A while ago I wrote a post detailing out the cheapest and most optimal way of making call within Nepal, surfing net in Nepal, and calling USA from Nepal. In this post I want to detail out the cheapest way to call Nepal from America. Yes, internet calling through various messengers like that of Facebook can sometimes be cheaper but such features are a luxury for some.
I’ll just say this right off the bat – as mentioned in my above linked post calling America (or Canada) from Nepal can cost as low as Rs 1.99 (a little less than 2 cent) per minute and you will not get anywhere near that rate when calling from US to Nepal, period.
T-Mobile
this is a discount lol?
I love T-Mobile 55+ plan because it gives 2 unlimited lines for $60 but calling Nepal via T-Mobile is terrible….I mean $5/min, seriously? I once heard of an uninformed customer getting billed roughly $500 for calling to Nepal…ouch. I myself was hit with this outrageous charge because I mistakenly told a family member to call Nepal through my T-Mobile line….I had meant to say Project Fi line…OOPS!
do not call Nepal through T-Mobile!!!
Project Fi and Google Voice
I am a big fan of Project Fi but neither does it provide coverage in Nepal nor does it provide cheapest calling rate to Nepal. Currently you can call Nepal using Google Voice at 10-16 cent per minute.
A vast majority of folks calling through Google Voice will be paying whatever price is listed for calling a mobile phone in Nepal (currently 12 cent/min). Google says “rates may change any time” and I guess they were not kidding because up until few days ago I was being charged 9 cent/min for calls made to mobile phone in Nepal.
google voice price can increase any time?
Lycamobile
The last one I will look at is Lycamobile which is well known for providing cheap international calling rate. As of writing this article Lycamobile is the must have for heavy Nepal dialer because:
- All Lycamobile plans provides free SMS to Nepal and such offer is almost non-existent
- Lyca charges 6 cent/min for calls made to Ncell mobile which is the cheapest rate you will find for calling to Nepal. Because literally everyone has Ncell (and NTC) lines it is not hard to lock on to 6 cent/min every time you want to call Nepal.
- Somehow by strange miracle Lyca thought to include Nepal in a plan. The $29 per month unlimited international plan provides 150 free minutes to landline and mobile.
cheap Nepal calling rates with Lycamobile
Summary
I think Lyca is amazing for heavy callers to Nepal but for casuals Google Fi will do just fine. You really have to do the math on your own to figure out which one is worth for you. If you choose to go with Lyca then be on a lookout for various promos they run, for example 20-30% off on first month or buy 2 month get 1 month free.
