Cheapest Way to Call Germany from the UK
Every option compared honestly — access numbers, WhatsApp, VoIP apps and eSIMs. The right answer depends on your situation, so we cover all of them.
All Your Options at a Glance
There is no single best way to call Germany from the UK — it depends on whether both ends have internet, whether you're on a landline or mobile, and how often you call. Here is an honest comparison of every option.
| Method | Typical Cost | Needs Internet | Best For | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Free | Both ends | Regular callers with WiFi on both sides | Best if both online |
|
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Coming soon | No | UK landline callers, elderly relatives with no smartphone | 🔔 Notify me |
|
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~1–3p/min | UK end only | UK mobile callers, no app needed on other end | Best for UK mobiles |
|
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Free / low | Both ends | If your contact already uses the same app | Good if app matches |
|
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From £3 | For data calls | Travelling to Germany | Travel only |
|
Standard UK Mobile
EE / O2 / Vodafone — international direct dial
|
50p–£1.50/min | No | Emergency calls only | Avoid — very expensive |
💡 The most important caveat on WhatsApp: it is genuinely free — but only works if the person you are calling also has a good internet connection. For calling elderly relatives or anyone without reliable WiFi or data, you need a paid option.
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Calling from Your UK Mobile
Your standard mobile network will charge 50p–£1.50 per minute for international calls to Germany. Here are the two options that actually make sense.
Rebtel
The key advantage over WhatsApp: the person you're calling doesn't need a smartphone, internet connection, or any app. Rebtel routes your call over the internet on your end but delivers it as a normal phone call at the Germany end. Rates from around 1–3p per minute.
WhatsApp (Free — with a caveat)
Completely free if the person you're calling has WhatsApp and a reliable internet connection. That caveat matters — if they have unreliable WiFi or data, call quality suffers. Best for regular calls to people you know are online.
Used Skype to call Germany?
Microsoft shut Skype down in May 2025. The best direct replacement for calling Germany landlines and mobiles is Rebtel — same principle, no account needed. For free app-to-app calls, WhatsApp is the natural replacement.
Also Need to Send Money to Germany?
Many people calling Germany from the UK also send money home regularly. Your high street bank is typically the worst way to do it — most add a hidden margin of 3–5% on top of the exchange rate before charging a transfer fee. These two services are consistently cheaper.
Wise
Uses the real mid-market exchange rate — the same one you see on Google — with a small transparent fee shown upfront before you send. No hidden margin buried in the exchange rate. Used by over 16 million people worldwide.
Remitly
Built specifically for diaspora remittances — very popular for UK–Germany transfers. Competitive exchange rates with an on-time delivery guarantee: if your transfer is late, they refund the fee. Supports bank deposit, cash pickup and mobile wallet.
💡 Compare both before sending — rates shift daily. The cheapest for your amount this week may differ from last week.
Travelling to Germany? Avoid Roaming Charges
If you're visiting Germany, your UK SIM will cost you significantly more than you expect. EE charges up to £8.45 per day for data outside Europe — which adds up to over £59 on a week's trip just for mobile internet. An eSIM costs a fraction of that and activates before you board.
Airalo
Best for most travellers. Buy a data plan before you leave, scan a QR code, and you have local data rates the moment you land in Germany. No physical SIM swap, no queues at the airport. Plans start from around £3.
Holafly
Better for longer stays or heavy data users. Unlimited data plans mean you never worry about running out — useful if you're making lots of WhatsApp video calls home, using Google Maps constantly, or working remotely during your trip.
ℹ️ eSIMs are data-only — calls and texts still go through apps like WhatsApp. Your UK number stays active on your phone's physical SIM alongside the eSIM.
How to Dial Germany from the UK
📞 Dialling format
Dial 00 + the country code + the full local number (omitting any leading zero).
Dialling code for Germany
The dialling code for Germany is +49.
When calling Germany from the UK you must dial 0049 followed by the Germany number in full.
When using our service to make cheap calls to Germany, you need to:
- Dial the access number
- When you hear the voice prompt, dial the Germany number starting with 0049
- When you have finished inputting the number, wait to be connected.
That’s it….easy!
Best time to call Germany from UK
Depending on whether or not it is summer, the time in Germany is 1 to 2 hours ahead the time in the UK (GMT +1/+2). On that basis the best time to call Germany is 8am until 7pm UK time. The whole of Germany is covered by a single time zone so you don’t need to worry about which part of Germany you are calling.
Travel Information (provided by the FCO)
Germany Area Codes
| City | German Dialing Codes from UK |
| Aachen | 0049 241 |
| Augsburg | 0049 821 |
| Bergisch Gladbach | 0049 2202 |
| Berlin | 0049 30 |
| Bielefeld | 0049 521 |
| Bonn | 0049 228 |
| Bottrop | 0049 2041 |
| Braunschweig | 0049 531 |
| Bremen | 0049 421 |
| Bremerhaven | 0049 471 |
| Chemnitz | 0049 371 |
| Cologne | 0049 221 |
| Cottbus | 0049 355 |
| Darmstadt | 0049 6151 |
| Dortmund | 0049 231 |
| Dresden | 0049 351 |
| Duisburg | 0049 203 |
| Düsseldorf | 0049 211 |
| Erfurt | 0049 361 |
| Erlangen | 0049 9131 |
| Essen | 0049 201 |
| Frankfurt | 0049 69 |
| Frankfurt am Main | 0049 69 |
| Frankfurt an der Oder | 0049 335 |
| Freiburg | 0049 761 |
| Fürth | 0049 911 |
| Gelsenkirchen | 0049 209 |
| Gera | 0049 365 |
| Göttingen | 49 |
| Hagen | 0049 2331 |
| Halle | 0049 345 |
| Hamburg | 0049 40 |
| Hamm | 0049 2381 |
| Hannover | 0049 511 |
| Heidelberg | 0049 6221 |
| Heilbronn | 0049 7131 |
| Herne | 0049 2323 |
| Hildesheim | 0049 5121 |
| Ingolstadt | 0049 841 |
| Karlsruhe | 0049 721 |
| Kassel | 0049 561 |
| Kiel | 0049 431 |
| Koblenz | 0049 261 |
| Krefeld | 0049 2151 |
| Leipzig | 0049 341 |
| Leverkusen | 0049 214 |
| Lübeck | 0049 451 |
| Ludwigsburg | 0049 7141 |
| Ludwigshafen | 0049 621 |
| Magdeburg | 0049 391 |
| Mainz | 0049 6131 |
| Mannheim | 0049 621 |
| Mönchengladbach | 0049 2161 |
| Munich | 0049 89 |
| Munster | 0049 251 |
| Neubrandenburg | 0049 395 |
| Neuss | 0049 2131 |
| Nuremberg | 0049 911 |
| Oberhausen | 0049 208 |
| Offenbach | 0049 69 |
| Oldenburg | 0049 441 |
| Osnabrück | 0049 541 |
| Paderborn | 0049 5251 |
| Pforzheim | 0049 7231 |
| Potsdam | 0049 331 |
| Recklinghausen | 0049 2361 |
| Regensburg | 0049 941 |
| Remscheid | 0049 2191 |
| Rostock | 0049 381 |
| Saarbrücken | 0049 681 |
| Salzgitter | 0049 5341 |
| Schwerin | 0049 385 |
| Siegen | 0049 271 |
| Solingen | 0049 212 |
| Stuttgart | 0049 711 |
| Ulm | 0049 731 |
| Wiesbaden | 0049 611 |
| Wolfsburg | 0049 5361 |
| Wuppertal | 0049 202 |
| Würzburg | 0049 931 |
| Zwickau | 0049 375 |
