Staying connected with friends, family, or business contacts in the United States while you’re in Mexico is essential. Whether you’re traveling for vacation, living abroad, or conducting business, knowing How To Call From Mexico To United States is a crucial skill. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to make seamless and cost-effective calls across borders.
Understanding Your Calling Options
Making international calls doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Several convenient methods are available to ensure you can easily reach anyone in the USA from Mexico. Let’s explore the best options:
1. International Roaming with Your Mobile Provider
The most straightforward option is to use international roaming offered by your current mobile provider.
- How it works: Contact your provider before traveling to Mexico and activate international roaming. They will typically need your travel dates to ensure the service is active when you arrive.
- Pros: Simple to set up, uses your existing phone and number.
- Cons: Can be very expensive, especially for longer trips or frequent calls. Roaming charges can quickly accumulate, and data roaming can also lead to unexpected costs if you’re not careful with your data usage.
- Tips for Roaming:
- Check rates: Always confirm the international roaming rates for calls, texts, and data with your provider before you travel.
- Short trips: Roaming might be suitable for very short trips with minimal calling needs.
- Data settings: Disable data roaming in your phone settings (especially on iPhones) to avoid unwanted data charges, and rely on Wi-Fi for internet access whenever possible.
- Multiple phones: If traveling with multiple devices, ensure international roaming is activated on each one if needed.
2. Utilizing Prepaid Calling Cards
Prepaid calling cards are a traditional yet still viable method for making international calls.
- How it works: Purchase a calling card from convenience stores, supermarkets, or online. These cards provide a toll-free or local-rate access number to make international calls.
- Pros: Can be cost-effective if you choose the right card and understand the terms.
- Cons: Can be confusing with varying rates and hidden fees. Billing increments can be disadvantageous. For example, a card with a 5-minute billing increment will charge you for 5 minutes even if your call lasts only 1 minute.
- Choosing a Calling Card:
- Small increments: Look for cards with small billing increments (e.g., 1-minute increments) to maximize value.
- Compare rates: Compare the per-minute rates to the US and any service fees before purchasing.
- Usage needs: Calculate approximately how many minutes you’ll need to choose a card with appropriate credit.
3. Opting for a Mexican SIM Card
For a more economical and potentially longer-term solution, consider purchasing a local Mexican SIM card.
- How it works: Buy a SIM card from major Mexican carriers such as Telcel, Movistar, AT&T Mexico, or Virgin Mobile. You can find these at official stores, authorized dealers, airports, and some convenience stores.
- Pros: Significantly cheaper call rates compared to international roaming, local Mexican number, access to local data plans.
- Cons: Requires unlocking your phone (or using an unlocked phone), temporary number change.
- Getting a Mexican SIM:
- Unlocked phone: Ensure your phone is unlocked to use a SIM card from a different carrier.
- Major carriers: Telcel and Movistar generally offer the widest coverage across Mexico.
- Plans: Explore prepaid plans or month-to-month contracts. Many plans offer unlimited calls and texts to the US, Canada, and Mexico.
- Updating contacts: Inform your US contacts of your Mexican phone number if you plan to use it for communication.
A Mexican Telcel SIM card, a popular option for making calls to the US from Mexico.
4. Month-to-Month Plans with Mexican Providers
Expanding on the SIM card option, consider a no-contract month-to-month plan from a Mexican provider.
- How it works: Sign up for a monthly plan with a Mexican carrier. These plans are readily available and don’t require long-term contracts.
- Pros: Affordable monthly rates, often include unlimited calls to the US, Canada, and Mexico, plus data and SMS.
- Cons: Requires local registration (sometimes), billing in Mexican pesos.
- Plan Details:
- Cost-effective: Plans can start from around MXN $200 pesos (approximately $11 USD).
- Unlimited options: Many plans offer unlimited talk and text to North America.
- Local provider stores: Enroll in these plans at the provider’s official stores in Mexico.
5. Topping Up Your Prepaid SIM
If you choose a prepaid SIM, ensure you have sufficient credit or “airtime.”
- How it works: If your prepaid SIM card runs low on credit, you can easily “top it up” or recharge it.
- Pros: Maintain service without interruption.
- Cons: Requires periodic top-ups.
- How to Top Up:
- Local stores: Visit convenience stores, supermarkets, or carrier stores.
- Online: Some providers offer online top-up options via their websites or apps.
- Vouchers: Purchase top-up vouchers from authorized retailers.
