How do you make international calls without a contract?
Use a prepaid line in an app. With Nimra you add credit, call real phone numbers in the US, Canada and most other countries from a US number, and pay by the minute. There is no plan, no minimum and nothing to cancel: when you stop adding credit, it simply stops.
The ways to call abroad, compared
| Option | Commitment | Calls landlines and offices | Gives you a number to be called on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your carrier's international add-on | A monthly plan or bundle | Yes | Your own number, at international rates for the caller |
| Calling cards | None | Yes, through an access number | No |
| Messaging apps | None | No. Both sides need the same app | No |
| A prepaid line in an app, like Nimra | None | Yes | Yes, a US or Canadian number |
When a messaging app is enough, and when it isn't
If the person you are calling uses the same messaging app as you, call them there. It's free and you don't need anything else.
A line with a real number is for everything those apps can't reach: a university office, a bank's call centre, a supplier's landline, a clinic, a client who simply gave you a phone number. It is also the only one of the two that lets those people call you.
Being called matters as much as calling
- From the US and Canada, your Nimra number is a domestic call. A client or an office calls it without a second thought.
- If you miss it, the caller reaches your voicemail and you read the message, written out in English or Arabic.
- If you'd rather not be woken, quiet hours send calls to voicemail during the hours you choose.
- If you are away from the app, unanswered calls can forward to your other number.
How paying works
- You buy prepaid credit in the app through the App Store or Google Play. It doesn't expire.
- The line itself is paid from that credit every 30 days.
- Calls are charged by the minute: one rate for the US and Canada, one for other countries. The rates are listed in the app.
- No contract, no minimum, no cancellation. Every price is on the pricing page.
Limits, plainly: calls travel over your internet connection, so you need Wi-Fi or mobile data, and a network that restricts internet calling can stop them. A few high-cost destinations and premium numbers aren't available. Emergency numbers are handed to your phone's own dialer. Lines receive texts but can't send them yet.
Common questions
Do I need a new SIM card for international calls?
No. The line is an app on the phone you already have. It uses Wi-Fi or mobile data, and your own SIM and number stay as they are. A SIM abroad, or a number in an app?
What number does the person I call see?
Your Nimra number, a US or Canadian number. They can call it back, and in the US and Canada that is a domestic call for them.
Is it free if both of us use the same messaging app?
App-to-app calls on a messaging app are free and need no number at all. A Nimra line is for the calls those apps cannot make: to a landline, an office, a bank, a university, or anyone who is not on the same app.
Can I call every country?
Most countries. A few high-cost destinations and premium numbers are not available, and emergency numbers are handed to your phone's own dialer.
Call abroad when you need to. Pay for those minutes only.
A prepaid US number on the phone you already have. No SIM, no contract.
