🇨🇳 →

Cheap Calls from Shanghai to Taiwan

Make affordable international calls from Shanghai, China to Taiwan . Rates from $0.05/min with no app required.

Landline Rates

$0.05/min

Mobile Rates

$0.07/min

Dial Code

+TW

Calling Taiwan from Shanghai

Shanghai, with a population of 26.3 million, is a major city in China 🇨🇳 with a significant community that maintains connections to Taiwan . Whether you have family, friends, or business contacts in Taiwan, making international calls from Shanghai doesn't have to be expensive.

Traditional phone carriers in China charge premium rates for international calls to Taiwan, often between $1.50 and $3.00 per minute. DialAnyone lets residents of Shanghai call Taiwan for as little as $0.05 per minute — saving up to 90% on every call. All you need is an internet connection and a web browser.

Shanghai's modern telecommunications infrastructure means you'll enjoy crystal-clear HD voice quality on every call to Taiwan. DialAnyone uses WebRTC technology, the same standard used by major tech companies for voice and video calls, ensuring reliable connections.

The View from Shanghai

Shanghai's expat population is one of the largest in China — finance professionals from Frankfurt and New York, factory sourcing managers shuttling between Pudong and Europe, design studio workers with clients in Tokyo or Milan. They call abroad constantly, and so do the Shanghainese families with children studying at UK or Australian universities, a pipeline that has run steadily for two decades. The city dials out on +86 21, and most calls go over mobile networks where China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom hold the domestic market. International direct dialing from a Chinese mobile is technically straightforward but expensive: IDD prefix 00 or 17951 for rate arbitrage, and carriers charge per minute in a way that adds up fast on a long call with a parent in Canada or a client in Germany. Many Shanghai residents have long preferred routing calls over data — partly cost, partly convenience on a device already running WeChat all day.

Shanghai's International Communities

Shanghai itself is more a sender than a receiver of diaspora. The city has exported students and professionals at scale, particularly to the United States, Australia, Canada and the UK, and those overseas communities stay in regular contact with families in Jing'an, Pudong and Changning. Shanghainese who moved abroad for MBAs in the 1990s now have teenage children; the calls home are a standing weekly habit. Inside Shanghai, there is a substantial Japanese business community and Korean expats clustered near Hongqiao, each maintaining their own dense calling corridors back to Tokyo and Seoul. The international schools along the Humin Highway corridor signal where these families concentrate.

Time Difference: Shanghai to Taiwan

Shanghai and Taiwan share the same local time.

Time in Shanghai	Time in Taiwan
8:00 AM	8:00 AM
12:00 PM	12:00 PM
5:00 PM	5:00 PM
9:00 PM	9:00 PM

To catch people during waking hours in Taiwan (9 AM to 9 PM), call between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM Shanghai time — that lands between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM local time in Taiwan.

How to Call Taiwan from Shanghai

Open DialAnyone in Your Browser

From Shanghai, simply open dialanyone.com on your phone, tablet, or computer. No app download required.

Create a Free Account

Enter the Taiwan Number

Type the Taiwan phone number with country code +TW. DialAnyone will auto-format it for you.

Click Call

That's it! Your call connects instantly from Shanghai to Taiwan in HD quality.

Dialing Taiwan from Shanghai: Number Format

When calling Taiwan from Shanghai using a traditional phone, you need the international dialing prefix followed by the Taiwan country code (+TW). The format is:

IDD + TW + local number

The international dialing prefix (IDD) from China is "00" (or "+" from mobile phones). A complete dialed number looks like 00 886912345678. With DialAnyone, you can skip the IDD entirely — just enter the Taiwan number in the format +886912345678 and DialAnyone handles the routing.

