To call the USA from the UK, dial 00 (the UK international access code), then 1 (the US country code), then the 10-digit American number: a 3-digit area code followed by 7 digits. On a mobile you can type +1 and the 10 digits instead, which is the same thing and works on any network.

So a Boston number written as (617) 555-0123 is 00 1 617 555 0123 from a UK landline and +1 617 555 0123 from a mobile. You may see people write the prefix as 001, which is simply 00 and 1 run together.

The dialling is easy. The cost is where people get caught out: on a standard UK mobile tariff, a call to America is usually not part of your inclusive minutes, and the per-minute price can be startling.

Quick dialling reference

From a UK mobile: +1, area code, number. Hold 0 to get the + on most phones.
From a UK landline: 00 1, area code, number.
From a hotel phone in the UK: the outside-line digit (shown on the card by the phone), then 00 1, area code, number.
From a US phone visiting the UK: +1, area code, number, exactly as above.
Calling a US toll-free number (800, 888, 877 and similar): many do not accept calls from outside North America. Our guide to calling US toll-free numbers from abroad explains how to find the direct number.

Going the other way? Our guide on how to call the UK from the US covers 011 44 and dropping the leading 0.

What UK mobile networks charge to ring America

Most UK pay monthly plans include unlimited UK minutes, but calls to other countries are charged separately unless you add a bolt-on. EE publishes its US prices on its own USA calling page. As of October 2026:

EE option	Price to US mobiles and landlines	A 10-minute call
Pay monthly, no add-on	£4.64 a minute	£46.40
Pay as you go, no add-on	43p a minute plus a 34p connection charge (as of September 2026)	£4.64
International Pass add-on	3p a minute, plus the monthly add-on fee	30p plus the fee
Anytime UK and International calls add-on	£17.74 a month, includes US landlines and mobiles (1,000-minute fair use on international landlines)	Included

The pay monthly figure is the one that hurts. One forgotten 10-minute call to a relative in Florida costs more than many people's whole monthly bill. If you call the US every week, a bolt-on like EE's International Pass is clearly worth it. If you call once or twice a year, a bolt-on you forget to cancel can cost more than it saves.

Other networks (Vodafone, O2, Three, giffgaff, iD Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile) publish their own international price lists, and their US rates and bolt-ons differ. Check your network's international rates page before you dial, or look up the rate in your account app. Our full breakdown of EE international calls goes through EE's options in more detail.

Calling the US from a BT landline

If you still have a home phone, it can be the cheapest way to ring America regularly. BT's International Freedom add-on costs £8.50 a month and includes calls to fixed lines in 36 international destinations, the USA among them, plus mobiles in five countries, again including the USA (BT help page). Inclusive calls are capped at 600 minutes a month under BT's fair use rules, as of October 2026.

Without an add-on, BT charges its standard international rates, which are listed in the BT residential phone tariff. Other landline providers such as Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk have their own international bundles. The same rule applies: check whether the US is included before relying on it.

Visiting from the US? Calling home from Britain

If you are an American visiting the UK with your US phone, the picture is different. You are roaming, and US numbers are "home" numbers.

WiFi calling is the cheapest route. Verizon, for example, says calls back to the US over WiFi carry no extra charge (Verizon WiFi Calling FAQs). Turn it on before you fly, as some carriers need it activated on a US network first.
A roaming pass costs a flat daily fee. Verizon's TravelPass is $12 a day outside Canada and Mexico, as of October 2026, and lets you use your plan's minutes. That is good value if you also need mobile data that day, and poor value for a single call.
Without a pass, you pay your carrier's pay-as-you-go roaming rates, which are much higher.

To stop your phone roaming without you noticing, put it in flight mode (airplane mode on a US phone) and then turn WiFi back on. Hotel and café WiFi is usually good enough for voice calls; train WiFi is often too patchy.

