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Calling the UK

How to call the UK from the US: dialing 011 44, mobile vs landline costs and calling back

Part of: How to make international calls online: dialing, rates and free options

By · Updated · 10 min read

TL;DR

From a US landline or cell phone, dial 011, then the UK country code 44, then the number without its leading 0: London's 020 XXXX XXXX becomes 011 44 20 XXXX XXXX [1][1][1]. In a browser dialer, type +44 instead. UK mobiles start with 07 [2] and cost more than landlines on most rate cards I read. Other countries are in my guide to international calls from a browser.

Key facts

How do you dial the UK from the US?

Dial 011, then 44, then the UK number without its first 0. 011 is the US international prefix, 44 is the UK's country code, and the 0 that starts every UK number is a trunk prefix for calls inside the UK, so it is never dialed from abroad [1][1][1]. In a browser dialer, type +44 in place of 011 44.

  1. Get the full number, area code included: 020 for London, 0131 for Edinburgh [2].
  2. Delete the leading 0, and the (0) in a number printed as +44 (0)20 [1].
  3. From a US phone, dial 011 44 and the rest of the number [1].
  4. In a browser dialer, start with +44, not 011: Google Voice's web app, for one, asks only for the country code before the number [7].
  5. Count the digits. After 44 a UK number has at most 10 [1], a mobile exactly 10 [3]. Eleven means the 0 is still there.
What to dial for three kinds of UK number
NumberWritten in the UKFrom a US phoneIn a browser dialer
London landline020 XXXX XXXX011 44 20 XXXX XXXX+44 20 XXXX XXXX
Edinburgh landline0131 XXX XXXX011 44 131 XXX XXXX+44 131 XXX XXXX
Mobile07XXX XXXXXX011 44 7XXX XXXXXX+44 7XXX XXXXXX

X stands for a digit of the local number. Area codes from Ofcom [2], mobile length from Ofcom's 2025 notice to the ITU [3], both read on .

How can you tell a UK mobile from a landline?

By the first digits. Ofcom, the UK regulator, says landline numbers start with 01 or 02 and mobile numbers with 07 [2]; mobiles sit in 071 to 075 and 077 to 079 [3]. That matters because most rate cards I read charge more for UK mobiles. Some other prefixes belong to no place, and a few cost extra even inside the UK.

UK number prefixes and what to check before calling from the US
Starts withWhat it isCheck before you call
01, 02A landline with an area code, such as 020 for London [2]The landline rate
071–075, 077–079A mobile [3]The mobile rate, higher on most cards below
03A UK-wide number that costs UK callers the same as 01 and 02 [2]Whether your dialer prices it like a landline
080Free to call from UK phones [2]Whether your dialer charges for it
084, 087, 09May be charged extra [2]The rate shown before you dial

A catch for Google Voice users: UK mobiles on EE, O2, Vodafone and Three cost $0.01 a minute, other networks $0.28 [4]. The 07 prefix won't tell you which, because people in the UK can usually keep their number when they switch provider [2]. If you don't know the network, budget for the higher rate.

How much does it cost to call the UK from the US?

On the rate cards I read on , paid browser dialers charged $0.01 to $0.06 a minute for a UK landline [4][5] and $0.01 to $0.581 for a mobile [8]. The mobile premium runs from nothing on Google Voice's four big networks to almost 19 times the landline price on Call2Friends.

Calling the UK from the US: per-minute prices and conditions
ServiceUK landlineUK mobileCondition
TextNowListed as free [9]Listed as freeFor US and Canadian residents [10]; web calling exists, but whether free UK calls work there isn't stated [11]
Google Voice$0.01 [4]$0.01 on EE, O2, Vodafone and Three; $0.28 on othersUS personal accounts only [12]
TwinPhone$0.06 [5]$0.12No free tier; $10 minimum top-up [13]
Yolla$0.06 [6]$0.10Outbound calls only on the web [14]
PopToxListed as free [15]Listed as freeUp to 5 free calls a day to the same number [16]; shared caller ID [17]
Call2Friends$0.031 (London) [8]$0.581; $0.464 to $1.206 by number rangeFree UK calls capped at 180 seconds [18]
WhatsApp WebNot in any WhatsApp doc I readFree, if the number is on WhatsApp [19]WhatsApp users only

Rows follow the order of my overall comparison, not price.

