Some common exit codes: “00” covers many countries, including much of Europe, plus China, Mexico, and New Zealand; “010” is the exit code for Japan; many other Asian countries (including Cambodia and Taiwan) use “001” or “002. ”[3] X Research source If you’re calling from Canada or another country covered by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), you do not need to use an exit code. [4] X Research source You only need to dial the number “1” before the area code and 7-digit local U. S. number, as you would to place a regular long-distance call.

Country codes comprise 1 to 2 digits; you dial them after you’ve dialed your country’s exit code — for example, “010” + “1” would be the first 4 numbers to dial when calling the USA from Japan.

Some popular U. S. area codes: 310 and 424 in Los Angeles; 718, 347, and 929 in New York City; 202 in Washington, D. C. You’ll notice that many cities will have more than one area code. Mobile phone users may have area codes that don’t match the cities in which they live; for that reason, if you’re unsure of the area code, it’s best to double-check with the person you’re intending to call. If you’re dialing from within the USA and your phone number has the same area code as the number you’re calling, you may only need to dial the 7-digit local number. If the area has multiple overlapping area codes, however, you may need to dial their area code plus the number “1. ”[6] X Research source

The order of the numbers will be <your country’s exit code> + 1 (U. S. country code) + + <7-digit local phone number>. If you were in Japan and calling the local number 555-5555 with a 718 area code in New York City, you would dial 010-1-718-555-5555.

If you call the USA often, check to see if your VoIP application offers subscriptions or monthly flat rates for a predetermined number of minutes; these subscriptions can significantly lower your per-minute VoIP costs. Many applications (eg. , Whatsapp, Skype, and Facebook) allow users to place free calls within the applications — meaning that both you and the person you call would need to have the apps open on your respective devices.

Many social media sites and applications offer video chat for free. Some popular video chat applications include Google+ Hangouts and Skype.

Look for a calling card that offers easy-to-understand pricing and no additional fees. Popular calling cards include Pingo, EnjoyPrepaid, Comfi, Nobelcom, and CallingCards. [9] X Research source Note that calling cards are best for landlines and mobile phones with unlimited local minutes. Unless your mobile phone has unlimited local minutes, a calling card will not be the best option for you, as you’ll end up paying for the calling card minutes plus your mobile minutes.

To call someone collect internationally, have the U. S. area code and 7-digit phone number ready, dial your international phone operator, and ask them to place the call for you. Phone numbers for international phone operators vary depending on which country you’re in; an online search of your country’s name plus the words “international phone operator” will reveal the number for yours. In the UK, you can call your international inland operator on 155; in Japan, you can call the international telephone operator at 0051. [10] X Research source [11] X Research source

From east to west, the 9 U. S. time zones are Atlantic Standard Time (UTC-4), Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5), Central Standard Time (UTC-6), Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7), Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8), Alaska Standard Time (UTC-9), Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (UTC-10), Samoa Standard Time (UTC-11), and Chamorro Standard Time (UTC+10). [14] X Research source [15] X Research source Most regions of the USA observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) starting on the second Sunday in March and continuing until the first Sunday in November. Areas within the United States that do not observe DST include most of Arizona, plus American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii, and the Virgin Islands. [16] X Research source [17] X Research source Note that when DST is in effect, the names of the time zones will change slightly — for example, Eastern Standard Time (EST) becomes Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). [18] X Research source

If you’re calling a friend or family member, you can get away with your usual greetings (“Hey!”), but if you’re calling a business contact, you will likely need to be more formal (“Hi there, this is John. May I please speak with Jane Smith?”). If English isn’t your first language, you may want to practice what you want to say a few times before making the call.

The more you have to repeat yourself, the longer your call will take — potentially costing you more money, if you’re paying by the minute!