How to Call Cuba with Your iPhone

February 06, 2012 | Rebtel

If you're looking to call Cuba with your iPhone, you might find that the high taxes can create extra costs and frustration when trying to reach friends or family. Luckily, having a smartphone at your fingertips gives you a few additional options to try when calling internationally. Learning the ins and outs of calling Cuba with your iPhone will help you figure out the easiest, most economical option for you.

Making iPhone Calls to Cuba

If you want to call Cuba directly from your iPhone, you will most likely need an international calling plan from your carrier. Whether your plan is for a certain number of minutes or depletes from a cash balance, it can still cost quite a bit to get on the phone with your loved ones in Cuba.

- An AT&T U-Verse plan will cost you the regular monthly fees and taxes on top of a whopping 91 cents per minute to reach a Cuban landline. You can expect those rates to be doubled when calling a mobile phone. If you don't have an international plan, iPhone calls to Cuba on AT&T can cost up to $1.79 per minute!

- If your iPhone is on Verizon, then you're not safe from those high rates either. The I-Dial plan from Verizon will cost you $1.99 per minute on calls to Cuba, or $1.19 per minutes if you also pay a $3.99 monthly access fee.

Call Cuba with iPhone Apps

A popular alternative to making traditional calls to Cuba involves the use of iPhone Apps. The most common among these are VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services, which often allow users to make cheap or even free calls over WiFi or 3g. Unfortunately, free and cheap rates do not apply to Cuba.

- Skype has been made famous by their cheap and easy VoIP service that allows you to call from PC to PC, or PC to phone. Their iPhone app allows you to access all the features of Skype as if you were using it from your PC, but their rates for calling Cuba are still sky high. Expect to pay $1.15 per minute when calling Cuba from your Skype iPhone app – plus, you're limited to only landlines.

- Google Voice is another app you can download to make comparatively cheap international calls, but the rate to call Cuba is still about 98 cents per minute. In addition, if the iPhone App Store reviews can be trusted, there are many complaints of dropped calls and poor reception.

Making iPhone Calls to Cuba with the Rebtel App

If you're sick of paying an arm and a leg to call Cuba with your iPhone, the Rebtel app might offer you some much-needed relief. Enjoy a variety of benefits when you download the free Rebtel app in the iPhone App Store, including:

- Calls to other Rebtel app users are absolutely free! This means if your friends or family members in Cuba happen to have iPhones with the Rebtel application, you can communicate at no cost at all.

- Pay only 79 cents per minute to call a landline phone in Cuba, or just 89 cents per minute to call a mobile phone.

- Use your regular contact list instead of having to build a separate list or remember usernames.

- Rebtel is completely transparent – with no monthly fees or hidden charges. The rates you see are the rates you get.

- The Rebtel iPhone app allows you to switch between 3G, WiFi, or a local access number to make your call. The app will suggest the best connection to choose, or your can try each one yourself to find out which option offers the most consistency.

In a perfect world, everyone should be able to communicate at an affordable rate. Although that isn't always the case, using the Rebtel app to make iPhone calls to Cuba just might be the closest you can get. Enjoy Rebtel's crystal clear quality and comparatively low rates with their iPhone app the next time you want to call loved ones in Cuba.