Calling friends in London, a B&B in the Cotswolds, or relatives in Edinburgh? Dialing the United Kingdom from the US is straightforward - there's just one little quirk with that leading zero that trips people up. Let's sort it out.
The short answer
To call the UK from the United States, dial:
011 + 44 + the UK number (drop the leading 0)
Three parts:
- 011 - the US exit code (your call is leaving the country).
- 44 - the UK's country code.
- the UK number, minus its leading 0 - and this is the part everyone misses.
The leading-zero trick
UK phone numbers are usually written locally with a leading 0, like
020 7946 0958 (a London number) or 07911 123456 (a mobile). That leading 0 is
a domestic prefix - it's only used when dialing within the UK.
When you call from abroad, you drop that 0 and replace it with the country
code. So 020 7946 0958 becomes:
011 44 20 7946 0958
The most common mistake calling the UK is leaving the 0 in - you'd end up dialing
011 44 0..., which won't connect. Country code first, then the number without its leading 0.
On a cell phone, use +
On any mobile, swap 011 for a + (press and hold the 0 key until +
appears):
+44 20 7946 0958
Save your UK contacts in +44... format (no leading 0) and they'll work with one
tap from anywhere in the world.
Landline vs. mobile examples
| You want to call | Local UK format | Dial from the US |
|---|---|---|
| London landline | 020 7946 0958 | +44 20 7946 0958 |
| Manchester landline | 0161 496 0000 | +44 161 496 0000 |
| UK mobile | 07911 123456 | +44 7911 123456 |
Same rule every time: drop the first 0, add +44.
Mind the time difference
The UK is 5 hours ahead of US Eastern Time (and 8 ahead of the West Coast). A relaxed 8 PM call from New York lands at 1 AM in London - so a quick time-zone glance saves you from an accidental midnight wake-up call. 🇬🇧
Calling the UK with Parrot Mobile
The UK is one of the most-dialed destinations for US callers, and it's easy and affordable on Parrot Mobile. Many plans with talk minutes include calls to popular destinations, and anywhere that isn't included is billed at a clear per-minute rate with no connection fees.
For the current numbers, check our UK calling rates - you'll see the exact per-minute cost for landline and mobile, or "FREE" if it's included in your plan. And because Wi-Fi calling works for international calls too, you can ring the UK over Wi-Fi at the same rate when your signal's spotty.
Drop the zero, add +44, mind the clock - cheerio! 👋