Staying longer? A UK pay as you go SIM is sold in supermarkets, newsagents and phone shops, and you do not need ID to buy one. Calls to the US on it are charged at that network's international rate unless you add a bolt-on, so check the price list first. Travel eSIMs bought online are usually data only, with no UK number.

When the clocks change: the UK and US gap

The UK and US both use summer time, but they switch on different weekends. The UK changes on the last Sunday of March and October. The US changes on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. In between, the usual gap is one hour shorter.

US time zone	Usual gap (UK ahead)	25 Oct to 1 Nov 2026	14 to 28 Mar 2027
Eastern (New York, Florida)	5 hours	4 hours	4 hours
Central (Chicago, Texas)	6 hours	5 hours	5 hours
Mountain (Denver)	7 hours	6 hours	6 hours
Pacific (California, Seattle)	8 hours	7 hours	7 hours
Hawaii (no summer time)	11 hours in British Summer Time, 10 in winter	10 hours	10 hours

Most of Arizona does not change its clocks, so it is 8 hours behind the UK during British Summer Time and 7 hours behind in winter.

A good rule of thumb: ring the East Coast between 2 pm and 10 pm UK time, which is 9 am to 5 pm in New York for most of the year. California offices open at 5 pm UK time. If you are trying to reach a US bank about a blocked card, our guide to calling your bank from abroad has the details.

Mistakes people make calling America from the UK

Dialling 011. That is the American exit code. In the UK it is 00, or + on a mobile.
Leaving out the 1. The area code is not enough. Every call needs 1 before the 10 digits.
Adding a 0 in front of the area code. UK habits die hard, but US numbers never start with 0.
Assuming your inclusive minutes cover it. On most UK plans they do not. Check before a long call.
Using a US 1-800 number from a mobile. It often fails or connects to a recorded message. Look for the company's direct or "calling from outside the US" number instead.
Forgetting the late-March and late-October weeks. That one-hour shift catches out people with standing weekly calls.

A cheap way to call US landlines and mobiles

If your network charges by the minute and you do not want a bolt-on, an internet calling service is the usual answer. WhatsApp and FaceTime are free when both people use the same app, but they cannot reach a US landline, a bank or a doctor's surgery.

BoraPhone calls real US numbers from a web browser, with no app or SIM. Calls to the US start from $0.04 a minute at the time of writing (October 2026), so a 10-minute call costs from $0.40, and the dialler shows the exact rate for the number before you ring. It is pay as you go in US dollars from a $5 top-up, with no contract. Billing is per minute, rounded up to the next full minute, failed calls are refunded, and your first call is free when you sign up with an email address. For a wider comparison of UK options, see our page on cheap international calls from the UK.

Frequently asked questions

Is +1 the same as 011?

No. 1 is the country code for the US and Canada, and you always need it. 011 is what people dial to leave the US. From the UK you use 00 instead of 011, or the + sign on a mobile, followed by 1 and the number.

Do I drop the 0 when using 44?

Yes, but only when calling the UK from abroad. A UK number like 020 7946 0000 becomes +44 20 7946 0000. US numbers have no leading 0 to drop, so when calling America from the UK you just add 00 1 or +1 in front of the 10 digits.

Are WhatsApp calls free from the UK to the US?

WhatsApp calls are free when both people have WhatsApp and you are on WiFi or using your data allowance. They cannot call US landlines or businesses. For those you need a phone call, a bolt-on, or an internet service that dials real numbers.

How much does it cost to call the USA from a UK mobile?

It depends on your network and plan. On EE pay monthly without an add-on it is £4.64 a minute, as of October 2026, while EE's International Pass brings it down to 3p a minute plus the add-on fee. Check your own network's international rates before a long call.

What is the cheapest way to call America from the UK?

For regular calls, a bolt-on such as EE's International Pass or a landline bundle like BT International Freedom is usually cheapest. For occasional calls, an app is free if both people use it, and a browser calling service costs a few cents a minute to US landlines.

How to Call the USA from the UK: Dialling Code and What It Costs