To call a US number from Australia, dial 0011 (Australia's international exit code), then 1 (the US country code), then the 10-digit American number: 0011 1 212 555 0123. On a mobile you can replace 0011 with a plus sign, so the same call is +1 212 555 0123 (press and hold 0 to get the +).

That works from every Australian landline and mobile, and from an American phone roaming here. Below: the two dialling mistakes that catch people on this route, how the time difference shifts four times a year, what Telstra and Optus actually charge for calls to the US, and the cheapest way to call home if you are an American living or travelling here.

Dialling a US number, step by step

Say the number you have is written the American way: (415) 555-0123.

Start with 0011, or + on a mobile.
Add 1, the country code shared by the US and Canada.
Add the three-digit area code: 415.
Add the seven-digit local number: 555 0123.

From a landline that is 0011 1 415 555 0123. From a mobile it is +1 415 555 0123. Vodafone gives the same two formats in its guide to international calls from Australia.

There is no separate mobile prefix in the US. American mobiles and landlines use the same area codes, so a US mobile number looks exactly like a landline number. And there is no leading 0 to drop: US numbers never start with one.

Save US contacts in +1 format. Your phone then dials correctly from Australia, from the US and from anywhere else, which matters if you travel between the two.

Why 0011 trips people up

Most of the world uses 00 to dial out. The US and Canada use 011. Australia uses 0011, and that is the classic mistake on this route, made in both directions:

Americans in Australia dial 011 out of habit. From an Australian phone, 011 is not an exit code and the call fails.
Australians who have lived in Europe or Asia dial 00 1 and the number. That also fails from an Australian line.
Anyone who thinks 0011 is part of the number. It is not. People in the US calling you never dial 0011; they dial 011 61 and your number without its leading 0.

The plus sign avoids all three problems. Your mobile swaps it for the right exit code for whichever network you are on, so +1 works in Sydney, in Los Angeles and on a stopover in Singapore.

The 1800 trap: US toll-free numbers versus Australian freecall

Australia also has 1800 numbers, and this is where a US call can go quietly wrong. Australian freecall numbers are ten digits that start with 1800. A US toll-free number written as 1-800-555-0199 starts with the same four digits.

If you dial that US number on an Australian phone without 0011 or +, the network can read the first ten digits, 1800 555 019, as an Australian freecall number. You either reach an Australian business you never meant to call, or get an error. To reach the American number, dial 0011 1 800 555 0199 or +1 800 555 0199.

Even then, many US toll-free lines do not accept calls from overseas, and you pay an international rate when they do. Our guide to calling US toll-free numbers from abroad covers how to find the direct line, and if it is a blocked card, see how to call your bank from abroad.

The time difference changes four times a year

Australia and the US change their clocks in opposite seasons. Sydney moves forward on the first Sunday in October and back on the first Sunday in April. The US moves forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not use daylight saving at all.

Period	Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart	Brisbane	Perth
Early April to early October	14 hours ahead of New York, 17 ahead of Los Angeles	14 ahead of New York, 17 ahead of LA	12 ahead of New York, 15 ahead of LA
Early October to early November, and mid-March to early April	15 ahead of New York, 18 ahead of LA	14 ahead of New York, 17 ahead of LA	12 ahead of New York, 15 ahead of LA
Early November to mid-March	16 ahead of New York, 19 ahead of LA	15 ahead of New York, 18 ahead of LA	13 ahead of New York, 16 ahead of LA

Adelaide runs 30 minutes behind Sydney all year. Because Australia is a day ahead, the easy rule is: your morning is their afternoon, yesterday. At 7am in Sydney in January it is 3pm the previous day in New York and noon in Los Angeles. An evening call from Australia lands in the middle of the American night.

What Australian carriers charge to call the US

Calls to the US are some of the cheapest international calls in Australia, and on many plans they are already included.

Telstra. On Telstra Pre-Paid Max, calls to the USA are listed as "Unlimited" on the A$10 to A$60 recharges, with no flagfall (as of October 2026, Telstra Pre-Paid Max international call rates). Telstra's page does not mention a fair-use cap for this. Telstra postpaid customers should check their plan's international inclusions in the My Telstra app.