Shanghai to Taiwan: Rate Comparison

Calling Method	Rate to Taiwan	Savings
Traditional Carrier	$1.50-3.00/min	0%
Calling Card	$0.10-0.50/min	50-70%
VoIP App (requires download)	$0.05-0.15/min	70-85%
DialAnyone (no app needed)	$0.05/min	Up to 90%

Why Shanghai Residents Choose DialAnyone for Taiwan

✓

Call any phone number in Taiwan — landline or mobile — directly from Shanghai

✓

Rates from Shanghai to Taiwan start at just $0.05/min

✓

No app download required — call from any browser in Shanghai

✓

Save up to 90% compared to China carrier international rates

✓

HD voice quality using WebRTC technology over Shanghai's internet

✓

Credits never expire — buy once, use whenever you need to call Taiwan

✓

Works on any device: phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer

✓

Send SMS to Taiwan from Shanghai at low rates too

Telecommunications in Taiwan

Taiwan boasts a robust telecommunications infrastructure characterized by a high rate of mobile phone penetration and advanced network coverage. The three main mobile network operators are Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, and FarEasTone. These providers offer extensive 4G and emerging 5G services, ensuring that urban and rural areas alike have reliable mobile connectivity. As of 2023, Taiwan's 5G network covers approximately 80% of the population, with continuous expansion planned. Landline availability remains significant, especially in urban areas, as many households still utilize traditional phone services. Mobile phone usage is widespread, with an estimated mobile penetration rate exceeding 130%, indicating that many residents own multiple devices. The Taiwanese government has also promoted digitalization, leading to a surge in mobile applications for communication, such as LINE, which is particularly popular for both personal and business interactions. Overall, Taiwan's telecommunications landscape is modern, efficient, and integral to daily life.

Dialing Taiwan from Abroad

To make an international phone call to Taiwan, follow these steps: 1. **Dial the exit code**: Depending on your country, this is typically "00" (Europe) or "011" (North America). 2. **Dial the country code for Taiwan**: This is "886". 3. **Dial the area code**: Taiwan has a variety of area codes, typically ranging from 2 to 3 digits. For example, Taipei's area code is "2". 4. **Dial the local number**: The local number is usually 7 to 8 digits long. When calling a mobile phone in Taiwan, you do not need to dial the area code. Instead, simply start with the mobile number, which usually begins with a "9" or "8". If you're calling a landline, ensure to include the area code. No special prefixes are required beyond the country code and area code. For example, to call a Taipei landline number like 1234-5678 from the US, you would dial 011-886-2-1234-5678.

Best Times to Call Taiwan from Shanghai

Taiwan operates on Taiwan Standard Time (TST), which is UTC+8 and does not observe daylight saving time. Understanding typical daily schedules can aid in making successful calls. Most businesses operate from 9 AM to 6 PM, with a lunch break usually taken between 12 PM and 1 PM. Personal availability often peaks in the early morning or early evening, as many people are busy with work during the day. It’s important to avoid calling during national holidays, such as Lunar New Year (usually in January or February), Dragon Boat Festival (June), and Mid-Autumn Festival (September). Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) are generally reserved for family and leisure activities, making Friday evenings and Saturday mornings ideal for personal calls. For business calls, weekdays during standard office hours are the most appropriate times to reach contacts.

Calling Etiquette in Taiwan

Phone call etiquette in Taiwan is shaped by a blend of traditional values and modern practices. When answering calls, individuals typically greet the caller with a simple "Hello" or a more formal "您好" (nǐ hǎo) in Mandarin, which translates to "you good." For informal settings, friends may use first names or nicknames, while in business contexts, titles and surnames are preferred. Cold calling is generally acceptable in certain contexts, especially in business environments, but it is advisable to introduce yourself and your purpose clearly. Personal calls often involve a brief exchange of pleasantries before addressing the main topic. In business communications, it is common to schedule calls in advance, ensuring that both parties are prepared for the discussion. Preferred communication channels are often email for initial contacts, with phone calls being more common for follow-up or urgent matters.

Mobile vs Landline Numbers in Taiwan

Taiwan's mobile numbers are distinctive: they run nine digits domestically and nearly all begin with 09 — 0912, 0916, 0935 and dozens of similar combinations assigned across Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, FarEasTone, and their subsidiaries. Geographic landlines carry shorter area codes: Taipei is 02, Taichung is 04, Kaohsiung is 07, Tainan is 06. Calling a landline in Taipei means the local portion is eight digits; outside Taipei, local numbers can be seven or eight digits depending on the district. The more relevant distinction is behavioral: landlines at home are answered by whoever is there, while mobiles are personal and Taiwanese users are fairly reliable about answering recognized numbers. LINE is woven so deeply into daily communication — used for everything from family group chats to restaurant orders — that a LINE call or message often reaches people faster than a voice call to a mobile.

