Using a UK mobile to dial a US cellphone whilst in the US...

OrangeProse

...sorry, this one's a bit convoluted.

I'm going on holiday in a couple of days to the States and I'm taking my mobile with me. At one point I'm going to need to call my friend, who has a US mobile. How do I dial this number whilst I'm out in the States?

Do I simply dial the 10 digit number, or do I need to add some kind of prefix because I'm using a UK mobile, even though I'll be on US soil at the time?

Sorry, I hope this makes sense!

OneADay

Add 001 to front.

WolfSong2000

as above poster said, ad 001 - be warned though, you'll pay a lot for the privilege! It aint cheap using UK phones to call within the USA...believe me, I've made that mistake! There's a lot of companies that do cheap, pay as you go disposable phones...tracfone, Net 10, Boost Mobile, Virgin, etc...they may be worth looking into.

Jon_01

It would be FAR cheaper to get a phone over there. The US in one of the most expensive places to call from/to.

OrangeProse

Thanks everyone. I did think about picking up a 'burner' (oops, look who's been watching The Wire too much) but to be honest I'm only likely to use the phone once - to let my friend know that I've landed at the airport; so a ten second phonecall. Actually, thinking about it, I might just use a payphone...

mrcamp

If you have a + in front of all your numbers, then you just dial as is. if not just use a +. So, it will be +12024442345.

It's totally false that the US is one of the most expensive place to call to. The US does not differentiate between mobiles and landlines so it costs callers calling from outside the US to call for dirt cheap. US is "Receiving Party Pays" For example on most UK mobiles you can call the US cheaper than you can call another UK mobile on a different network.

hippey

It is expensive to call from a UK mobile in the US, there is no price difference for you if you call a UK number or a US one you will still pay your roaming price.

Depending on your network, and that of the one you roam on will depend on what you pay. I suggest it could well be in the region of £1-1.50 p/m so a short call will not break the bank, but it's not cheap!

When I go to the US I use a 2 way radio between us as a family for local trips, as the US mobile networks are not as widespread as the UK, some states have very poor coverage. Most metropolitan area are very good, as are most tourist areas.

Colliefrog

What network are you on? Not sure if it's the same for every network, but on Virgin you would just pay the same rate as you would to call the UK so £1.40 on PAYG and £1 on pay monthly.