On the website here: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/calling-over-internet
Rick Steves mentions several smartphone apps that allow free or low-cost Wi-Fi calls.
TextNow is another calling app that’s potentially useful for travelers due to an undocumented bonus feature I discovered by accident.
Like the Google Hangouts app, TextNow advertises that it allows free Wi-Fi calls to most USA & Canada numbers even if receiving party does not have TextNow app. This includes calls to cell numbers, landline numbers, and toll-free numbers.
Not mentioned anywhere by TextNow is this bonus feature:
FREE calls to numbers in Brazil, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom.
I made test calls to landlines in each country and they were all free.
For example, there was no charge for calls to the recorded messages at these numbers:
Louvre Museum in Paris: +33 1 40 20 53 17
British Museum in London: +44 20 7323 8299
U.S. Embassy in Mexico: +52 55 5080 2000
Because this bonus feature is undocumented, it’s not clear if any restrictions apply. The free calls might be temporary, or might apply only to landlines, or calls might be restricted in number or length. I sent a message to TextNow asking about this, but no response was received.
TextNow works differently from most other calling apps. When registering, you are assigned a free USA phone number that can be used to receive free Wi-Fi calls. The number expires if you don’t use the app for a while (with email warning) , and making free outgoing calls requires an active number. But it's easy to obtain a new number after an existing one expires. When opening the app after your number expires, you are asked to select an area code to be assigned a new number. You can then immediately make free Wi-Fi calls again.
More details:
— Available for iPhone & Android phones.
— Can only be used for for audio calls.
— TextNow account is based on your email address, which means one TextNow account can be used on multiple phones.
— Calls are free when caller & receiver both have the app.
— By adding prepaid credit to the app, calls can be made to other landlines and to cell phones that don’t have the app. Rates vary by country and are based on where call is TO not FROM.
— Credit can be added easily within the app.
— The app includes ads that can be distracting (but they help pay for the free calls).
If anyone has used TextNow for international calls, please share your experience.