Zong International Call Rates Per Minute: Every Major Country, *1111# Rs 1 Offer and SMS Rate (2026 List)

Zong's standard international call rate depends on the country: Rs 3 a minute to the USA and Canada, Rs 8 to China, Rs 32 to Saudi Arabia, Rs 50 to the UAE, Qatar and Oman, and Rs 35 to a UK mobile, all plus tax. Dial *1111# for the "Call Global Pay Local" offer, which cuts calls to the UK, USA, Canada, India and seven other countries to Rs 1 or Rs 2 a minute. An international SMS costs Rs 10 plus tax to any country.

Most people only learn their IDD (international direct dialling) rate after a short call to a cousin in Dubai empties the balance. We pulled the rates from Zong's own rate tool on its international direct dialling page on 1 November 2026, country by country, so you can see the cost before you dial.

Zong's standard per minute rates for 30 countries

Without any bundle, Zong charges per minute by country and, for some countries, by whether you call a landline or a mobile. Gulf countries are the dearest for most Pakistani families: Rs 32 to Saudi Arabia and Rs 50 to the UAE, before tax.

Zong says these rates are subject to applicable government taxes. Its tool also lists premium-number rates for a few countries, such as Rs 135 a minute to UK premium numbers, so avoid calling unknown premium lines abroad.

Call Global Pay Local on *1111# cuts 11 countries to Rs 1 or Rs 2

Zong's Call Global Pay Local offer charges Rs 1 or Rs 2 a minute to 11 destinations, including the USA, Canada and UK landlines at Rs 1, and India, Hong Kong, Poland and UK mobiles at Rs 2. Activation costs Rs 1 once, and the offer stays on until you stop it.

Zong's terms say the offer is not valid for mobile networks in Germany, France, Italy and Denmark, which is why those rows show landlines only. Spain shows no mobile rate either. Charging is per minute, and premium numbers are excluded.

1. Dial *1111# and choose option 1, or send "Sub" by SMS to 1111.
2. Pay the one-time Rs 1 activation charge from your balance.
3. Dial the full international number with the country code, for example 0044 or +44 for the UK.
4. To stop, dial *1111# and choose option 2.

Zong's page has a small slip: the line under "Unsubscribe" begins "To subscribe", but it gives option 2, so option 2 is the stop route. The offer is not valid while you are on international roaming. If you have free international minutes from another bundle, Zong uses those first.

The saving is large for the UK, small for the USA

A 10 minute call to a UK mobile costs Rs 350 at the standard rate, or about Rs 418 with 19.5 per cent sales tax. On Call Global Pay Local the same call is Rs 20, about Rs 24 with tax. To the USA, the standard Rs 3 drops to Rs 1.

Those figures are our arithmetic from Zong's rates and the 19.5 per cent sales tax on usage that Zong lists outside Islamabad. A 15 per cent advance income tax is also taken when you recharge, which reduces the balance you get from each load. The Rs 1 activation is the only fixed cost, so the offer pays for itself on the first minute to the UK.

For the Gulf, Call Global Pay Local does not help, because Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Oman are not on its list. That is where Zong's country bundles come in: the Zong Saudi Arabia calling bundles, the Zong UAE du bundles and Zong Oman bundles all cost far less per minute than Rs 32 to Rs 50.

International SMS from Zong costs Rs 10 plus tax

Zong charges a flat Rs 10 plus tax for an international SMS to any country, on both prepaid and postpaid. For comparison, Jazz lists its international SMS at Rs 11.95 including tax on its own international rates page.

For a short message, an SMS is cheaper than a one minute call to most Gulf numbers. For a long chat, a WhatsApp or other internet call on data costs only the data used, as long as the other person also has internet. That is often the cheapest route, but it does not reach landlines or relatives without a smartphone.

Bundles beat the standard rate for regular calls

If you call one country every week, a bundle almost always costs less than the standard rate. Zong sells bundles for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, the USA and Canada, China, Malaysia, Oman and Afghanistan, and lets you build your own international bundle in the My Zong app.

The Zong Afghanistan offers cover AWCC and Roshan numbers, the Zong China bundles start at 75 minutes, and the Zong make your own IDD bundle option suits a mix of countries. For a wrong deduction, call Zong on 310.

Common questions

What is the Zong call rate to Saudi Arabia?

Rs 32 a minute plus tax at the standard rate, to landlines and mobiles. Saudi bundles cost much less per minute.

What is the Zong code for cheap international calls?

Dial *1111# and choose option 1 for Call Global Pay Local, at Rs 1 or Rs 2 a minute to 11 countries.

How much does Zong charge for a call to the UAE?

Rs 50 a minute plus tax at the standard rate, to landlines and mobiles.

How do I stop Call Global Pay Local?

Dial *1111# and choose option 2. The offer otherwise stays active until you stop it.

How much is an international SMS on Zong?

Rs 10 plus tax to any country, for prepaid and postpaid users.

Does Call Global Pay Local work on roaming?

No. Zong says it is valid for all customers except those on international roaming.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 1 November 2026. The standard rates come from the rate tool on Zong's international direct dialling page, which we queried country by country on 1 November 2026. Call Global Pay Local terms come from the same page, and the SMS rate and tax rates from Zong's international SMS rates page. The Jazz SMS figure is from jazz.com.pk. Tax-inclusive figures are our arithmetic. Zong's tool asks for prepaid or postpaid but returned the same rates without that choice, and its rate records carry dates from 2020, so we could not confirm whether postpaid rates differ or when the rates were last reviewed. We did not place a call.