COMMON QUESTIONS
Uniquely American Questions
This section discusses making a basic telephone
call in the United States as it applies to international visitors.
MAKING A BASIC U.S. TELEPHONE CALL
Sample U.S. Telephone Number | Dialing
Long Distance | Using a Calling Card | Calling
Collect | Calling Other Countries
Sample U.S. Telephone Number:
(412) 531-9742
All telephone numbers have ten digits. The first three digits (the area
code) indicate the geographical area where the phone is located. For example,
412 area code is for the city Pittsburgh of the state of Pennsylvania.
The next seven numbers are the specific line to the business or private
phone you are calling. If you have any trouble finding a phone number,
call 1 + area code + 555-1212 and ask the operator to find the number
of the business or person you are trying to reach.
Dialing Long Distance
You MUST dial 1+ the ten digit number you are calling for long distance
(anything outside of the area code from which you are calling).
Using a Calling Card
Many telephone service providers offer a calling card that makes calling
away from home more convenient. Read the back of your card for specific
information. Using a calling card is less expensive than calling collect.
Calling Collect
To call collect, follow the directions on the phone you are calling from.
If there are no directions, dial O for the operator and ask to make a
collect call, or call any of the telephone companies' assist numbers including
1-800-COLLECT or 1-800-CALL-ATT. Collect calls are more expensive than
calling direct, and charges must be accepted by the person you are trying
to contact.
Calling Other Countries
To call other countries, dial 011 for an international line, then dial
the country code, area
code and phone number. You can find a list of country and city codes in
the first few pages of any U.S. telephone book.
|
