What is an International Phone Number?
An international number in Aloware is any phone number outside the United States and Canada. These numbers include those from Europe, Asia, and other regions. Communications with international phone numbers are subject to international rates for calls and SMS.
For customers in the US and Canada
Aloware considers phone numbers within the US and Canada as local. These numbers are often included in your billing plan, allowing seamless communication within these regions without extra international charges.
For customers registered outside of the US and Canada
For customers registered in countries outside the US and Canada, like Switzerland, the scenario is slightly different. You'll receive one free local US phone number as part of your subscription plan. However, any local numbers you purchase for your users in your registered country (e.g. Swiss numbers) will be charged as international numbers.
How to request international phone numbers
Aloware billing admins can now request international phone numbers and view associated rates through the account > international pricing.
Steps to request a phone number
Navigate to Phone number > rent number in your Aloware account.
Select the country where the number is needed.
Then, select the type of number you want — mobile, local, or toll-free — as each type has different rates.
Click on "Request Price" to get the cost for the number you need; our team will then review your request and send you the pricing details.
Note - International phone numbers are charged as add-ons and are billed separately from call and SMS rates.
Deleting an international phone number
Should you need to delete an international phone number, reach out to your account manager, and they'll handle the deletion process for you.
Charges for international calls and SMS
When you make international calls or send texts using Aloware, the charges are deducted from your Aloware credits. The cost varies depending on the destination, the carrier of your contact, and the duration or number of message segments.
For customers in the US and Canada
If your Aloware account is based in the US and Canada and you make a call or send an SMS to a number outside these countries, this is treated as international communication, and international rates will apply.
For customers registered outside of the US and Canada
Aloware applies charges based on the destination of the call or message. This means even if either the source or destination country are outside of the US or Canada or US territories, it will be billed as international.
How to check for international call and SMS rates (admin guide)
Step 1: Access international pricing in admin account.
Log in to your Aloware Admin account.
Navigate to the account menu > select international pricing.
In this section, you’ll see three different categories:
Phone Number Rent Rates
Call Rates
SMS Rates
Each section allows you to view the rates for different countries.
Step 2: View call rates
Select the country - in the call rates section, choose the country you want to call. This determines how much it will cost to make calls to that country.
Check the rate - the price per call will be shown on the right side of the screen. This gives you a starting rate for calls to the selected country.
Step 3: View SMS rates
Select the country - In the SMS rates section, choose the country where you want to send messages.
Check the rate - the cost of sending an SMS will appear on the right side of the screen. This is the starting price for text messages to the selected country.
How and when international charges are applied
International rates charges are not immediately available to us. In some cases, it can take up to 48 hours for these charges to be settled between Aloware and our carrier partners.
To ensure accurate billing, Aloware waits around 24 hours before reflecting these charges in your account. This means international call and text charges are deducted from your credits in a single batch, usually between 5 pm and 6 pm PST each day.
If you frequently send international texts, you may notice a sudden drop in your credit balance around this time as the accumulated fees are applied all at once. To monitor your international charges:
Go to account > usage in your Aloware account.
Keep in mind there may be a delay of up to 24 hours for these charges to appear.