TwinPhone, which sponsors this site, charges more than Yolla for UK mobiles, $0.12 against $0.10 [5][6]. It gives no trial credit, cannot dial emergency numbers [20], and claims 145+ countries on one page but 165 destinations on its rates page [21][5]. In its favour, sign-up takes an email or Google account and no phone number, and the dialer runs in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave and Safari [21].

For one short call, Call2Friends allows free calls of up to 180 seconds to UK numbers [18], 1 or 2 a day per IP address [22]. PopTox publishes no call-length limit [16] and shows the same US number on every call, not yours [17].

Why mobile networks cost more to reach, and what a month of calls to a UK mobile adds up to, is in my explainer on landline and mobile prices.

How do you call the US from the UK online?

From a UK landline or mobile, dial 00, then the US country code 1, then the 10-digit number [1][1]. In a browser dialer, type +1 and the 10 digits. Online, Google Voice works only in the US and TextNow is meant for people living in the US or Canada, so a caller living in the UK has WhatsApp Web for WhatsApp contacts and pay-per-minute web dialers for any other US number.

Calling a US number from the UK
Calling fromWhat to dial
A UK landline or mobile00 1 XXX XXX XXXX
A browser dialer+1 XXX XXX XXXX

The first three X digits are the US area code. A US number has no leading 0 to drop [1].

Google Voice and TextNow don't serve UK residents

Google Voice is available only in the US [12], and Google says a US number used to call from another country is charged international rates [7]. TextNow's terms limit the service to people living in the US or Canada [10].

Web dialers that ring US numbers

Per-minute prices to the US are low on every card I read: Yolla $0.01 [23], Call2Friends $0.016 for most area codes [24] and TwinPhone $0.02 [5]. Yolla's US rate page doesn't say which calling country that price assumes [23], so check the rate in the dialer from the UK. The Yolla app registers you with your phone number [25].

TwinPhone rents US, Canadian and Puerto Rico numbers, not UK ones [26]. For $3.19 a month, a US number lets family in the US call you back in the browser tab, at $0.02 a minute from your balance [27].

WhatsApp Web calls WhatsApp contacts in the US at no cost [28], though the feature is still rolling out gradually [19], and Call2Friends allows free calls of up to 120 seconds to most US area codes [18]. I compare these and other no-cost routes to US numbers separately.

Frequently asked questions

What is the country code for the UK?

The UK's country code is 44 [29]. From a US phone you dial 011 44 and then the number without its leading 0 [1][1]; in an app or browser dialer, +44 replaces 011 44. The digits after 44 begin with the area code, such as 20 for London or 131 for Edinburgh, or with a 7 for a mobile [2].

Do I dial the 0 when calling the UK from the US?

No. The 0 at the start of a UK number is a trunk prefix for calls inside the UK, and the ITU's dialing rules say a destination's trunk prefix must not be dialed on an international call [1][1]. So 020 XXXX XXXX becomes 011 44 20 XXXX XXXX. On a number printed as +44 (0)20, the (0) is that same prefix: leave it out.

How do I call a UK cell phone from my US cell phone?

Dial 011 44, then the mobile number without its 0: 07XXX XXXXXX becomes 011 44 7XXX XXXXXX, which leaves 10 digits after 44 [3]. Your carrier's plan sets the price, and it can be high: Verizon's pay-per-minute international calling starts at $0.49 a minute [30]. Browser dialers publish their UK mobile rates: Google Voice charges $0.01 on EE, O2, Vodafone and Three [4].

Can I call the UK for free from the US?

