Call the UK from the United States

Calling abroad is quite common nowadays. It may seem confusing at first, but it's actually quite easy. Whether you need to talk to a relative, business partner, or friend, you can call the UK from the United States by dialing 011 (the international access code), 44 (the UK country code), then the recipient's personal phone number. While you can place the call from a normal phone, there are also alternative options you may find more appealing.

Steps

Making the Call

  1. Dial 011. This is the international access code.
  2. Dial 44. This is the country code for the United Kingdom.
  3. Dial the telephone number, omitting the leading 0, if there is one.

Alternative Methods

There are alternative methods of calling long distance. Here are two ways to do it by using your computer.

  1. Use a computer-to-telephone connection. Calling long distance via your computer is easy. And it can be free too. Here are three applications that enable PC-to-telephone access:
    • Freebuzzer
    • EvaPhone
    • Tuitalk
  2. Use a computer-to-computer connection. You can also use your computer to call another computer. You'll be able to have a conversation like always, but instead of picking up the telephone, you'll be using your PC instead. Here are three ways to do it:
    • Skype
    • Yahoo Voice
    • Windows Live Messenger

Make Sure to Call at an Appropriate Time

  1. Watch your timing! You don't want to call your connection at 3 am unless it's an emergency!
    • Generally, the UK is 5 hours ahead of the US Eastern time zone, so adjust based on your US time zone.
    • For a brief period of a week or two in the spring or fall, the UK is only four hours ahead, as the US and UK do not switch to and from Daylight Savings Time simultaneously.
    • If you're not sure, you can find the current UK time by going to Google.com, and entering "UK time" in the search field. Google will return the correct current time in the UK.



Tips

  • If the phone number which you are trying to reach has a zero between the country code and the local code (e.g. +44 (0)141 XXX XXXX) do not dial the zero. Simply dial 011.44.141.XXX.XXXX
  • If you are unable to connect your call, dial 00 and ask the international operator to help you place the call.
  • If you only have a local number (4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 digits), you will need to dial the area code for where you are calling. There are over 600 area codes, and they have 2 to 5 digits. Some of the major cities include: Aberdeen: 1224, Birmingham: 121, Bristol: 117, Cardiff: 29 (with 8-digit numbers beginning 2), Exeter: 1392, Glasgow: 141, Leicester: 116, Leeds: 113, Liverpool: 151, London: 20 (with 8-digit local numbers beginning 7, 8,or 3), Manchester: 161, Plymouth: 1752, Reading: 118, Sheffield: 114, Southampton and Portsmouth: 23 (with 8-digit local numbers beginning 8 or 9), Swansea: 1792. Five digit numbers exist in forty of the 4-digit area codes, e.g. in the Buxton: 1298 and Northwich: 1606 exchanges, and in the twelve 5-digit area codes, e.g. in the Langholm: 13873 and Sedburgh: 15396 exchanges.
  • Do not dial "1" first as you would be making a long distance call in the US. If you are calling from a phone that requires you to dial "9" first, your sequence would be 9.011.44.XXX.XXX.XXXX

Warnings

  • UK phone numbers beginning 1 and 2 are linked to an exchange at a specific place. Numbers beginning 3 are not linked to a specific place and are mainly used by large organizations. All numbers beginning 1, 2 or 3 are charged at standard "geographic number" rates from landlines and from mobiles. Numbers beginning 7 are usually mobile numbers and often cost more to call. Beware 70 numbers are not mobiles and cost a lot more. Numbers beginning 500 and 80 are free from a landline (but not from a mobile), 84 and 87 are premium rate numbers and numbers beginning 9 are expensive premium rate numbers. http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumer/consumerProducts/pdf/SpecialisedNos.pdf sets out the tariff structure for BT customers in the UK. How US operators choose to charge will be entirely up to them.
  • International calls can be very expensive. To avoid unnecessary fees, place calls during the evening or on weekends. You may also want to check out prepaid international calling cards as the per-minute fees are generally much lower than traditional long distance. Additionally, a VoIP (voice over IP) telephone service, such as Vonage, can save you even more, because calls to the UK are free with your paid plan.

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Sources and Citations

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