To plus or not to plus . . . or even, double oh
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hybernia
Posts: 390 Forumite
Really do get confused when we're away from these shores and I need to make a phone call on my mobile. Actually, the past two years I've never bothered. So now I'm stuck with this information swirling around my tiny brain:
From the Spanish company we're renting our car from in Spain: 'In the event of breakdown or accident, please contact as soon as possible. Ring 0034 . . . etc etc.'
From info received from a friend: 'Just remember, when you're in Spain next month that if you need to ring a Spanish number, the code is +0034, and if you need to ring home for any reason, the code is +0044.'
I thought all I had to do was dial the plus digit and the two numbers -- +34 for Spain and +44 for the UK -- not have to mess around with dialing double-oh as well?? (Yes, I know, the first zero of the called phone number needs to be ignored whether phoning on a mobile from Spain to Spain or the UK.)
Silly query I know but if anyone can just tell me?? Thanks.
From the Spanish company we're renting our car from in Spain: 'In the event of breakdown or accident, please contact as soon as possible. Ring 0034 . . . etc etc.'
From info received from a friend: 'Just remember, when you're in Spain next month that if you need to ring a Spanish number, the code is +0034, and if you need to ring home for any reason, the code is +0044.'
I thought all I had to do was dial the plus digit and the two numbers -- +34 for Spain and +44 for the UK -- not have to mess around with dialing double-oh as well?? (Yes, I know, the first zero of the called phone number needs to be ignored whether phoning on a mobile from Spain to Spain or the UK.)
Silly query I know but if anyone can just tell me?? Thanks.
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you are correct, the 00 is in place of the +0
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Glentoran: many thanks for that! :T I was beginning to think I'd be better off just staying with postcards.0
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In any European country your can use 00 or + (not both) as prefix to the country code. But several other countries don't use 00 as international prefix, such as USA/Canada, and it won't work there.
So it's better to always use the universal standard, the plus sign, replacing the initial zero of a local number with + and the country code, e.g. +44, +34 etc. This will work in any country worldwide, including your home country such as +44 in UK, so if you store all your contacts in this form you will never have a problem wherever you are.Evolution, not revolution0 -
In any European country your can use 00 or + (not both) as prefix to the country code. . . So it's better to always use the universal standard, the plus sign, replacing the initial zero of a local number with + and the country code, e.g. +44, +34 etc. This will work in any country worldwide, including your home country such as +44 in UK, so if you store all your contacts in this form you will never have a problem wherever you are.
Thanks for that info! It's obvious I've been in a muddle about these codes for a long time.
When we got a new landline phone, I actually wondered about making an address book with entries that looked like the way I had seen our phone number occasionally represented, putting +44 in front in place of the first zero.
But my sister said don't do that, it will affect your BT phone bill, because BT charges less for local calls than national calls.
If you set up your phone's contacts book with every number with a national prefix then whenever you ring me (we are both on the same local exchange) then you'll pay national rate. To make a local call you mustn't dial any STD code at all.
I'm now assuming that I've been really silly to carry over that advice to my mobile phone contacts because, of course, there is no such thing as a 'local' number call rate on a mobile, only on a landline.
I wish I'd asked on here a long time ago for clarification. Thanks so much for your help, I have screen captured the info and saved it. 0 -
Do you have to use 0044 or +44 when phoning the UK from abroad? I'm sure I've just used the UK number - the phone remembers it's English and is on holiday.0
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Do you have to use 0044 or +44 when phoning the UK from abroad? I'm sure I've just used the UK number - the phone remembers it's English and is on holiday.
Oh lordy. Martin: I don't know. I thought that regardless of the 'nationality' of the phone, the country code was essential.
But perhaps . . ??? :undecided0 -
Perhaps you have an iPhone with 'dial assist' feature that automatically converts a number to international format when necessary. I don't know if it's foolproof in recognising which country code to add, or can only assume the home country.Do you have to use 0044 or +44 when phoning the UK from abroad? I'm sure I've just used the UK number - the phone remembers it's English and is on holiday.
There's a highly reviewed app 'Twitch 2! Contacts Formatter' that can convert your whole contacts list to international format. I've not used it myself as my contacts have been entered that way since GSM brought in the standard 25+ years ago.Evolution, not revolution0 -
Do you have to use 0044 or +44 when phoning the UK from abroad? I'm sure I've just used the UK number - the phone remembers it's English and is on holiday.
I think you have to use +44 from anywhere it may be that you had the number stored in your contacts with the +44 already on0 -
Google contacts puts in the +44 automatically so I don't have to.Tall, dark & handsome. Well two out of three ain't bad.0
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