How to affordably make international calls to family in Venezuela.

With more than 300,000 people in the United States with connections to Venezuela, it is important to stay connected with relatives, friends and colleagues. Given the risk of travel to Venezuela, affordable long-distance calls to the country are more important than ever. There are now low-cost ways to stay in touch with people you know in Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, Barquisimeto and other places in Venezuela.

Unlimited calls to Venezuela with Ooma

If you are used to legacy phone services, your phone bill for calls to Venezuela may frustrate you. Those high costs may mean having to choose how often you pick up the phone and reach out. There is a better way to stay connected without worrying about the costs of calling Venezuela from the U.S.

For people who make occasional calls to Venezuela, the Ooma Premier service or Ooma basic plan may be a good choice. With those two plans, you pay a low per-minute fee of just a few cents per minute with each call. For example, you could talk to your friends and family in Venezuela for a few hours this month for a few dollars. If you call Venezuela from the U.S. once or twice a month or less often, paying by the minute is a good affordable way to stay in touch.

Want unlimited calling to everybody you know in Venezuela for a single price? We’ve got you covered there. With the Ooma World Plan, you get unlimited calling to all Venezuelan landlines and any Caracas lines within area code 212. Calls to Venezuela’s mobile numbers cost a few cents per minute. By the way, the Ooma World Plan gives you unlimited landline calling to 60 countries, not just Venezuela. Unlimited calling to mobile numbers are available for 10 countries. For example, unlimited calling to Brazil, Columbia, Mexico and the United States is included in the Ooma World Plan. Whether you want to call people in Venezuelan area codes or people you know in other countries, the Ooma World Plan is a good option.

What if you have friends, relatives and business connections all over the world? That’s where the Ooma World Plus plan comes in.

The Ooma World Plus plan has an even wider global reach, providing unlimited calls to all numbers in Venezuela, including mobile numbers. In total, this phone plan includes unlimited calling in 70 countries for only $25.99 per month. With the Ooma World Plus plan, you can make unlimited calls to Venezuela. Further, the Ooma World Plus plan gives you unlimited calls to mobile phones in 40 countries, including Bangladesh, Finland, the Netherlands and Pakistan. 

You might be wondering why Ooma’s price is so much lower than the big phone companies. It’s possible thanks to a technology Ooma has perfected: VoIP (Voice Over IP) technology. With the Ooma service, you can call any landline or cell phone number.

Reviewing the list of countries included in Ooma’s international plans can help you decide which plan is best for you. Whichever Ooma plan you choose, you will get affordable calling. When somebody asks you how to call Venezuela from the U.S. inexpensively, you’ll have a great answer: Ooma.

Using Ooma for international calls: Getting set up fast

Calling Venezuela from the U.S. with Ooma is easy. Start by buying the Ooma Telo hardware in order to access Ooma’s affordable international service. The Telo typically sells for $99.99. That additional savings you make on each call, compared to a legacy phone service, will more than make up for the cost over time. If you need to make inexpensive calls to Venezuela right away, you don’t have to wait for your Telo to arrive. You can use the Ooma mobile app.

Using the Ooma free smartphone app to call Venezuela.

When you’re away from home, you’re not going to be close to your Ooma Telo. Fortunately, you can still make phone calls with Ooma’s superior audio quality even when you’re traveling. You simply need to install the free Ooma mobile phone app. Available on the Apple iPhone and Android, the free Ooma mobile apps lets you make calls whenever you need it.

Using the Ooma mobile app when you travel makes life much more convenient. You don’t have to go through the bother of sharing the phone number of your hotel. Instead, friends and family members back home can call you at the same phone number. By using the Ooma free smartphone app, you can take your phone number with you anywhere. Just keep in mind that you need an internet connection, like a Wi-Fi network, for the Ooma app to work.

There are free Wi-Fi spots available in multiple cities in Venezuela. According to Wifimap.io, there are 

more than 100 free Wi-Fi hotspots in the following cities: Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, Maracay and Barquisimeto. Before traveling to the country, plan ahead to double check Wi-Fi availability in the specific areas you plan to visit.

Etiquette tips for a successful phone call to Venezuela

Venezuelan etiquette may be different from what you’re used to at home. Keep these tips in minds to make your phone calls easier.

• Make time to get to know people first. If you are used to making a business deal in your first meeting, you may need to slow down in your calls to people in Venezuela. Plan to take more time to get to know people before getting down to business matters.
• Focus on introductions and farewells. In business meetings, Venezuelan business culture is relatively formal. It is wise to take time to introduce everyone on a call and make time to say goodbye at the end of the meeting. Therefore, you might want to avoid back-to-back phone calls so you can properly acknowledge each person on a call.
• Negotiate with the right people. It is common practice in Venezuela for decisions to be made or approved by senior people in an organization. Take the time to determine who can approve a decision and aim to communicate with that person.
• Use Spanish. The majority of people in Venezuela speak Spanish, though some people may know some English. As a sign of respect, take the time to learn some Spanish to use on your phone calls. For example, consider learning the following words: Please (por favor), thank you (gracias), and My name is… (Me llamo… ).

Keep these tips in mind and you will make the most of your next phone call to Venezuela.