Yes, with limits. WhatsApp Web calls are free to people who use WhatsApp [19]. For an ordinary UK number, TextNow lists the UK as free for its US and Canadian users [9], PopTox lists it as a free destination [15], and Call2Friends allows free calls of up to 180 seconds [18]. PopTox shows a shared US number instead of yours [17].

How do I call a US number from the UK?

Dial 00, the US country code 1 and the 10-digit number, area code first [1][1]. In a browser, type +1 and the 10 digits. Google Voice works only in the US [12] and TextNow is meant for people living in the US or Canada [10], so from the UK use WhatsApp Web or a pay-per-minute dialer such as Yolla, $0.01 a minute [23].

Can I still use Skype to call the UK?

No. Microsoft retired Skype on 5 May 2025 [31], and calls from Skype to UK phones ended with it. The browser dialers in the table above do that job now, and WhatsApp Web covers free calls to people who use WhatsApp. I cover what became of Skype and its credit in a separate post.

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Sources

  1. Dialling procedures (international prefix, national (trunk) prefix and national (significant) number), position on 15 December 2011 - ITU · ITU · checked November 1, 2026
  2. Phone numbers and call costs - Ofcom · Ofcom · checked November 1, 2026
  3. United Kingdom (country code +44), Communication of 13.I.2025 (ITU National Numbering Plans) · ITU / Ofcom · checked November 1, 2026
  4. Google Voice calling rates · checked November 1, 2026
  5. International Calling Rates — Pay As You Go, Per Minute - TwinPhone · checked November 1, 2026
  6. Cheap Online International Calls to the United Kingdom - Yolla · checked November 1, 2026
  7. Make a call with Google Voice - Computer - Google Voice Help · checked November 1, 2026
  8. Cheap Calls to United Kingdom | Call2Friends · checked November 1, 2026
  9. Affordable International Calling : No Contract or Credit Check - TextNow · checked November 1, 2026
  10. Terms of Use – TextNow · checked November 1, 2026
  11. Which browsers are supported by TextNow? – TextNow Support · checked November 1, 2026
  12. The end of legacy Google Voice for personal accounts - Google Voice Help · checked November 1, 2026
  13. How does TwinPhone billing work? - TwinPhone Help Center · checked November 1, 2026
  14. Make Phone Calls from Your PC, Laptop, or Browser - Yolla · checked November 1, 2026
  15. Free Internet Calls | Free Online Calls | PopTox · checked November 1, 2026
  16. International Calling Rates | PopTox · checked November 1, 2026
  17. About us | PopTox · checked November 1, 2026
  18. How to call to USA, United Kingdom, Uganda, Uzbekistan using internet | Call2Friends · checked November 1, 2026
  19. About WhatsApp Web calling - WhatsApp Help Center · checked November 1, 2026
  20. Can I call a phone from my browser for free? - TwinPhone Help Center · checked November 1, 2026
  21. Call a phone from your browser - TwinPhone · checked November 1, 2026
  22. Free call | Call2Friends - Online call · checked November 1, 2026
  23. Cheap Online International Calls to the United States (The USA) - Yolla · checked November 1, 2026
  24. Cheap Calls to United States | Call2Friends · checked November 1, 2026
  25. FAQ - Yolla · checked November 1, 2026
  26. Get Your Own Virtual Phone Number - TwinPhone · checked November 1, 2026
  27. Do I pay to receive calls on my TwinPhone number? - TwinPhone Help Center · checked November 1, 2026
  28. Introducing Web Calling on WhatsApp, Plus More New Updates (WhatsApp Blog, July 28, 2026) · checked November 1, 2026
  29. List of Recommendation ITU-T E.164 assigned country codes (position on 15 December 2016) - ITU · ITU · checked November 1, 2026
  30. International Calling: Pay Per Minute - Verizon · Verizon · checked November 1, 2026
  31. Skype is retiring in May 2025: What you need to know - Microsoft Support · checked November 1, 2026