Know Your International Online Fax Options

Know Your International Online Fax Options

One of the many advantages of online fax services is the ability to transmit faxes anywhere around the world. Businesses and people with relatives living overseas benefit the most from the international fax component of online fax services because they can fax business documents or important papers regardless of the sender’s or recipient’s location. Online fax services tap into the global reach of the Internet and offer numerous international fax options. Although the process of sending an online fax internationally is the same as domestic service, there are differences in terms of when international rates apply and their costs. Here’s a look at what to expect with international online fax services:

Who Offers International Online Fax Options

Because online fax services maintain fax servers with hundreds of fax lines around the world, they are able to send faxes to most countries. International faxing is generally an add-on service, with all the top ranked U.S. online fax services, including MyFax, RingCentral, Nextiva, eFax and RapidFax, offering the ability to send faxes to and receive faxes from any country in the world. Most online fax services send faxes to an extensive list of countries as part of their monthly rate plan, while others have varying international rates.

What International Online Fax Services Are Offered

When you sign-up for an online fax service, the monthly plan that you select includes certain international fax services. Among them are:

1. Free Fax Zones that include as many as 40 countries. Free fax zones mean that faxes sent from your online fax number to countries on the free fax zone list are included in your plan’s monthly page allotment. For example, MyFax has 41 countries in its free fax zone, so faxes to the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain and many other countries, are included for free in the monthly plan. Since online fax services differ in the number of countries in their free fax zone, it’s best to compare the monthly cost plans to your faxing needs before signing-up with a company.

2. Remote Fax Numbers that give you the option to obtain a fax number in any city in the world without having a local presence there. This service is particularly useful for businesses who frequently fax to subsidiaries, vendors, or associates in another country.

3. Multiple Fax Numbers in different area codes or countries to better manage company business needs. This feature allows businesses to get local fax numbers in countries where they do business for their clients’ use.

What Is The Rate Structure for International Fax

Online fax services typically charge a per page rate for sending and receiving online faxes to the U.S. and Canada. Some rate structures also include Puerto Rico and certain European countries. Outside these countries, international rates apply. The rate structure for international fax services is generally based on a per 30 second or per minute basis. The major online fax services display their international rate structure on their websites.

What Are The Average Rates For International Fax

On average, using an online fax service to send an international fax costs less than traditional phone charges. Online fax services compete to promote the lowest rates around. The average cost to send an online international fax ranges from a low of $.10 to Argentina, to a high of $1.78 to Iraq. Online fax services that have a higher monthly plan cost typically have lower international rates than those with a low monthly plan cost. If your personal or business needs require frequent faxing overseas, a plan with a higher monthly fee that includes numerous countries in its free fax zone and low rates for countries outside its free zone might be more beneficial.