How to Call the U.S. from the UK

Who calls the U.S. from the UK

Many British residents keep U.S. bank accounts, credit cards or 401(k)s from time spent in the States, and travellers often need U.S. airline or booking support — almost always behind a 1-800 number.

Dialing the U.S. from the UK

The U.S. country code is 1. Every U.S. and Canadian number has a 3-digit area code and a 7-digit local number.

If a U.S. toll-free number fails from the UK

International access depends on the originating carrier and destination. A U.S. toll-free designation does not guarantee that a foreign-network call connects or is free. Check the company's contact page and the conditions of providers such as EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three.

Do not change the toll-free prefix to another one or assume that an error means the business is closed. Your current plan may include an ordinary U.S. number; check before paying for an additional service.

Your options compared

U.S. bank contacts: check the product and call type

Confirm the contact for your specific product on the bank's official website or your card. A collect reference requires an operator and acceptance of charges; PayCall cannot arrange a collect call. Follow the detailed bank guide before dialing.

Sources: Wells Fargo: contact by product · Wells Fargo: international access codes and restrictions · Bank of America: checking and savings contacts · Bank of America: credit-card contacts · Capital One: customer service by product

When to call

The UK is 5 hours ahead of New York (Eastern Time) and 8 hours ahead of Los Angeles (Pacific Time) for most of the year. A U.S. line that opens at 8 a.m. Eastern is reachable from 1 p.m. UK time.

Check the department's current time zone and opening hours; daylight-saving transitions can temporarily change the difference.

In an emergency in the UK, dial 999 or 112 — PayCall can't call emergency numbers.

Calling the U.S. from the UK with PayCall

• Unanswered calls are free. If a call fails for a technical reason on our side, email support and we'll review it.

1. 1Open pay-call.com on your phone or laptop and enter the U.S. or Canadian number.
2. 2Sign in and add credits through Stripe's secure checkout.
3. 3Allow microphone access and tap Call. Use the keypad for menu options like “press 1”.
4. 4Calls start in Hold for me with your microphone off at $0.09/min; with your microphone on, they cost $0.39/min. Billed per second. Internet charges may apply.