Optus. The USA is one of Optus's 35 "Group 1" destinations. Optus says Group 1 is included in all its SIM plans except Choice Plus Small, and anyone else can add unlimited standard calls to Group 1 for A$10 a month (as of October 2026, Optus international talk and text add-ons). Without an inclusion, postpaid customers pay a per-minute rate plus a 35c flagfall per call. Our Optus international calls guide breaks the groups down.

Everyone else. Vodafone and most smaller providers include some international calling on selected plans, but the country lists change often. Check your plan's Critical Information Summary for "USA" before assuming. For a wider comparison, see our guide to making international calls from Australia.

How you call a US number from Australia	Cost of a 10-minute call (as of October 2026)
Telstra Pre-Paid Max, A$10 to A$60 recharge	Included ("Unlimited" to USA)
Optus SIM plan other than Choice Plus Small	Included
Optus plan with no inclusion	A$10 a month add-on, or per-minute rate plus 35c flagfall
American phone on AT&T International Day Pass	US$12 for that day
BoraPhone in a browser over WiFi	From about US$0.40 (from US$0.04 a minute)

Americans in Australia: US phone, local SIM or WiFi?

If you are visiting from the US, you have three realistic ways to call home.

Keep your US phone on roaming. AT&T's International Day Pass costs US$12 a day on land (US$6 for each extra line used the same day), covers Australia, and lets you call "back to the U.S. for no additional charge" with an eligible AT&T unlimited plan (as of October 2026, AT&T). Verizon's TravelPass is also US$12 a day in the countries it covers outside Mexico and Canada; check Verizon's country list for Australia before you go. That is fine for a week. For a month it adds up quickly, and the charge starts the first time you use the phone on a given day.

Buy an Australian prepaid SIM or eSIM. Australian law requires prepaid services to be identity-checked before they work, and visitors normally use their passport. Some providers only let you finish the check once you are in Australia. The upside is real: a Telstra Pre-Paid Max recharge, for example, lists calls to the USA as unlimited, so a local SIM can be the cheapest way to call home on a long stay.

Use WiFi. WiFi is easy to find in Australian hotels, libraries and cafés, and most homes have fast broadband. With your US phone in aeroplane mode and WiFi calling switched on, calls to US numbers are usually treated by your carrier like domestic calls. App-to-app calls on WhatsApp or FaceTime are free when the other person has the same app.

For calls to an American landline, a pharmacy, a bank or anyone not on an app, a browser call is the simple option. BoraPhone runs in Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox with nothing to install and no SIM needed, shows the rate before you dial (the dialler gives the exact rate for the number), and bills per minute from a pay-as-you-go balance. Your first call is free, and the full rates list shows every other country.

Hotel phones are the one option to avoid without asking first. Hotels set their own international rates, and a room phone usually needs an outside-line digit (often 0 or 9) before 0011.

Frequently asked questions

How do I call the USA from Australia on a mobile?

Dial +1, then the area code and the seven-digit number, for example +1 415 555 0123. Press and hold 0 to get the plus sign. You can also dial 0011 1 and the 10 digits, which works on mobiles and landlines alike.

What is the 3-digit country code for the United States?

There is no three-digit code. The US country code is 1, shared with Canada and several Caribbean countries. Codes such as 001 or 011 in guides are an exit code plus the 1, and from Australia the exit code is 0011.

Can I call a US 1-800 number from Australia?

Sometimes. Dial 0011 1 800 and the seven digits, or +1 800 on a mobile, never just 1800, which dials an Australian freecall number. Many US toll-free numbers reject overseas calls, so look for a direct or international number on the company's website.

Why won't my call to the US go through from Australia?

The usual causes are dialling 011 or 00 instead of 0011, leaving out the 1, or adding a 0 in front of the area code. Use the + format, +1 and the 10 digits, to rule out all three. If it still fails, check that international calls are not barred on your plan.

Is it cheaper to call the US from Australia with an app?

App-to-app calls on WhatsApp or FaceTime are free over WiFi when both people have the app. To call a real US phone number, compare your plan first: many Telstra and Optus plans already include the USA. If yours does not, a pay-as-you-go browser or app call costs a few cents a minute.

How to Call the USA from Australia: 0011, +1 and What It Costs