How to Call England from Anywhere in the World

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posted on 11 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Calling England is simple as long as you know your country’s exit code and the access code, 44, for the United Kingdom. You will also need to know the area code or carrier code for the line you wish to call. Once you know these numbers, you can call England from any country in the world. Be aware of the time difference and different calling options to ensure your call is a success.

Things You Should Know

To make any international call, you must first determine the exit code for your country. The exit code in the U.S. and Canada is 011.
The country code for England is 44.
Be aware of timing when calling the UK. British Standard Time is UTC +6.

Dialing an English Phone Number

Dial the exit code for your country. Inputting an exit code signifies to your telephone service provider that you wish to call an international number. Exit codes vary from country to country. Search online or ask your phone service provider for the code covering the country you are in. For example, 011 is the exit code for the U.S., Canada, and most other countries in North America. Another common code is 00. It is used by most European nations, China, New Zealand, and many countries in both Africa and South America. A few other codes are 0011 for Australia, 810 for Russia, and 010 for Japan. Depending on where you live, you may need to input extra digits. The extra digits are specific to your phone carrier and you type them after the regular exit code. For example, in Brazil you may see exit codes like “0015” or “0021.” Ask your service provider for the correct code.

Type the country code “44” for the U.K. Inputting the correct country code routes your call to the U.K. The code covers the entire U.K., including England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, so you won’t have an issue getting your call routed to the correct region. Every independent nation has its own calling code. Make sure you type in 44, or else you could end up calling someone outside of the U.K.! For example, if you are calling from the U.S., you would type 011-44-xxxx-xxxxxx.

Skip pressing 0 if it is the next number. When you call from inside England, you need to use a local code or trunk code. England’s local code is 0, so you don’t need to include it in the phone number if you’re calling in from abroad. If you were given an English phone number with a leading 0, skip this digit or else your call will not connect correctly.

Dial the city area code if you are calling a landline. Every landline in England has an area code corresponding to its geographical location. These codes range in length from 2 to 5 digits. Bigger cities tend to have the shorter codes. If you aren’t sure what code you need, search online for a list of English telephone area codes. Determine the correct area code by knowing the geographic area your phone call is heading to. You can see a list of codes at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/. For example, the area code for London is 20. Liverpool’s area code is 151. To reach Manchester, dial 161.

Dial the correct mobile code if you are calling a cell phone. Cell phones in England do not use standard geographic area codes. Instead, they all have specific mobile codes that vary from place to place. The mobile code you need depends on the network the other person’s cell phone is covered by. You will need to ask the person you wish to call for the mobile code. There is no other way of knowing it with certainty unless you find out directly. All mobile area codes start with the number 7 and are followed by 3 more digits. An example of a mobile number is 011-44-7xxx-xxxxxx

Enter the remainder of the subscriber's phone number. The remaining digits you need to input are the other person’s personal numbers. You will need to type in between 5 to 7 more digits if you’re calling a landline. For mobile numbers, type in the remaining 4 digits to complete the call. Landlines in smaller villages are as short as 5 digits because of the longer area codes. Most numbers in England are 10 digits long, excluding the area code. Mobile numbers are all 10 digits long. The carrier code is included in these digits. For example, if you’re calling a landline in London from the U.S., type 011-44-20-xxxx-xxxx. To call a landline in Oxford from the U.S., you would need to type 011-44-1865-xxxxxx. Call a mobile number by typing something similar to 011-44-74xx-xxxxxx.

Calling Responsibly

Note the time difference before calling. England is under Greenwich Mean Time, which is UTC +0. As an example of the potential time difference you may face, England is 5 hours ahead of the eastern United States. Also, be aware that England has a period of Daylight Savings Time from spring until fall. The period of Daylight Savings Time, called British Summer Time, is UTC +6. It begins in late March and ends in late October. The easy part about the time difference is that England and the rest of the U.K. are in a single time zone. The time will be the same no matter which part of the country you call.

Purchase international phone cards to save money when calling. Cards are often available at several locations, including gas stations, grocery stores, and convenience stores. Phone companies may also sell them to you directly. You buy the card and get a limited amount of minutes to use with your phone. Follow the directions on the card to use it. Read the fine print on any cards before buying them. Make sure the minutes can be used to call England. Also, note any hidden fees that can increase the cost.

Use a VoIP service to call cell phones and other devices for free. VoIP, or voice over Internet protocol, is an easy way to get in touch with someone in England. Programs such as Skype and FaceTime utilize an Internet connection, so you will need to connect to a free WiFi service in your area. Then, dial the person’s phone number as you normally would to contact them. VoIP programs are available as apps on phones and can also be downloaded on tablets or computers. Free VoIP calls are only possible when you’re connected to WiFi. If the other person has the VoIP program and is connected to WiFi, you can talk to one another without incurring any charges.

Buy minutes with a VoIP program to save money when calling landlines. Landlines cannot be called for free while using a VoIP service. You need to use the program’s menu to pay real money for minutes. These minutes are often cheaper than using a phone provider data plan, and you can pay as you go to prevent overcharges. Another way to call landlines is to look for phone carriers that offer inexpensive VoIP plans.

Connect using a video chat program to call for free. To use a video chat program successfully, both people need to have the program installed on their phone, computer, or tablet. Search for the other person in the app. Make sure you are both connected to the Internet, then tap the call button to start the chat. A few programs that have free video capabilities are Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp.