Many people don’t realise that you can dial US Toll free numbers (800) from overseas. The calls aren’t toll free, but with calling cards at about 1 cent per minute it’s cheaper than most local calls.
In Australia, dial your calling card access code, enter your pin, then dial the international access code + US country code (1) + area code (800) + number
e.g. calling card access number + pin + 0011 + 1 + 800 + rest of number.
Alternatively if you have free international minutes on your mobile/cell service you can dial
+1 800 GOT JUNKÂ will get you the North American call centre of 1800-Got-Junk
Or if your telco offers a cheap enough international rate dial the international access code (IDD prefix in Australia is 0011) then the 1800 number
e.g. 0011 + 1800 GOT JUNK
The same works throughout most of Asia and Europe (I’d guess Africa too where IDD is available). Unfortunately that doesn’t work for other countries which also use 1-800 for toll free (like Australia). You can’t dial an Australian 1800 number from New Zealand. The good news is most of those countries know that and publish International Direct Dialling numbers.
Of course I could get my act together and finally install skype. Then I’d have US dialling access via VOIP using their SkypeOut service at Euro 0.017 per minute. I really should get a good headset for my laptop.
Updated: 3 August 2012 with Got Junk examples because after 6 years Dialling US Toll Free Numbers is still the most popular post on this blog
3 responses to Dialling US toll free numbers from Overseas
Do you have a source for International Prepaid Phone cards and
Cheap International Calling Cards to North America, Asia, Africa, and Australia?
just use skype it worked for me , u will have to have money on it though
On my atom powered netbook, skype is really slow, I have to shut everything else down and it still barely works
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