India calling card online, no PIN or app
Top up from $5, type the Indian number, and it rings on their phone. No app for you or for them, and the dialer shows the price before you call
- No PIN
- No access number
- Credit never expires
- Only answered calls cost credit
- Mobile, per minute
- $0.10
- Landline, per minute
- $0.09
- Smallest top-up
- $5
How to call India without a card
Type +91 and the Indian number in the dialer above, then press Call. You do not dial 011, an access number, or a PIN
Indian mobile numbers have 10 digits and start with 6, 7, 8, or 9. For a landline, drop the 0 at the start of the area code. The area code and the number make 10 digits together
Calling from a US phone instead? How to call India from the USEvery Indian network, one price
India mobile rates are the same for Jio, Airtel, Vi, and BSNL. India landline rates are the same in every city. The dialer shows the price of each number before you call
Jio
Airtel
Vi
BSNL- and every landline
How an India calling card works, and how Suparelay works
An India calling card from USA stores makes you dial an access number, a PIN, and 011 before the number. Suparelay keeps the prepaid credit and drops the rest
Calling India with a card: 5 steps
Three numbers to dial for one call home, and a PIN to scratch first
- Buy a calling card to India from USA stores or a website
- Find the access number and the PIN
- Call the access number
- Type the PIN when the voice asks
- Dial 011, 91, and the number
Calling India with Suparelay: 3 steps
One number to type, in your browser
- Top up from $5 with your bank card
- Type +91 and the number
- Press Call. Their phone rings in India, and you talk in the browser
- No PIN
- No access number
- Credit never expires
- CardYour credit
- PINYour account
- Access numberYour browser
What a 1¢ India card leaves out
Calling cards for India often show 1¢ a minute. That rate can apply only through a local access number, and fees take credit around it. Check each of these before you buy
- Connection feeA connection fee or hang-up fee after each call. Cards in FTC cases took 5¢ to $1 a callNone
- Weekly or monthly feeA charge each week or month, whether you call or not. Cards in FTC cases took 49¢ to 79¢ a weekNone
- Minute roundingSome cards round each call up to a block of several minutes, so a quick call home costs as much as a long onePer started minute: a call of 2 minutes 10 seconds is 3 minutes
- Access number and service feeThe low rate often needs a local access number. A toll-free one can cost up to 4¢ a minute more, and some India cards add a 10% service feeNo access number and no service fee
- Calls nobody answersSome cards take credit when the call does not connect. The FCC lists this as a common complaintFree. Only answered calls cost credit
- ExpiryUnused credit is lost, often 180 days after you buy or after your last callCredit never expires
Calling cards gave less than half the minutes printed on them
The FTC bought calling cards in stores and called with them. On average, the cards gave less than half of the minutes printed on them
- Minutes printed on the card1,000 min
- FTC test of 46 cards, 2008430 min (43%)
- FTC test of 87 cards, 2008504 min (50%)
- FTC test of 141 cards, 2012450 min (45%)
- Minutes the card gave
- Minutes lost to fees
With Suparelay, an answered minute to an Indian mobile costs $0.10, the price the dialer shows. No fee takes credit between calls, and a call nobody answers costs nothing
What your family in India sees
Many people in India do not answer unknown calls from abroad. This is what shows on their phone, and how to make sure they pick up
A US number
The call shows a US number that belongs to Suparelay, not your own number. A call back to it does not reach you
Not stopped by India's block
Since October 22, 2024, India blocks calls from abroad that show an Indian +91 number. Our calls show a US number, so the block does not stop them
Send a message first
India warns people about scam calls from abroad. Send a WhatsApp message before you call, and say who you are when they answer
India calling card, calling app, carrier add-on, or Suparelay
Four ways to ring a phone in India from the US, and what each one needs from you and from them
- Indian calling card
- What you buy
- A card or a PIN for a fixed amount
- What you dial
- Access number, PIN, 011, 91, then the number
- Where you call from
- Any phone
- Unanswered calls
- Sometimes charged
- Unused credit
- Often expires after 180 days
- PINless calling app
- What you buy
- Credit or a plan in the app
- What you dial
- The number, in the app
- Where you call from
- A smartphone with the app
- Unanswered calls
- Depends on the app
- Unused credit
- Depends on the app
- Carrier add-on
- What you buy
- A monthly add-on that includes India
- What you dial
- 011, 91, then the number
- Where you call from
- Your own mobile
- Unanswered calls
- Usually free
- Unused credit
- Paid each month, used or not
- Suparelay
- What you buy
- Credit from $5
- What you dial
- +91 and the number
- Where you call from
- A browser on any phone or computer
- Unanswered calls
- Free
- Unused credit
- Never expires
Questions about India calling cards
Which calling card is best for India?
The best calling card for India shows the full price to Indian mobiles, has no connection, weekly, or service fee, and never expires. Buy a small amount first and test it, as the FTC advises.
What is the best calling card to India from the US?
From the US, pick a card with a toll-free or local access number, a full mobile rate, and no weekly fee. With Suparelay you skip all three: type +91 and the number in your browser, and press Call.
What is the cheapest way to call India?
A WhatsApp call is free when the person in India has the app and internet. To ring any Indian phone number, prepaid credit with no fees costs least, and some US carriers sell a monthly add-on that includes India.
Can I call India for free?
Only from app to app, such as WhatsApp or FaceTime, when both people have the app and internet. A call to a normal Indian phone number costs money with every card and every service.
Why do some India cards say 1¢ a minute?
The rate on the card is its best case. Calling cards to India often give it only through a local access number, then add a service fee, round up each call, or let unused credit expire. One India card page shows 1¢ a minute next to a 10% service fee and a 180-day limit.
Can I call Jio and Airtel numbers with a calling card?
Yes. Suparelay calls reach Jio, Airtel, Vi, and BSNL mobiles and every Indian landline, at one mobile price and one landline price.
Does a calling card show my number in India?
Most cards and apps show their own number, not yours. Suparelay shows a US number that belongs to Suparelay, so say who you are when they answer.
Why do some cheap calls to India fail?
Since October 22, 2024, India blocks calls from abroad that show an Indian +91 number, so routes that disguise the number now fail. Suparelay shows a US number, and the block does not stop its calls.
Do India calling cards expire?
Many do, often 180 days after you buy or after your last call. Suparelay credit never expires.
Can I use an India calling card from a cell phone?
Yes, but with a card you also pay your carrier for the call to the access number unless it is toll-free. With Suparelay, open suparelay.app in your phone's browser: no app, no PIN, and no access number.