +61 the same as 0011?
No. 0011 is the code you dial to leave Australia when you call overseas. +61 is the country code for Australia, which people in other countries dial to reach you. On a mobile you can type + in place of 0011.
How do I call a +1 number from Australia?
+1 is the country code for the USA and Canada. Dial 0011 1, then the 3 digit area code and the 7 digit number. On a phone card, dial the access number and your PIN first. Our cheapest card with no connection fee for both countries is Easy Calling at 1.9c a minute. Ring Me is 1.4c a minute to the USA plus 49c a call, which works out cheaper on calls longer than about 97 minutes.
How do I make cheap calls overseas from my mobile phone?
Dial the local access number from your mobile phone, enter your PIN, then dial 0011, the country code and the number. Your calling credit pays the low rate a minute. The call goes over the phone network, so call quality does not depend on an internet connection. If you call directly with 0011 from your mobile, your plan's international rates apply instead.
Where can I find cheap rate international calls?
Compare phone card rates for the country you call. Our 36 cards each have their own rates, and the calculator on this page picks the cheapest card for your call. International calls in Australia on a phone card have no contract and no monthly fee.
Why can't I call overseas from my mobile?
Some plans block international calls, or charge for them from a separate credit balance that has run out. Check the settings or ask your provider. With a phone card you dial an Australian access number, which is a national call, and the phone card connects the overseas part.
How do I write an Australian phone number in international format?
Write +61, then drop the first 0 of the number. A mobile number 0412 345 678 becomes +61 412 345 678. A Sydney landline 02 9283 9292 becomes +61 2 9283 9292.
Can I make free international calls from Australia?
Calls over the internet through an app are free when both people have the same app and a data or Wi-Fi connection. When the other person has only a landline, a basic mobile or weak internet, a phone card reaches them for a few cents a minute.
Do phone cards expire?
Our cards stay active for 6 months from your first call or your last recharge. If credit expires, a recharge restores it, so you do not lose what was left on the card.
More Guides for Calling Overseas
- How to call overseas from Australia
- International call rates, every country
- International calling plans vs phone cards
- Best phone card to call international
- Cheap calls to India
- Cheap calls to the USA
- Cheap calls to the UK
- Cheap calls to China
- Cheap calls to Italy
- Cheap calls to Pakistan
- Cheap calls to Sri Lanka
- How to call New Zealand from Australia
- How to call Greece from Australia
- How prepaid calling cards work
- Do prepaid phone cards expire?
