Pay-As-You-Go International Calling With No Subscription: 7 Services Compared

Pay-as-you-go international calling means you add credit once and pay per minute only when you call a phone number abroad, with no monthly plan. Google Voice, BOSS Revolution, Yolla, Talk360, Rebtel, Viber Out and Kinvo all work this way. If price per minute is all that matters, Google Voice (for US residents) and BOSS Revolution are usually the cheapest. Kinvo is not the cheapest per minute; it is the one that runs in a browser with no app and no US account.

Since Skype shut down in May 2025 and stopped selling Skype Credit, a lot of people who made a few calls a month are looking for the same model: top up a small amount, call when needed, no subscription. This guide compares the services that still offer it on the things that decide the real cost: whether you need an app, what gets added on top of the per-minute rate, and how minutes are counted.

Quick comparison

Per-minute prices change often and differ between landlines and mobiles. Always check the provider's own rate page for the exact country before you top up. Kinvo's rates for every country are on the rates page.

What actually changes the cost

1. The per-minute rate to your country

This is the biggest factor, and it varies a lot between services and between landlines and mobiles in the same country. A service that is cheapest to India can be expensive to Kenya. Compare the rate for the exact country and the type of number (mobile or landline) you call most.

2. Connection fees and surcharges

Some services add a fixed charge per call or a surcharge for a particular way of dialling. Kinvo charges 5¢ when a call is answered (nothing for unanswered calls). BOSS Revolution adds 1.5¢ a minute only when you call through its toll-free access numbers rather than the app. On short calls, a per-call fee matters more than the per-minute rate.

3. How minutes are counted

Viber Out and Kinvo both round each call up to the next full minute, so a 61-second call is billed as two minutes. For many short calls this adds up; for long calls it barely matters.

4. Whether credit runs out

Kinvo credit never expires. Expiry rules differ between the other services and can depend on account activity, so read the terms before buying a large top-up anywhere.

The services, one by one

Google Voice: cheapest for US residents

Google Voice charges international calls per minute with no connection fee, and its rates are among the lowest we have checked. It works from a computer browser and from its app. The catch: you need a Google Voice account, which requires a US phone number to set up, so it is not an option for most people living outside the US. More detail: Kinvo vs Google Voice.

BOSS Revolution: low rates to many family routes

BOSS Revolution is a prepaid calling service focused on calls home to Latin America, Africa and Asia. You can call through its app or by dialling a toll-free access number from any phone, which is useful for someone without a smartphone. Calls through the access numbers cost 1.5¢ a minute more than app calls.

Yolla and Talk360: pay-as-you-go apps

Both are phone apps for calling mobiles and landlines abroad with prepaid credit, and the person you call does not need the app or internet. Compare them on the rate for your country. Side by side: Kinvo vs Yolla.

Rebtel: pay as you go, with optional bundles

Rebtel sells pay-as-you-go credit and monthly bundles for specific countries. If you call one country for hours every month, a bundle can work out cheaper than paying by the minute; if you call occasionally, stick with credit. More: Kinvo vs Rebtel.

Viber Out: if you already use Viber

Viber Out adds paid calls to regular phone numbers inside the Viber app, with pay-as-you-go credit or optional plans. Calls are billed per full minute. More: Kinvo vs Viber Out.

Kinvo: no app, no US account, from any browser

Kinvo is a browser-based calling service: you sign up, add credit from $5, and call landlines and mobiles in over 200 countries from Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox, on a computer or a phone. There is no app to install, no monthly fee, and credit never expires. Kinvo is not the cheapest per minute on most routes, so if you call one country often and are happy to install an app, compare it against the services above first.

Where Kinvo fits: you want to call from a laptop or a work computer where you cannot install software, you do not have a US number for Google Voice, or you call several countries a few times a month and want one balance that does not expire. See what a call costs on common routes, for example Egypt from the US or the US from the UK.

How to choose

• You live in the US and want the lowest rate: start with Google Voice.
• You call family in one country every week: compare a Rebtel bundle with BOSS Revolution and Yolla's per-minute rate for that country.
• The person calling has no smartphone: BOSS Revolution's access numbers work from any phone.
• You want to call from a computer with nothing to install, or you have no US number: Kinvo.
• You make many very short calls: watch for per-call fees and per-minute rounding.

FAQ

What is the cheapest pay-as-you-go international calling service?

It depends on the country. For US residents, Google Voice is often the cheapest; BOSS Revolution and Yolla are also among the lowest on many routes. Check each service's rate for the exact country and number type before you top up.

Can I make international calls without a subscription?

Yes. Every service in this guide lets you buy credit and pay per minute with no monthly plan. Rebtel and Viber Out also sell optional plans, but you do not have to use them.

Can I call internationally without an app?

Yes. Google Voice works in a web browser if you have a US account, and Kinvo works in any browser with no app and no US number. BOSS Revolution also lets you call through access numbers from a regular phone.

Does pay-as-you-go credit expire?

Kinvo credit never expires. Other services set their own rules, which can depend on account activity, so check their terms.

Want to try calling from your browser? Start with Kinvo, or compare the rate for your country first.