Why Shanghai Callers Switch to VoIP

China's domestic mobile market is large and competitive on local rates, but that competition stops at the border. IDD calls from a China Mobile SIM burn credit at a rate that makes long conversations impractical; the 17951 dialing prefix softens the cost slightly but adds friction. Shanghai's broadband penetration is high, and most residents are on fiber at home and 4G or 5G mobile outside. Data is cheap enough that routing a call over it is an obvious choice — especially since the person abroad picks up on their normal number rather than a chat app they may or may not have open. For expats in Shanghai calling home to Europe or North America, the equation is the same: local SIM costs on the China side are irrelevant when you're paying international rates.

Cost-Saving Habits for Calling Taiwan

Taiwan Standard Time is UTC+8, fixed year-round with no daylight saving. That makes scheduling arithmetic stable — from the US West Coast, Taiwan is fifteen or sixteen hours ahead depending on US clock changes. Business hours run roughly 9 AM to 6 PM on weekdays, with a genuine lunch break around noon to 1 PM when calls often go unanswered. Landlines to Taipei and other cities are generally cheaper per minute than Taiwanese mobiles, and many offices still use them as primary contact numbers. The stretches to plan around: Lunar New Year (typically late January or early February) shuts down most businesses for at least a week and often longer, and personal contacts are hard to reach across the full holiday window. National Day on October 10 is a single-day closure. Outside those periods, Taiwan is one of the more reliably reachable places in East Asia — calls tend to get answered or returned promptly.

How Taiwan Rates Compare

At 5.6 credits per minute (about $0.05/min), calling Taiwan is cheaper than most destinations on DialAnyone. For context, here is how it stacks up against other popular destinations called from Shanghai:

India

$0.09/min

Mexico

$0.0025/min

Philippines

$0.18/min

Who Calls Taiwan from Shanghai?

Families & Friends

People in Shanghai staying connected with loved ones in Taiwan. Regular calls to check in, celebrate milestones, and maintain bonds across borders.

Business Professionals

Shanghai-based businesses with clients, suppliers, or partners in Taiwan. Professional calls at a fraction of traditional international rates.

Expat Communities

Taiwan expats living in Shanghai who need to call home regularly for family matters, legal issues, or staying in touch with their roots.

Travelers & Students

People in Shanghai planning trips to Taiwan, or students maintaining connections while studying abroad in China.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I call Taiwan from Shanghai?▼

From a regular phone in Shanghai, dial 00 (the China exit code), then TW, then the local number without its leading zero — for example 00 886912345678. With DialAnyone, just open your browser, enter the number as +886912345678, and click call — the international routing is handled automatically. Rates start at $0.05/min.

What is the cheapest way to call Taiwan from Shanghai?▼

DialAnyone offers the cheapest calls from Shanghai to Taiwan starting at $0.05/min. Traditional carriers from China typically charge $1-3/min for international calls. With DialAnyone's VoIP technology, you save up to 90% on every call. No monthly fees, no contracts — just pay-as-you-go credits.

Can I call mobile phones in Taiwan from Shanghai?▼

Yes! DialAnyone lets you call both mobile and landline numbers in Taiwan directly from Shanghai. Mobile rates to Taiwan start at $0.07/min and landline rates from $0.05/min. The recipient doesn't need any app — their phone rings normally.

What time should I call Taiwan from Shanghai?▼

Shanghai and Taiwan share the same local time. To reach people during waking hours there (9 AM to 9 PM), call between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM Shanghai time — that's 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM in Taiwan. DialAnyone works 24/7, so you can call whenever convenient.

Do I need an app to call Taiwan from Shanghai?▼

No app needed. DialAnyone works directly in your web browser from Shanghai or anywhere in China. Just go to dialanyone.com, log in, and start calling Taiwan. Works on any device — phone, tablet, or computer — as long as you have an internet connection.

Is the call quality good when calling Taiwan from Shanghai?▼

Yes. DialAnyone uses HD VoIP technology (WebRTC) to deliver crystal-clear calls from Shanghai to Taiwan. Shanghai's modern internet infrastructure ensures excellent call quality. The audio quality is typically better than traditional phone calls.