How to call hotel in Europe with no charge

I'm not aware of any app that allows free calls to regular phones in Europe. I've seen apps pop up here and there that were free for such calls as an introductory offer but not on an ongoing basis, and I've not seen one lately.

The cheapest way I know is to use Skype or Google Voice to call. Each requires you buy credit ahead of time - in $10 increments I think. So unfortunately, you'd have to spend $10 just to make one call. Credit does roll over if you keep using it. I've had a few bucks on my Skype account for years that I keep rolling over.

I do wonder what it costs to call just using your regular cell phone? Probably not cheap but maybe cheaper than $10 for one call. If you might make more calls to Europe in the future, then you could make more use of that $10 credit with Skype or Google Voice.

Doesn't your cell service allow long distance calling?

I have never tried but I know there is a charge. I will call and find out what the charge is. T mobile is free I think but we have Verizon.

Verizon could well cost something like $3 per minute, and if you're calling a non-English-speaking country, it could take minutes, rather than seconds, to get an English speaker on the phone; you could also end up on hold with the meter ticking.

I hope you're not trying to call a Premier Inn. Odds are very good that it will not work at any price.

You can also try calling with Facebook Messenger, if you have a Facebook.

In addition, you can turn off your data and limit your phone to WiFi calling only and then you should be able to call over WiFi, which should be free. (EDIT: this is wrong. Andrew’s answer below is correct)

I'm surprised they don't have WhatsApp though - I'm usually successful with that.

Valerie, WiFI Calling used in the US is not going to make a call to Europe free. In Europe, if your phone would be in international roaming otherwise, WiFi calling would be free to call home to the US. Not the other way around.

Should add that Skype and Google Voice are very cheap - only a few cents per minute. It's just that you have to buy that $10 block of credit to make any calls.

@Andrew - Thank you for the correction - that’s valuable information!
I put a correction on my post above, but didn’t delete - so people don’t get inaccurate info.

WhatsApp is free at both ends, talk and message. The only hitch is both ends have to have it. Works over wifi.

I was going to suggest WhatsApp but you will have to look on the hotel website to see if they have it.

I just added “global calling” with verizon for $15.00 for 300 minutes which lasts for one billing cycle or until the end of my current billing cycle. I had to look at the Rick Steves guidebook to figure out how to make the call-which numbers to add and which to drop. And it worked! Yay!

Which hotel? Perhaps some member has experience of contacting a particular hotel or representative e.g whatsapp or Skype to a general manager.

If hotel is part of bigger chain, sometimes, there is a toll free reservation number which may connect you to the front desk of the hotel if you ask.

If you put the hotel number in your contacts, and then go to WhatsApp, it will tell you if the hotel has it.

It sounds like he already tried WhatsApp - not every hotel has it, and it's easy to tell if you put their phone number in and you see them, then you can call with WhatsApp.

$15 for international calling for a month is fine, though $10 for Skype would have been cheaper and maybe lasted for years of occasional calls to Europe.

OTOH while in London I just couldn't figure out which digits I needed to dial for a local number, the concierge finally did it for me