I am trying to understand this. i was on an international call for over 3 hours. I thought since it was a WiFi call I would not get charged expensive international rates. After my call, I received a text that my call cost me $636.00.. That’s $3 a minute charge. I think that is kind of outrageous for a WiFi call. Is this standard in the industry? I just want to understand this practice. if they call me do I get charged the same or is it free because I am the one who answered the call?Help me understand how this all works to see if I need to pursue other avenues to communicate with friends abroad I have made over the years. Thank you for your time.

If you’re in the US and use Wi-Fi calling to call internationally, you are still subject to your plans long distance charges. When you’re outside the US, you can use Wi-Fi calling to call back to the US for free. Incoming international calls are treated the same as any other incoming call, they are included in your plan.There is a feature called Stateside International Talk that you can add on your plan for $15 a month that gives you free or discounted calling to other countries. Here’s a link to the feature that lets you check if the countries you’re calling are included:https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/international-calling#check-rates

What you're doing What you're charged on Wi-Fi Calling Receiving any calls or messages Calling to U.S.* phone numbers Sending messages to U.S.* phone numbers If you have an unlimited plan: Any incoming calls: No fees Any incoming messages: No fees Outgoing calls and messages that you make to U.S. phone numbers: No fees If you have a plan without unlimited, calls and messages count against your plan limits. Calling to international (non-U.S.*) phone numbers When you're in the U.S. Wi-Fi calls placed to other countries are subject to your plan's long distance charges. Check stateside international rates for long distance fees. When you're outside the U.S. (international roaming) If you have an unlimited plan: When in a Simple Global country, calls are $0.25/min for roaming (same as cellular). When on a cruise ship/ferry network, airline (in-flight) network, or any countries not on the Simple Global list, calls are charged World Class rates. If you don't have an unlimited plan, calls to other countries are charged at World Class Calling rates. Sending messages to international (non-U.S.*) phone numbers When you're in the U.S. Messages sent while connected to Wi-Fi Calling are subject to your plan's long distance charges. Check stateside international rates for long distance fees. When you're outside the U.S. (international roaming) When in a Simple Global country, messages are not charged for roaming. When on a cruise ship/ferry network, airline (in-flight) network, or any countries not on the Simple Global list, sending message to any countries not on Simple Global costs $0.50 for roaming. Data or Internet usage Nothing. Data usage over Wi-Fi doesn't use the T-Mobile network. We don't see it or charge for it. Connecting through a VPN A Virtual Private Network (VPN) connects you securely to a network of other computers. While connected, your Internet usage goes through that network, wherever it's located. When VPN connects your device to another country the first time, you'll receive a standard Welcome SMS, and you must enable data by dialing #RON#. Even if you're in the U.S. or a Simple Global country, you may be charged World Class rates. https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/wi-fi-calling-from-t-mobileIf the call was international originating from the US, the best thing to do would be add Stateside International to your plan. Please note that Stateside only covers calls made over cellular and WiFi calls will be charged at the normal rates.Hope this helps clear everything up!

This is a very egregious use of an unregulated area of telecommunications. There needs to be restrictions placed on companies fleecing its customers like this. I.e. Before T-Mobile took over Sprint, you could travel anywhere in the world, switch to wi fi calling on any network and make free wi fi calls. This is because the wi fi foreign network that we connected to is covering any costs associated with its patrons use. T-Mobile scraped Sprint’s less greedy policy and replaced it with the current one that makes it much more difficult to place true wi fi calling so that the vast majority of users are duped into thinking they are not paying for wi fi calls when T-mobile charges although its costing it ZERO to permit us to use wi fi calls freely. Only because I am paying monthly on a phone have I stayed with T Mobile. Once I find time, I am going to switch.

Happened to me today. I have international calling block. I got a phone call and not knowing it’s from Canada. I returned the call and got charged for it. Somehow, t-mobile automatically switch my call from using T-mobile network to wifi calling and charged me. I find this not acceptable.

