How do I dial an 800 number?

Calling a US Toll-Free number from Mexico

Need to reach a customer service line or business in the United States while you are south of the border? Dialing a toll-free number from Mexico isn't quite as simple as punching in the digits you see on a website, but it is a quick fix once you know the proper country codes and formatting tricks.

In the US, toll-free lines traditionally start with the standard 800 prefix. However, if you try calling that directly from a Mexican phone, your call won't go through. International telecommunication routing requires a small adjustment to connect your call across the border.

To successfully bridge the connection, you need to replace the standard prefix. Instead of dialing 800, you will dial 001 followed by 880, and then finish with the remaining seven-digit subscriber number.

For example, if the US business lists their contact line as 800-555-5555, you would dial 001-880-555-5555 from your phone in Mexico. This simple substitution routes your call properly through international gateways, letting you connect with US-based services without a hitch.