stupid question regarding mobile phone use abroad...

[MontyVeda]

I'm off to the states in a few weeks time and will be taking my mobile phone with me. Will i need to use the 001 country code in front of US phone numbers when using my (british) phone?

 

[jefmcg]

No, on a mobile it's +1. You can use that even if it's a local call.

Worth checking your phone will roam. Some us networks use different frequencies than the UK, so not all UK phones will work everywhere in the US. That's true, even if the phone is sold there. They can be differently specced for different regions.

 

[Dayvo]

As above.

As an aside, depending on how long you're going to be there and if you need to phone home often, it might be cheaper to get a sim card in the States.

 

[MontyVeda]

cheers. No idea re 'frequencies' ...I'll just have to wait and see I guess.

I'll only be texting since that'll cost me pennies... calls will be around £1.50 a minute

Only going for a week and won't be using it much.

 

[jefmcg]

Are you on O2? They have an excellent app where you can make calls over wifi, so calling UK comes out of your minutes.

WhatsApp is also useful for calling over wifi while travelling.

 

[Globalti]

Watsapp is excellent; I use it a lot for chatting with overseas colleagues and sending pictures of shipping documents etc. and for video calls from hotel rooms when I'm away from my family. All free and of the highest quality; just a few billion electrons temporarily inconvenienced. All you need is data or a wifi connection.

We even have a Watsapp group set up with our cycling buddies now, which gets used for arranging rides and taking the mickey.

The funny thing is that while you're on Watsapp, which is an internet app, your phone sometimes rings....