Whether you travel a lot, have relatives out of the country, or simply want to book a hotel in Canada, AT&T provides an international calling plan that is right for you. Options for international calling vary between frequent usage rates and occasional usage rates. The manner in which to dial the number can vary by the specific country you are trying to reach, so learning AT&T's procedures will make international calling easy and convenient.
Occasional International Usage
Occasional International Usage is AT&T's "easy way" to sporadically place calls from the U.S. to different countries. According to AT&T, you may dial internationally whenever you need to and you will only be charged for the minutes you use. Rates can be found on AT&T's website.
The benefits of occasional international usage is the lack of a monthly fee, no activation fee, and billing is directly added to your regular wireless bill, according to AT&T.
Frequent International Usage
AT&T also has plans for those who use international calling more often. The frequent international usage plan charges $3.99 per month as of 2009, however there is no activation fee and you may use your current phone, according to AT&T. The fees with frequent international calling are also added directly to your wireless bill.
Rates for those who are a part of frequent international usage plan will pay substantially lower rates per minute. Rates can be seen on AT&T's website for frequent international usage.
For example, an occasional international call to the Bahamas will cost $2.07 per minute. However, someone who has frequent international usage, a service that costs $3.99 a month, will only pay $0.25 per minute (resources 1 & 2).
Activation of frequent international usage is fast, easy and is effective immediately. Call AT&T customer service at 1-800-331-0500 from a land-line or dial 611 from your AT&T cellular phone.
Making International Calls
Once you have chosen the plan that suits your needs, making an international call is simple. To dial another country from inside the United States, dial 011 plus the country code plus the dialed number. Country codes can also be found on AT&T's website.
The North American Numbering Plan is a list of countries and U.S. territories which only require the caller to dial 1 plus the Area Code plus the dialed number. Such destinations include Canada, Bahamas, Bermuda and many others. A full list of the North American Numbering Plan can be found on the AT&T website.
Additional Help
AT&T representatives are available 24 hours a day to assist you further. According to AT&T, you can reach AT&T international wireless care representatives by calling 1-800-335-4685 while in the United States or calling 1-916-843-4685 when outside the U.S.; both numbers are toll free.
