Verizon provides wireless phone services to more than 93 million customers in the United States as of September 2010. The company also furnishes landline services to more than 26 million homes and businesses. Prices and requirements for international calls differ for landline and wireless services. Both services permit you to choose discounted pricing plans for international long distance. A calling plan may save you a substantial amount of money over pay-per-minute rates. The Federal Communications Commission advises consumers to evaluate their calling habits and look at the total cost of international long distance packages, including taxes and minimum fees.
Verizon Wireless
Step 1
Contact Verizon customer service either in person or by phone to select an international dialing plan. Request that the representative activate the I-Dial international calling service for your phone, if needed. Verizon Wireless does not require you to activate I-Dial service for countries that use 1+area code+phone number dialing.
Step 2
Visit the Verizon Wireless International Long Distance web page. Select a country by scrolling through the list under "Find Rates Where You Call." Click on "Go." A page will open that includes the country code, rate options and dialing instructions for that country. Canada, U.S. territories and some Caribbean countries do not require country codes. They use the same dialing pattern as U.S. phone numbers.
Step 3
Dial 011, then the country code followed by the city code and telephone number. Press "Send." Wait for the call to connect.
Verizon Land lines
Step 1
Look up the country code for the number you are calling on Verizon's list of International Calling Codes. Canada, some Caribbean nations and U.S. territories, including Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands use the same 1+ area code+ phone number dialing as U.S. numbers.
Step 2
Dial 011 followed by the country code, city code and phone number.
Step 3
Wait for an answer. Verizon indicates that you should expect to wait at least 45 seconds for the phone to ring.
Tip
Use country code "52" for landlines in Mexico and "521" for Mexican cell phones.
Rates may be higher for calls to mobile phones in a foreign country. (See Resource 2: "What is a mobile terminating charge" )
The FCC recommends that consumers compare their phone company's calling plans to the cost of other options like prepaid international phone cards and dial-around plans that allow international calls to be made through a different carrier.
The FCC advises consumers that you will pay international rates on calls to Canada and the Caribbean even though you dial the numbers like U.S. numbers.
(See Reference 2)
Warning
The FCC notes that some international calls may lead to unexpected additional costs. Check unfamiliar area codes and be sure you know who you are calling to avoid international phone scams.