Online calling apps
Online calling apps make it really easy to stay in touch with family and friends from all over the world. All you need is an internet connection. Calling apps like Whatsapp, Facetime and the basic version of Skype are free to use: just download them on your mobile or tablet and you are good to go. The person you are calling also needs to have the app for the call to work.
International calling cards
International calling cards are a more traditional way of calling abroad and are a good option if you don’t want to use calling apps and rely on an internet connection (although internet access isn’t a problem in Luxembourg).
Most mobile operators in Luxembourg sell international calling cards so there are many different cards available with different tariffs and conditions. When buying a card, consider the tariffs of the countries you will call most, call connection charges, card maintenance charges and how long the card lasts before you have to top it up. These extra fees mean the card with the lowest calling rates may not necessarily be the best deal.
Calling with an EU SIM
Thanks to the EU ‘roam like at home’ scheme, if you have a SIM card from another EU member country, you can use it in Luxembourg without paying additional roaming. This means that, if you decide to keep your home country EU SIM when in Luxembourg (though this is not recommended long-term ) you will be able to call all other EU countries without paying international calling fees.
This does not apply if you have a SIM card from Luxembourg: if you use a Luxembourg SIM card in Luxembourg to call another EU country, you will be charged for an international call. This is because you are calling from ‘home’ (the country of your SIM card) so you are not roaming when making the call.