How to Make an International Call From the Philippines to the US

If you travel to the Philippines on vacation or for business, there’s a good chance you’ll want to call home to the US at some point during your trip. With modern telecommunications, it’s as easy to make an international call from the Philippines to the US as it is to make a regular long distance call, as long as you know the proper access codes. It’s helpful to keep the time difference in mind to avoid waking someone in the US in the middle of the night and to get the best calling rates.

Plan your calling ahead of time to minimize costs and maximize convenience. You can reduce the cost by 50 percent or more by getting an international calling plan and/or calling card from telephone service providers such as AT&T (a link to their plan website is under Resources, below). Check hotel rates before using your hotel phone, as they frequently add a stiff surcharge.

Check the time difference before you call. There’s a 9 to 12 hour time difference between the Philippines and the United States. For instance, if it’s 9 am in Manila, it’s 6 pm on the West coast and 9 pm on the East coast. You can get much lower calling rates at off-peak hours and on weekends. At the same time, you don’t want to wake someone up in the middle of the night, so some planning is required.

Start your international call from the Philippines to the US by dialing the international access code (00). Follow this with the country code for the United States, which is 1, and the area code and phone number. For example, to call someone in Atlanta, Georgia, you would dial 001 + 404 + (7 digit local number).