Calling home as an international student or expat: the cheap, no-app way
Short answer
International students and expats can call family landlines and mobiles back home from a laptop or phone browser with RobinPhone — no local SIM plan, roaming or app needed, pay-as-you-go from $0.02 per minute, so a weekly 30-minute call to a UK or US landline costs about $0.60.
Moving abroad for study or work usually means a new phone plan that doesn’t include international calls, and relatives back home who don’t all use the same messaging app. A browser call fixes both: it runs over your Wi-Fi, and it rings their normal phone, whoever they are.
Step by step
- 1Work out the time difference and choose a weekly slotWeekends are easiest for everyone. Sunday 10 am in London is Sunday evening in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore; Sunday 9 am in New York is Sunday afternoon in London. Check again when the clocks change for daylight saving.
- 2Save your family as contactsAdd parents, grandparents and siblings once — landline or mobile, with the country code — and each call is a single tap from then on.
- 3Call over Wi-Fi from any browserRobinPhone works in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on a laptop or phone. It uses your internet connection, so you don’t need a local SIM plan with international minutes.
- 4Show a number your family recognisesVerify your own mobile number in RobinPhone and your calls show it as caller ID, so parents who screen unknown numbers still pick up.
- 5Budget a few dollars a monthPrepaid credit never expires. $10 covers about 500 minutes to a UK or US landline — around four months of weekly half-hour calls.
What it costs
| United States | $0.02/min |
| Canada | $0.02/min |
| United Kingdom | $0.02/min |
| Australia | $0.03/min |
| Malaysia | $0.02/min |
| Singapore | $0.06/min |
| South Korea | $0.06/min |
| Japan | $0.04/min |
| Mexico | $0.02/min |
| Colombia | $0.02/min |
| Brazil | $0.02/min |
| New Zealand | $0.04/min |
Live landline rates, billed per minute. No connection fee. Full rates for 175+ countries
Common questions
What’s the cheapest way for an international student to call home?
For people back home who use a landline or don’t share your messaging app, a pay-as-you-go browser call is usually cheapest. RobinPhone costs from $0.02 a minute with no subscription, so a weekly 30-minute call to a UK or US landline is about $0.60.
Do I need a local SIM card or phone plan?
No. RobinPhone runs in your browser over any internet connection, including campus or home Wi-Fi.
Is it cheaper than international calling on my mobile plan?
Usually by a long way. Without an international add-on, US carriers charge roughly $1.99 to $4.00 a minute to call countries like the UK or Australia (Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile standard rates, September 2026). RobinPhone calls to landlines in those countries start at $0.02 to $0.03 a minute.
Can I call my parents’ mobile as well as their landline?
Yes. RobinPhone calls mobiles and landlines. Mobile rates are higher in some countries; the table above shows both.
Can my family call me back?
Not through RobinPhone yet — it’s outbound-only for now. Most students agree a regular call time and message in between.
How much data does a browser call use?
A small amount, similar to a voice call on a messaging app. On Wi-Fi it doesn’t touch your mobile data at all.
More guides
Make the call now
First minute free. Then pay only for the minutes you talk — no app, no SIM, no subscription.