International Calling for UK Businesses: What VoIP Costs vs Traditional Lines

If your business makes regular calls outside the UK, your phone bill is probably higher than it needs to be. Traditional landlines and legacy business phone systems charge per minute for international calls — and those rates add up fast.

VoIP handles international calling differently. Depending on your plan, you either pay significantly lower per-minute rates or you pay nothing at all, because international calls are bundled in.

This guide covers what UK businesses typically pay on traditional lines, how VoIP compares, and when it makes financial sense to move to a plan that includes international calls outright.

What Traditional Lines Charge for International Calls

On a standard BT business line or legacy ISDN system, international call rates vary by destination and provider. As a rough guide:

• USA / Canada: 5p–15p per minute
• Australia: 10p–20p per minute
• Germany / France / Spain: 5p–15p per minute
• India (landlines): 8p–20p per minute
• Less common destinations: 20p–50p+ per minute

These aren't peak-rate premium numbers. These are standard international rates from mainstream business line providers.

The problem compounds when you factor in call duration. A 10-minute call to a US client at 12p/minute costs £1.20. Unremarkable in isolation. But multiply that across multiple staff, multiple calls per day, multiple countries — and it becomes a meaningful line item.

Many businesses don't notice until they actually audit their phone bills. By then, they've been overpaying for years.

Who This Affects Most

Exporters and importers talk to suppliers, freight partners, and customers in multiple countries. A 30-minute call with a manufacturer in Germany or a client in the USA is a normal part of the working week.

E-commerce businesses with international customers field support calls, handle returns, and manage courier queries across multiple time zones.

Businesses with overseas offices or remote teams make internal calls internationally as a matter of routine. These aren't revenue-generating calls — they're operational. Paying per minute for them is pure waste.

Professional services firms — consultants, solicitors, accountants — with international clients often have extended phone-based conversations. Per-minute billing penalises exactly the kind of detailed, relationship-building calls that grow client accounts.

How VoIP Changes the Equation

VoIP routes calls over the internet rather than the public switched telephone network. That changes the underlying cost structure entirely. The result is either much lower per-minute rates or, at the higher plan tier, no per-minute charges at all for covered destinations.

At VoIPninjas:

• Ronin (£5.99/user/month) — 100 UK minutes included. International calls at VoIP per-minute rates.
• Samurai (£14.99/user/month) — 750 UK minutes, call recording, auto-attendant, mobile app. International calls at VoIP per-minute rates.
• Shogun (£24.99/user/month) — unlimited calls to UK landlines and mobiles, plus calls to landlines in 55 countries included.

What's Included in Shogun's 55 Countries

The Shogun plan covers calls to landlines in a broad range of destinations, including:

• North America: USA, Canada
• Europe: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Portugal, Poland
• Asia-Pacific: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong
• South Asia: India (landlines)
• Latin America: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico

This covers the destinations that matter most to the majority of UK businesses with international operations.

Important note: the 55-country inclusion applies to calls to landlines. International mobile rates are separate. Always check the rate card for the specific destination and number type before assuming a call is covered.

Worked Example: USA and Germany, Two Hours a Week

A UK business has a sales team member who calls US clients and a German supplier regularly. Combined, they spend around two hours a week on international calls — roughly 50/50 between the USA and Germany.

On a traditional line at average rates:

• USA: 60 min/week × 10p = £6.00/week
• Germany: 60 min/week × 10p = £6.00/week
• Total: ~£48–52/month

On Samurai (£14.99/user/month) with VoIP per-minute rates (at 3p/min):

• USA: 60 min × 4 weeks × 3p = £7.20/month
• Germany: 60 min × 4 weeks × 3p = £7.20/month
• Plan cost: £14.99
• Total: ~£29.39/month

On Shogun (£24.99/user/month): Those 120 minutes of international calls per week are included. Total cost: £24.99/month.

At two hours a week, Shogun is cheaper than Samurai plus per-minute charges — and the calculation tips further in Shogun's favour with every additional minute called.

Calling From Abroad: The Mobile App Advantage

International calling isn't just about calling to other countries from the UK. Some businesses have staff who travel internationally — sales teams visiting clients, directors attending conferences, engineers on-site overseas.

The VoIPninjas mobile app changes this. Staff travelling abroad can make and receive calls on their UK business number over any Wi-Fi or mobile data connection. The call routes through the VoIP system as normal. No roaming charges. No missed calls. No confusion for clients who get a different number.

Which Businesses Should Move to Shogun

Shogun makes sense when international calling is a regular, ongoing part of operations — not an occasional thing.

Consider it if:

• You call the same countries every week and the minutes add up
• You have more than one user making international calls regularly
• You have overseas offices or remote international team members
• You want cost certainty — a fixed monthly bill rather than a variable one

If international calls are infrequent — a few minutes a month — Samurai with per-minute charges is the more cost-effective option.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Shogun plan really include international calls at no extra charge?

Yes — calls to landlines in the 55 covered countries are included in the £24.99/user/month plan. There are no additional per-minute charges for those destinations. International mobile numbers are not included and are charged separately. Check the rate card for specific destinations and number types.

What happens if I call a country not in the 55-country list?

Calls to countries outside the included list are charged at per-minute VoIP rates. These are still significantly lower than standard PSTN international rates. Contact us for specific rates to destinations not on the standard list.

Can staff use the mobile app to make calls when travelling internationally?

Yes. The mobile app works over any Wi-Fi or mobile data connection, anywhere in the world. Staff abroad can make and receive calls on their UK business number without incurring roaming charges.

Is there a minimum contract term?

No. All plans are 28-day rolling. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time. The 14-day free trial doesn't require a credit card, so there's no risk in testing whether Shogun works for your usage pattern before committing.