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Keeping in regular contact with loved ones who live in another country can easily become a major monthly expense. Whether you have children studying overseas, parents living in their home country, or siblings who moved for work, the costs pile up quickly.

Fortunately, several reliable methods can keep these bills to a minimum. From free messaging apps that rely on your internet connection to traditional voice services, you have plenty of choices to stay connected without breaking your budget.

How Dedicated International SIM Deals Cut Costs

While internet apps work well when everyone has a good web connection, they are not always ideal if your relatives live in areas with spotty coverage or don’t use smartphones. This is where specialised UK mobile networks provide an excellent solution by bundling international minutes directly into their monthly allowances. Instead of paying steep per-minute rates on traditional networks, you can get a budget plan that treats international calls much like local ones.

For example, the Lebara 5GB SIM-only plan costs just £5 a month and includes 100 international minutes to around 40 countries alongside its UK allowance. Destinations covered include most of Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, India, and China, among many others. Plus with their Roam Like Home scheme, you can use your data when roaming in the EU and India.

This makes it an incredibly affordable option for people who want to call landlines or mobile numbers abroad directly from their phone. Lebara runs on Vodafone’s network, which delivers reliable coverage all over the UK, and all plans support Wi-Fi calling and 5G technology at no additional cost, so calls hold up even in lower-signal areas.

Why Messaging Apps Work for Daily Updates

For daily updates and quick check-ins, data-based applications remain the most popular choice for families worldwide. WhatsApp works on both Android and Apple devices and allows free voice and video calls over Wi-Fi. It’s widely installed across the world, making it the most practical starting point for keeping in touch at no extra cost.

Apple users can also use FaceTime for calls with other Apple device owners, though this does not extend to people on Android phones.

These applications are incredibly useful for sharing photos, sending voice notes, and holding group video chats so everyone can stay involved. However, they rely on both parties having access to a stable internet connection. If your family members travel frequently or reside in regions with high data costs, relying solely on these apps can lead to missed connections.

How to Keep Data Usage Low on International Calls

Voice and video calls through apps like WhatsApp and FaceTime use your internet connection, which means they eat into your mobile data allowance. A standard voice call typically uses around 30-40MB per hour, but a video call can use anywhere from 250MB to over 1GB per hour depending on the quality and number of participants.

The simplest way to keep usage down is to make calls over Wi-Fi whenever possible. If you are on mobile data, switching to a voice-only call instead of video will make a big difference. You can also lower the data usage in WhatsApp by going to Settings, then Storage and Data, and turning on the “Use less data for calls” option.

For group calls with multiple family members, keeping cameras off for most of the call and only turning video on briefly will help stretch your data allowance much further. Scheduling calls for times when you know you will be connected to Wi-Fi, such as evenings at home, is another easy way to avoid using mobile data altogether.

Points to Remember

Staying in touch with family abroad doesn’t have to break the bank if you select the right tools. Free messaging apps are perfect for daily text updates and casual video calls when you have access to Wi-Fi.

For calling landlines and older mobile phones, a dedicated budget SIM offers the best value. By combining these different methods, you can maintain strong family ties while keeping your monthly costs completely under control.

Los Angeles officials have delayed implementation of a controversial plan to raise the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $30 an hour after the hospitality industry warned the mandate could result in layoffs, reduced hiring and increased automation.

The measure, often referred to as the “Olympic Wage,” was originally designed to increase wages to $30 an hour by 2028 as Los Angeles prepares to host the Summer Olympics. 

But city leaders recently voted to push back full implementation until 2030 amid concerns about rising labor costs as hotels prepare for a surge in visitors tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

AOC-BACKED $25 MINIMUM WAGE COULD SQUEEZE SMALL BUSINESSES IN RED STATES

Supporters say a $30 minimum wage would help Los Angeles hotel workers keep pace with the city’s high cost of living, while opponents warn it could reduce jobs. (Marcus Brandt/picture alliance/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Rebekah Paxton, research director at the Employment Policies Institute, said city leaders began reconsidering the timeline after concerns emerged from the hospitality industry ahead of several major international events.

“There were concerns from the hotel community,” Paxton told Fox News Digital. “There was some data that came out that the hotels were struggling ahead of the Olympics, even as we’re approaching the World Cup this summer.”

The proposal also comes as New York City officials consider a separate plan to raise the city’s minimum wage to $30 an hour over several years, a concept aligned with broader progressive efforts to increase wage floors in high-cost areas.

AOC-BACKED $25 MINIMUM WAGE PLAN SOUNDS GREAT — BUT AT WHAT COST?

Los Angeles will welcome athletes from around the world for the 2028 Summer Olympics as city leaders weigh policies aimed at preparing for the global event (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Paxton noted that hotel workers currently earn a minimum wage of roughly $22.50 an hour, meaning the proposal would raise pay by about one-third over just a few years. She said hotel operators warned the higher labor costs were already affecting hiring decisions as Los Angeles prepares for the World Cup and Olympics.

Citing a report from the Los Angeles hotel industry, Paxton said some hotels had reduced hiring and staffing because they could not absorb the anticipated labor costs.

City officials ultimately voted to delay the $30 wage requirement from 2028 to 2030, a move Paxton said gives hotels “a little bit of breathing room as we ramp up toward the Olympics.”

Still, she argued the delay does not resolve the industry’s underlying concerns.

“A $30 minimum wage is still a $30 minimum wage,” Paxton said. “A pause is certainly a step in the right direction, but it’s not going to solve the ultimate problem, which is a lot of folks saying that they can’t sustain that level of a wage increase.”

Paxton said supporters of the wage increase argue workers should receive higher pay, particularly as Los Angeles prepares to welcome millions of visitors for upcoming international sporting events.

“For proponents of this $30 minimum wage, this is sort of a junction where they can sort of make an emotional plea to the public,” Paxton said. “And of course, who doesn’t want to give workers more money?”

However, Paxton argued the higher wage requirement could further strain an industry that has already experienced hiring challenges.

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Los Angeles officials delayed a plan to raise the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $30 an hour until 2030. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“My team at EPI has done some work looking at the hotel industry since 2015,” she said. “And even before this went into place, hiring was stagnating. There were fewer jobs available for folks who wanted to be in the hospitality industry.”

“And so, by proposing this kind of super-sized hotel minimum wage on top of what already existed, you’re just going to exacerbate those negative economic impacts.”

The debate over the so-called Olympic Wage is expected to continue as Los Angeles prepares for a series of major international events while city leaders weigh competing priorities of worker pay, business costs and economic growth.