International Calls - Call the USA from overseas & Making international calls from the USA

International Calling Instructions

How to make an International call - When dialing countries outside of North America (including Mexico) and the Caribbean it is necessary to dial 011 before the country code, city code and number. List of country codes

Making telephone calls while traveling overseas

Article: Calling From Overseas August 30, 2007 By: Peter Riddley-Smythe

While conducting research abroad for my forthcoming book “The Third World Telephonist”, a follow-up to my earlier opus “Calling Home – Telecom Tips from Bangor to Bangkok", I found the most reliable means of calling back to the States, as well as other countries, was the utilization of international toll free access numbers. Whether I was phoning my home in Yucca Flats, my girlfriend in Bali or my publisher in Manhattan, toll free international access numbers that connected my calls to an American telecom network were by far the least problematic and most consistent. Dependable communications is of singular importance while traveling the urban terrain of an exotic land, dealing with foreign telecom apparatuses (particularly foreign payphones) and contending with unfamiliar languages. While roving about on the opposite side of the globe, I find great solace in having the ability to converse with an English-speaking operator, anytime, day or night, 365 days each year. So whether in Hong Kong or Berlin I refer to a list of international access numbers, such as those located on the Network America website (www.networkam.net), thus providing myself access to a telecom network located in the USA. I enjoy the fact that I'm no longer at the mercy of the foreign telephone companies and their unstable telecom infrastructures.

Call the USA & Canada - There are several ways to call the USA and Canada while traveling abroad - One sure way to call the home while traveling overseas is to utilize a toll free access number that will reach a telecommunications network in the USA. Companies such as Network America, AT&T & MCI offer international access numbers for most countries, numbers like those located at www.networkam.net . These access number allow you to make a free call from other countries to the public telephone network in the USA. After the connection is established between the country you are calling from and the USA, you will be given several payment options for completing the call.

Calling overseas from the United States and Canada

Make international calls from the USA Again there are several ways to make international calls from the USA to other countries. Certain prepaid phone cards offer very good international rates, but be careful when purchasing prepaid cards, as many of them are loaded with hidden fees and surcharges that will drain the minutes from your card very fast. Typically making international calls from a mobile phone is too expensive, unless you subscribe to an international calling program. A good way to make international calls if you are unsure of the dialing sequence, need assistance or do not have a prepaid card is to reach an international operator. Multilingual international operators can be accessed at 1-800-997-4685 from anywhere in the USA or Canada.

Useful Links:

International Telecom Union

List of City Codes

List of Toll Free International Access Numbers

US State Department Travel Tips

Espy Services Telecom Auditing

Businesses with large amounts of International Calling

Businesses that spend large amounts on telecom, especially international voice and data, should consider having a contingency based telecom audit conducted on all of their telecom accounts at least every two years. Companies such as Espy Services will do a complete audit to determine that all applicable discounts and proper rates are being applied to each account, thus resulting in saving and sometimes huge refunds.