In short
Microsoft Teams Calling Plans make Microsoft your phone carrier for Teams Phone. UK organisations can choose Domestic, International or Pay-As-You-Go plans, with minutes pooled across users on identical plans. A Calling Plan is one of four ways to connect Teams to the phone network; Forever Systems can quote our Teams calling service as the alternative, with your numbers kept.
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Tell us roughly how many users or sites you have and we will come back to you with options and a quote.
What a Microsoft Teams Calling Plan is
A Calling Plan is a Microsoft licence that connects Teams Phone to the public phone network with Microsoft as the carrier. Microsoft describes it (opens in a new tab) as the simplest option for connecting Teams Phone to the phone network. Microsoft supplies the phone numbers and carries the calls.
Different users can hold different plans, and Microsoft supports Calling Plans alongside the other connection options in the same tenant.
Calling Plans available in the UK
Microsoft's UK availability page lists these options for each calendar month. The minute figures are Microsoft's own.
| Plan | Outbound calls | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic Calling Plan (120 minutes) | 120 minutes of UK calls for each user | Users who mostly receive calls |
| Domestic Calling Plan (3,000 minutes) | 3,000 minutes of UK calls for each user | Users who call UK numbers through the day |
| International Calling Plan | 3,000 domestic minutes or 600 international minutes, whichever is reached first | Users who regularly call abroad |
| Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan | No minutes included; outgoing calls are charged by use | Users with low or variable outgoing calls |
Microsoft includes unlimited incoming minutes with each plan. The UK sits with the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada in Microsoft's "customers in US/UK/CA" Domestic Calling Plan and in Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan Zone 1.
Want a quote for Teams calling? Ask us
Tell us your users and numbers and we will come back with the licences, numbers and calling for your organisation.
Minute pools and Communication Credits
Minutes are pooled. Microsoft explains that all users in the same country on the same Calling Plan share one pool, so a quiet user's minutes cover a busy colleague. Pooling applies only to identical plans: users on the 120-minute plan do not share with users on the 3,000-minute plan. Calls beyond the pool are billed by the minute.
Communication Credits are Microsoft's billing tool for that usage. They pay for calls beyond a plan's included minutes, for all outgoing calls on a Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan held under some agreement types, and for toll-free numbers on auto attendants and call queues. For the UK, Microsoft notes that calls to some shared-cost number ranges are paid from Communication Credits.
Teams Phone with Calling Plan
Microsoft licenses the calling in two forms:
- Teams Phone with Calling Plan, a bundle licence that includes both Teams Phone and a Calling Plan, in domestic and international versions
- Teams Phone Standard with a separate Calling Plan licence, which lets different users take different plans
Either way the user ends up with the same two things: the phone system features of Teams Phone and Microsoft as the carrier. Microsoft Teams Phone Standard covers the licence side.
International calls. Both the International Calling Plan and the Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan can call international numbers, which Microsoft lists as 196 countries. The Domestic Calling Plan covers numbers in the country where the user's licence is assigned.
Is Teams calling the right fit for you?
We will check it against your systems and requirements and recommend the right option.
Numbers with a Calling Plan
With a Calling Plan the numbers come from Microsoft. Microsoft requires at least one Calling Plan licence in the tenant before numbers can be acquired, and lists UK numbers for cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, London and Manchester. Existing numbers can be ported to Microsoft.
Before numbers are acquired or ported, Microsoft says a tenant-level Know Your Customer (KYC) check may be required for the country, and that most reviews are completed within three working days. Teams phone numbers covers numbers for every calling option.
A Calling Plan or our Teams calling service
| Microsoft Calling Plan | Our Teams calling service | |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier | Microsoft | Our service, through Direct Routing run for you |
| Numbers | Microsoft numbers, or numbers ported to Microsoft | Your existing numbers kept, or new numbers |
| Call charges | Plan minutes pooled across identical plans, then Communication Credits | Itemised calls, with a minutes bundle on request |
| Set-up | Numbers and plans managed by your admins in the Microsoft admin centres | Planned and set up for you |
| Existing phone systems and analogue lines | Microsoft points to Direct Routing for these | Direct Routing can connect them |
| Teams Phone licence | Teams Phone Standard, or the bundle | Teams Phone Standard, supplied with the service |
Both give users the same Teams Phone features in the same Teams app. Teams calling describes our service, and Operator Connect vs Direct Routing vs Calling Plans sets all the options side by side. Contact us for a Teams calling quote.
Sources (checked 11 November 2026): Microsoft Learn, "Microsoft Teams Calling Plans", "Availability in the United Kingdom (U.K.)", "What are Communication Credits?", "Microsoft Teams add-on licenses", "Get Microsoft Teams Calling Plan phone numbers for your tenant" and "PSTN connectivity options".
How Forever Systems helps with Teams Phone
Forever Systems can quote and set up Microsoft Teams Phone for your organisation and connect it to the phone network.
- Licence and calling check: we look at the Microsoft 365 plan you hold and recommend the Teams Phone licences and calling option that fit
- Numbers kept: we plan and manage the porting of your existing numbers
- Call flows set up: auto attendants, call queues and opening hours built and tested with you
- Works with what you use: the Teams apps on desktop and mobile
- Licensing in one place: licences can be billed monthly, with terms confirmed at quote
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations. Pricing depends on users, licences and calling, so ask us for a quote.
Frequently asked questions
How many minutes are in a Teams Calling Plan in the UK?
Microsoft lists a 120-minute and a 3,000-minute Domestic Calling Plan for the UK, an International Calling Plan with 3,000 domestic or 600 international minutes (whichever is reached first), and a Pay-As-You-Go plan with no included minutes. Minutes are pooled across users on identical plans.
Are incoming calls included in a Teams Calling Plan?
Yes. Microsoft includes unlimited incoming minutes on its Domestic, International and Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plans. Outgoing minutes depend on the plan.
What is Teams Phone with Calling Plan?
It is a Microsoft bundle licence that includes both Teams Phone and a Microsoft Calling Plan, so Microsoft is the carrier. It comes in domestic and international versions. The same result is reached with Teams Phone Standard and a separate Calling Plan licence.
Do I need a Calling Plan for Teams Phone?
No. A Calling Plan is one of four ways to connect Teams Phone to the phone network. The others are Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile and Direct Routing, which is what our Teams calling service uses.
Can Teams make international calls?
Yes. With a Microsoft Calling Plan, the International and Pay-As-You-Go plans can call international numbers in the 196 countries Microsoft lists. With another calling option, international calls are carried and billed by that operator or carrier.
What are Communication Credits?
Communication Credits are Microsoft's billing tool for calling usage outside a plan: calls beyond the included minutes, toll-free numbers for auto attendants and call queues, and outgoing calls on some Pay-As-You-Go plans.
Still have a question about Teams calling?
Ask us and a member of our team will get back to you.