Key takeaways
- Calls on WhatsApp, Viber or FaceTime over Wi-Fi use no mobile data and cost nothing extra
- On mobile data, an app call costs only if it pushes you past your plan’s data
- Long-distance add-ons can be very cheap: chatr sold 300 minutes to China and Hong Kong for $5 (October 2026)
- Pay-per-minute long distance is usually the most expensive way to call
- Some postpaid plans include international calling, such as Rogers 5G+ Popular (27 countries)
How the calculator works
The calculator prices up to four ways to call another country and sorts them from cheapest to most expensive:
- Calling app. We take your minutes, remove the share you make on Wi-Fi, and multiply the rest by the data used per minute. If that fits inside the data you usually have left over, the cost is $0. If not, we price the extra gigabytes at your plan’s average cost per GB, as a rough cost of moving to a bigger plan.
- Long-distance add-on. We count how many packs you need to cover your minutes and multiply by the pack price.
- Pay per minute. Minutes × the rate you enter. Leave it empty to skip this method.
- Plan with international minutes. The extra monthly cost of that plan, plus any minutes over the included amount at your pay-per-minute rate.
Worked example
Amira calls her parents for 300 minutes a month. She makes 70% of calls on Wi-Fi. Her plan is $35 for 50 GB and she usually has 5 GB left at month end.
- App calls: 300 × 30% = 90 minutes on mobile data. At 1 MB a minute, that is about 0.09 GB. It fits in her spare 5 GB, so the cost is $0.
- Add-on: one $5 pack of 300 minutes covers her month: $5.
The app is cheapest. The add-on is still useful for calling a landline or relatives who do not use apps.
Ways to call home from Canada
Calling apps
WhatsApp, Viber, FaceTime, Google Meet, Imo and similar apps call other app users for free over the internet. Quality depends on the connection at both ends.
Carrier add-ons
Most carriers sell long-distance packs or monthly add-ons for popular countries. For example, chatr listed 300 minutes to China and Hong Kong for $5 on October 5, 2026. Check your carrier’s add-ons page for your country.
Plans with international calling
On its newcomer page, Rogers listed unlimited calling to 27 countries on its 5G+ Popular ($80) and Ultimate ($95) plans, after the Auto-Pay discount. Public Mobile’s Canada-US-Mexico plans included 1,000 international minutes during a promotion that ended October 5, 2026.
Pay per minute
Without an add-on, carriers charge a per-minute long-distance rate that varies by country. It is often the most expensive option for regular calls.
Check which countries a plan or add-on covers, and whether calls to mobile numbers are included, before you buy.
Next steps
If you also send money to family, compare transfer costs in sending money home. To choose a plan with the right data for app calls, see cheapest phone plans or best phone plans for newcomers. For a full picture of your phone costs with tax, use the mobile plan cost calculator.
Avoid surprise charges
- Calling a number abroad without an add-on is charged per minute, often at a much higher rate than an add-on.
- Calls to some countries, or to mobile numbers, may not be included in an add-on. Read the country list.
- An app call on mobile data counts against your plan. Turn on Wi-Fi calling in the app when you are at home.
- When you travel, turn off data roaming unless your plan includes it.