I had the same rude shock after making two direct calls from the U.S. to Europe. I have been very happy with the T-Mobile plans for coverage outside of the U.S but didn’t expect this at all since it was not something I was informed about when signing up for my plan. It is undoubtedly buried somewhere in the fine print but no salesperson mentioned it when I was signing up. It also doesn’t help that the page on the T-mobile website where you can calculate international dialing rates is broken.Calling Abroad | Stateside International Services | T-Mobile No matter what country you type into the box you get back a message that it cannot be found. Probably just a coincidence but T-Mobile, with which I have been very happy could do a much better job of transparency on this particular matter. $3.00 a minute for an international call is something from another era.

International Wifi Calls | T-Mobile Community

drnewcomb
Fiber Fanatic
4 years ago
The moral of the story is to avoid T-Mobile international rack rates at all time, under all circumstances. Far better to use Google Voice, FaceTime, etc.
All WiFi calling does it to act as the “last mile” between your phone and T-Mobile’s switch. Sometimes the “last mile” is just that and other times it can be thousands of miles but it just gets your call back to the switch. From the switch to the recipient is where you can run into problems.

magentatechie

Bandwidth Buddy

4 years ago

What you're doing	What you're charged on Wi-Fi Calling
Receiving any calls or messages Calling to U.S.* phone numbers Sending messages to U.S.* phone numbers	If you have an unlimited plan: Any incoming calls: No fees Any incoming messages: No fees Outgoing calls and messages that you make to U.S. phone numbers: No fees If you have a plan without unlimited, calls and messages count against your plan limits.
Calling to international (non-U.S.*) phone numbers	When you're in the U.S. Wi-Fi calls placed to other countries are subject to your plan's long distance charges. Check stateside international rates for long distance fees. When you're outside the U.S. (international roaming) If you have an unlimited plan: When in a Simple Global country, calls are $0.25/min for roaming (same as cellular). When on a cruise ship/ferry network, airline (in-flight) network, or any countries not on the Simple Global list, calls are charged World Class rates. If you don't have an unlimited plan, calls to other countries are charged at World Class Calling rates.
Sending messages to international (non-U.S.*) phone numbers	When you're in the U.S. Messages sent while connected to Wi-Fi Calling are subject to your plan's long distance charges. Check stateside international rates for long distance fees. When you're outside the U.S. (international roaming) When in a Simple Global country, messages are not charged for roaming. When on a cruise ship/ferry network, airline (in-flight) network, or any countries not on the Simple Global list, sending message to any countries not on Simple Global costs $0.50 for roaming.
Data or Internet usage	Nothing. Data usage over Wi-Fi doesn't use the T-Mobile network. We don't see it or charge for it.
Connecting through a VPN	A Virtual Private Network (VPN) connects you securely to a network of other computers. While connected, your Internet usage goes through that network, wherever it's located. When VPN connects your device to another country the first time, you'll receive a standard Welcome SMS, and you must enable data by dialing #RON#. Even if you're in the U.S. or a Simple Global country, you may be charged World Class rates.

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/wi-fi-calling-from-t-mobile

If the call was international originating from the US, the best thing to do would be add Stateside International to your plan. Please note that Stateside only covers calls made over cellular and WiFi calls will be charged at the normal rates.

Hope this helps clear everything up!

tmo_stan
Transmission Trainee
4 years ago
If you’re in the US and use Wi-Fi calling to call internationally, you are still subject to your plans long distance charges. When you’re outside the US, you can use Wi-Fi calling to call back to the US for free.
Incoming international calls are treated the same as any other incoming call, they are included in your plan.
There is a feature called Stateside International Talk that you can add on your plan for $15 a month that gives you free or discounted calling to other countries. Here’s a link to the feature that lets you check if the countries you’re calling are included:https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/international-calling#check-rates

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