Cheapest Ways to Call India and Pakistan From the US and UK in 2026
The cheapest way to call India or Pakistan from the US or UK is a free WhatsApp call when your family is online, and a pay-as-you-go calling service when you need to reach a mobile or landline directly. On callmins, for example, calls cost about $0.059 a minute to Indian mobiles and $0.074 a minute to Pakistani mobiles at the time of writing, with no subscription, from a browser or an iPhone, Android or Mac app. Calling-app bundles from Rebtel, Talk360 or Boss Revolution can work out cheaper only if you call the same country for many hours a month.
Tens of millions of people of Indian and Pakistani origin live abroad, and the US and UK are home to two of the largest communities. Staying in touch is a weekly expense for millions of households, and the options changed when Skype closed in May 2025. Many families now split their calls between free apps and paid services without ever checking what they actually pay per minute. Here is a clear comparison.
The six options at a glance
| Option | Cost to India / Pakistan | Reaches landlines and basic phones | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp, IMO, Viber (app-to-app) | Free on data or Wi-Fi | No | Relatives with smartphones and good signal |
| callmins (pay as you go) | India mobile $0.059/min, Pakistan mobile $0.074/min | Yes | Mixed calling, elderly parents, irregular calls |
| Calling-app bundles (Rebtel, Talk360, Boss Revolution) | Monthly bundles or credit | Yes | Daily calling to one country |
| Google Voice | Per-minute rates | Yes | US residents with a US number |
| Calling cards and PIN services | Low headline rates, connection fees common | Yes | People without smartphones in the US or UK |
| US or UK carrier international add-ons | Usually highest per minute | Yes | Occasional calls when data is poor |
1. Free app calls: WhatsApp and IMO dominate
WhatsApp is the default in both India and Pakistan, and IMO remains popular with older relatives in Pakistan because it copes well with weak connections. These calls cost nothing beyond data. The problems are practical: power cuts, patchy mobile data in rural areas, and older relatives who don’t answer app calls. Many families also need to call shops, schools, hospitals or banks back home, which don’t answer WhatsApp.
2. Pay-as-you-go calling: reliable reach without a contract
Internet calling services that connect to ordinary phone numbers fill the gap. You top up a small balance and pay only for the minutes you use. callmins works this way, in a web browser on any laptop or phone, with apps for iPhone, Android and Mac. Current per-minute prices include:
- India: $0.052 to landlines, $0.059 to mobiles
- Pakistan: $0.084 to landlines, $0.074 to mobiles
- Bangladesh: $0.038
That makes a 30-minute call to a mobile in Lahore about $2.22, and the same call to a mobile in Mumbai about $1.77. There is no connection fee and no expiring bundle. The price appears before you connect. For a full breakdown of routes, networks and dialling formats, see this guide to cheap calls to Pakistan from the US, UK and Canada.
3. Calling-app bundles
Rebtel, Talk360 and Boss Revolution are well known in South Asian communities and sell country bundles, for example a monthly block of minutes to India. If you call one country for an hour or more every day, a bundle can beat per-minute pricing. If your calls are irregular, unused minutes are lost. Check whether a bundle covers both mobiles and landlines, and whether it renews automatically.
4. Google Voice
Google Voice offers international calling at per-minute rates and a free US number. It is aimed at US residents and needs an existing US phone number to set up, so it suits people settled in the US but not family members in the UK or elsewhere.
5. Calling cards and PIN dialling
Calling cards still exist, especially in community stores. Headline rates can look low, but connection fees, maintenance fees and rounding to whole minutes often make short calls expensive. They make sense mainly for people who don’t use smartphones at all.
6. Carrier international add-ons
US and UK carriers offer international packs. They are simple to use and don’t depend on data quality, but for regular calling to South Asia they tend to cost the most per minute. Some UK plans include limited minutes to India and Pakistan landlines but charge more for mobiles, which is where most people actually call.
When to call: the time-zone trap
India Standard Time is UTC+5:30 and Pakistan Standard Time is UTC+5, and neither country changes its clocks. The gap with the US and UK shifts twice a year when those countries switch to and from daylight saving time:
- From the UK: India is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead in winter and 4 hours 30 minutes ahead in summer. Pakistan is 5 hours ahead in winter and 4 in summer.
- From US Eastern time: India is 10 hours 30 minutes ahead in winter and 9 hours 30 minutes in summer. Pakistan is 10 hours ahead in winter and 9 in summer.
Early morning in New York is evening in Delhi and Karachi, which is usually the best time to catch the whole family at home.
Let them call you, too
Relatives in India and Pakistan often hesitate to call abroad because of the cost on their side. One fix is a virtual phone number: a US or UK number that rings on your phone or laptop over the internet. People can save it in WhatsApp and contacts, and you can also show it as your caller ID when you call out, so your family recognises it. Services such as callmins rent UK numbers for $3 a month and US numbers for $2 a month, with no setup fee.
Dialling formats
- From the US to India: 011 91 + 10-digit mobile number
- From the UK to India: 00 91 + 10-digit mobile number
- From the US to Pakistan: 011 92 + mobile number without the leading 0 (for example 3xx xxxxxxx)
- From the UK to Pakistan: 00 92 + mobile number without the leading 0
- In apps and internet calling services, simply use +91 or +92 followed by the number.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to call India from the US?
WhatsApp is free when both sides are online. To call Indian mobiles or landlines directly, pay-as-you-go internet calling is usually cheapest, around six cents a minute to mobiles, without a subscription.
How much does it cost to call Pakistan from the UK?
With a pay-as-you-go service such as callmins, about $0.074 a minute to Pakistani mobiles at the time of writing. Carrier rates are typically several times higher.
Why are calls to Pakistan more expensive than calls to India?
The price of an international call depends mostly on the fee the destination network charges to complete it. Termination fees for Pakistani numbers are higher than for Indian ones, so every provider’s rates reflect that.
Can I call India and Pakistan without a smartphone app?
Yes. Browser-based calling services work on any laptop with a microphone, and calling cards work from any phone.