Making International Phone Calls
With the advancements of technology, it seems the world has become increasingly smaller - which means that many more people are making friends and creating families internationally - which also means an increase in the number of international calls being made.
We've put together some information for you below in an attempt to provide you with the information you need to know in order to make international calls as well as save money while making them.
How to Make International Calls
You can usually place an International call from your home phone in one of two ways. You can dial direct:
011 + The Country Code + The City Code + The Telephone Number
The number of digits in both the country codes and city codes can very depending on the cities and countries you place calls to. The 011 and the seven digit number always are the same.
So, if you wanted to place an International call to Mexico City, Mexico from the United States, you would dial the following:
011 + 52 + 55 + The 7 Digit Phone Number of Who You Are Calling
The second way to place an International call is by utilizing operator assistance. To do so, simply replace the 011 in the above with 01 - but please be advised that using an operator to place International calls can be much more expensive than dialing direct.
Please also note that the above instructions apply to all International calls, aside from those made to Canada. Calls made to Canada are placed in the same way you would place a long distance call within the United States:
1 + The Area Code + The 7 Digit Phone Number You Are Trying to Call.
Saving Money on International Calls
If you do not have a special International plan, making calls from your regular home phone will likely be pretty expensive. If you plan to call a specific country on a regular basis, call your long distance provider and find out what type of discount plans they have available for making calls to that country.
Alternately, you can also use prepaid calling cards or postpaid phone cards to place your International calls. Most calling cards offer discount International rates and many specialize in them.
Dial-Arounds, which require a special pin number to be dialed before placing a call, can also be a cheap way of making International calls without sacrificing quality.
Before choosing any provider to make your International calls with, be sure to check the fine print on any plans or cards. Check for time of day restrictions, minimum billing increments and expiration dates.
If you'd like to compare rates on International calls offered by a variety of providers and services and compare them based on your personal needs, you can do so by using our best rate calculator.
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