It’s more important than ever to stay in touch with people across boundaries in today’s globalised world. Anyone living or working outside of the UK needs to know how to call a UK number from abroad, whether it’s for personal or business calls or to take care of an emergency. This guide walks you through the process in great detail and gives you useful tips to make your overseas calls go smoothly and save you money.
Getting the Basics Down
Before getting into the details, it’s important to know how an overseas call works in general. If you want to call a number in the UK from outside the UK, you’ll need to follow a set of foreign dialling codes. These codes will get your call from your country to the right place in the UK.
Exit Code: This is the number you dial to let the caller know you are calling from outside your country. It is also called the international access code. The exit code is different in each country. For example, in the US and Canada, it’s 011, but in many European countries, it’s 00.
Country Code: This is a number that is given to each country. The country number for the UK is 44.
Area Code: In the UK, each region has its own unique area code that will connect your call to the right place. As an example, the area number for London is 20.
Local Number: This is the special number that goes with the cell you want to call.
How to Make a Call to a UK Landline from Outside the UK, Step by Step
Type in the Exit Code: To begin, type in the exit code for the country you’re calling. This lets your phone company know that you are calling someone in another country.
Type in the UK’s country code: When you get to the exit code, press 44, which is the UK country code.
Write down the Area Code: Next, enter the landline’s area code, leaving off the first zero if it’s there. For instance, to call someone in London whose area code is 020, you just dial 20.
Call the Local Number: Finally, type in the cellphone number for the area.
By way of example, to call 020 7946 0532 from the US, you would type 011 (US exit code) + 44 (UK country code) + 20 (London area code, minus the zero) + 7946 0532 (local number).
Tips for Having a Smooth International Call
Check the Number: To avoid making a mistake, check the cell number and codes twice.
Think About Time Zones: Keep in mind the time change between where you are and the UK to make sure you call at the right time.
Check for Special Dialling directions: When calling from one country to another, some phone companies or countries may have different dialling numbers or directions.
Methods for Cutting Costs
It can be pricey to make international calls, but there are a few ways to save money:
Talk on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services like Viber, WhatsApp, or Skype to make calls over the internet. Often, these services will cost you less than regular phone lines.
Check out talking plans. A lot of phone companies offer foreign calling plans or packages that lower the cost per minute for calls.
You could use prepaid international calling cards, which can give you good rates for calls to other countries and give you a lot of options.
Other Options Besides Traditional Calling
Traditional phone calls might not always be the easiest or most cost-effective choice for how to call UK landline from abroad. Take a look at these alternatives:
Email or messaging apps: Digital texts can be a free and easy way to talk to people about things that aren’t important.
Video calls: Sites like Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime let you talk to people face-to-face without having to pay the high rates of foreign calling.
In conclusion
To keep personal and business links across borders, you need to know how to call a UK landline from outside the UK. You can make sure that your foreign calls to the UK work and don’t cost too much by following the step-by-step guide and thinking about the tips and other options that are given. Distance shouldn’t stop people from talking to each other in a world that is becoming more and more linked, and it won’t be if you know what to do.a