- Confirmation: After purchase, you’ll typically receive a receipt and an SMS confirmation from the carrier.
6. Leveraging VoIP Services (Voice over Internet Protocol)
VoIP services are an increasingly popular and cost-effective way to make international calls, especially if you have access to Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- How it works: VoIP uses the internet to transmit voice calls, bypassing traditional phone lines. Apps like WhatsApp, Skype, FaceTime, Google Voice, and dedicated VoIP providers like Ultatel allow you to make calls over the internet.
- Pros: Often the cheapest option, excellent call quality (depending on internet connection), additional features like video calls, messaging, and call recording.
- Cons: Requires a stable internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data), both parties need the app for some services (e.g., FaceTime, WhatsApp for free calls between users).
- Popular VoIP Options:
- WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype: Great for calls to contacts who also use these apps (often free for calls between users).
- Ultatel, Google Voice, Viber Out: Allow calls to regular phone numbers at very competitive international rates.
Using a VoIP app like Ultatel on your smartphone is a cost-effective method for calling the US from Mexico.
Dialing Instructions: How to Actually Call
Now that you know your options, here’s the simple dialing format to directly call a US number from Mexico:
- Dial the Exit Code: Begin by dialing “00”. This is Mexico’s international exit code, signaling that you are making a call outside of Mexico.
- Enter the US Country Code: Next, dial “1”, which is the country code for the United States.
- Area Code: Dial the 3-digit area code for the specific region in the US you are calling. (See the area code examples below).
- Phone Number: Finally, enter the 7-digit local phone number.
Example: To call a number in Los Angeles (area code 213), you would dial: 00 1 213 XXX-XXXX (where XXX-XXXX is the 7-digit phone number).
Common US Area Codes
While a comprehensive list of all US area codes is extensive, here are some major area codes for different metropolitan regions to get you started:
| Location | U.S. Area Code |
|---|---|
| New York, NY | 212 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 213 |
| Chicago, IL | 312 |
| Atlanta, GA | 404 |
| San Francisco, CA | 415 |
| Austin, TX | 512 |
| Boston, MA | 617 |
| Houston, TX | 713 |
| Miami, FL | 786 |
| Dallas, TX | 972 |
| Washington, D.C. | 202 |
You can easily find any US area code online by searching for “[city name] area code” on Google or a similar search engine.
Understanding the Costs
The cost of calling the US from Mexico varies based on the method you choose and your service provider.
- Roaming: Generally the most expensive, with per-minute rates ranging significantly. Check with your provider for exact costs.
- Calling Cards: Costs depend on the card purchased and the per-minute rates advertised. Be aware of billing increments and potential service fees.
- Mexican SIM Cards/Plans: Often the most economical for frequent calls. Prepaid plans and monthly contracts offer competitive rates, sometimes including unlimited North America calling.
- VoIP: Usually the cheapest, especially when calling other users of the same VoIP service. Calls to regular phone numbers via VoIP are also typically cheaper than traditional international calls.
Factors Affecting Cost:
- Call Duration: The longer you talk, the more it will cost.
- Service Provider: Different providers have different international rates.
- Plan Type: Prepaid, monthly, or pay-as-you-go plans will have varying costs.
- Additional Fees: Be aware of any potential surcharges or connection fees.
Making Business Calls Effectively
When making business calls from Mexico to the US, remember the time differences. Mexico generally follows Central Time, but the US spans multiple time zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific).
- Time Zone Awareness: Before calling, check the current time in the US location you are trying to reach to ensure you are calling during business hours. Tools like time zone converters online can be very helpful.
- Professionalism: Maintain a professional demeanor, especially when calling for business purposes.
- VoIP for Business: Consider VoIP services like Ultatel, which offer business-oriented plans with features like call recording and enterprise solutions. These can be very cost-effective for business communications.
Calling US Cell Phones from Mexico
The dialing process for calling a US cell phone from Mexico is exactly the same as calling a landline. Use the same international dialing format:
00 (Mexico Exit Code) + 1 (US Country Code) + Area Code + 7-Digit Phone Number
Stay Connected Easily
Calling the United States from Mexico is now straightforward with these various options and clear dialing instructions. Choose the method that best suits your needs and budget, whether it’s for a quick check-in with family or regular business communications. Staying in touch across borders has never been easier!
Ready to make your call? Use this guide and confidently connect with the US from Mexico today!
