How to call Canada from the US & how much does it cost?

Calling Canada from the United States using your cell phone or a landline is simple. You can call Canada from the US in three simple steps:

1. Start by dialing the Canada country code of 1. Since Canada is part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), you don’t have to dial the US exit code to reach customers in the Great White North.

2. Enter the three-digit area code of the region in Canada you’re dialing. If your contact forgot to give you that information, we’ve listed the most popular Canadian area codes below.
3. Dial the rest of the intended recipient’s seven-digit phone number.

Let’s say your contact is in Edmonton, and their phone number is 780-123-4567. You just have to dial that number from your phone and add a “1” for the country code in front to make the call. So the final number you type should be 1-780-123-4567.

Now you can call Canadian landlines and cell phones from anywhere in the US. Just keep in mind these calls may not be free depending on your carrier. In this guide, we’ll break down when calling may not actually be free for you and share a better option.

Is it free to call Canada from the US?

Depending on the service provider you use, calls to Canada may cost additional fees. For example, if you have a cell phone plan with T-Mobile , you may have to upgrade to more expensive plans to make  calls and texts to Canada. Otherwise, you have to add Canadian calling to your account for an additional monthly charge. 

You could also opt for a toll-free 800 number so Canadian customers don’t have to pay long-distance fees to make business calls. However, this may be relatively expensive depending on the service you use. You may have to buy an international calling plan up-front, then pay per-minute pricing for all outbound calls.

Thankfully, there’s a third solution: OpenPhone. It’s possible to call anyone in Canada or the US for free with the OpenPhone Starter plan (starting at $15 per user per month).

Best of all, you can do this from almost anywhere in the world and on any smartphone, computer, or laptop  with a standard internet connection. Each user on your plan comes with one US, Canadian, or North American toll-free number. Any additional numbers are just $5 per month.You can make phone calls to Canada in just 15 minutes and confirm OpenPhone is a great fit for you with our seven-day free trial.

Canadian area codes

Like the US, Canada uses area codes to differentiate between provinces and regions. Below is a table showing Canada’s area codes and the area they belong to.

How to factor in time zones differences when calling Canada from the US

Canada covers six different time zones that you need to factor depending on your recipient’s current location.

These include:

• Pacific Standard Time (PST) – contains Vancouver and most of the British Columbia province
• Mountain Standard Time (MST) – this includes Edmonton and the rest of Alberta along with portions of northwestern and southeastern British Columbia, Yukon, all communities in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, and Northwest Territories (except Tungsten). Keep in mind Yukon and specific portions of BC don’t observe daylight savings time and stick to MST year round.
• Central Standard Time (CST) – CST in Canada includes Manitoba, Saskatchewan, northwestern Ontario, and parts of Nunavut.Saskatchewan does not turn back their clocks during winter when other areas return to standard time.
• Eastern Time Zone (EST) – this covers most of Quebec, a significant stretch of Ontario (Tronto, Shebandowan, Upsala, and Ottawa), and the Qikiqtaaluk Region. Southampton Island, Atikokan, and New Osnaburgh/Pickle Lake areas stick to standard time year round.
• Atlantic Time Zone (AST) – AST includes Labrador (except the southeast tip), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, along with Quebec’s Magdalen Islands and Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation. East of the Natashquan River in Quebec observes AST all year.
• Newfoundland Time Zone – NST compromises the southeastern end of Labrador and Newfoundland.

If you need to compare time differences quickly, check out TimeTemperature before scheduling a call.

Alternative options to landlines and phone carriers for calling Canada from the US

If you use landlines or mobile phone carriers to reach Canadian customers, you’re still subject to extra fees for making and receiving calls.

This leaves you with three alternatives:

1. Sign up for a VoIP phone system

VoIP phone services are a popular option for those looking to call Canada without having to pay extra fees. Call rates to Canada and VoIP provider’s pricing vary.

Some VoIP services like OpenPhone include Canadian calls for free with their pricing, so you can make calls to Canada without paying any international rates. 

2. Buy a Canadian number

Getting a local number in Canada helps you look more familiar to customers in the Great White North. It also makes business communication a breeze, especially if you plan on expanding your business.

VoIP systems like OpenPhone let you buy all the Canadian numbers you need to connect with your customers. Every user on your plan comes with one free Canadian, US, or North American toll-free number, and you can purchase additional numbers for $5 per month.

3. Download Google Voice (for personal use only)

If you want to make Canadian calls to friends or family members, you can download Google Voice for personal use to communicate for free. However, you can’t send text messages to anyone outside the US, and more than one user won’t be able to access your phone number if you wish to use Google Voice as a team. 

You need to purchase Google Voice for Google Workspace to make business calls. However, you should know  Google Voice for business has limited features, including:

• No auto-attendant for incoming calls
• No call recording
• Can’t share phone numbers
• No voicemail transcription
• Can’t get toll-free numbers
• Can’t set business hours

Thankfully,  there are great alternatives to Google Voice available. OpenPhone provides all the features Google Voice doesn’t provide to support Canadian customers.

Thankfully,  there are great alternatives to Google Voice available. OpenPhone provides all the features Google Voice doesn’t provide to support Canadian customers.

How to call Canada from the US with OpenPhone

With OpenPhone, you can call Canada from the US for free.

Here’s how:

1. Sign up for a seven-day free trial of OpenPhone.
2. Pick a US, Canadian, or North American toll-free number for your account. Any of these options let you make free unlimited calls to the US and Canada.
3. Once you’ve activated your free trial, dial the three-digit area code, and the seven-digit phone number of the person you’re trying to call.

With OpenPhone, you can set up a business phone system that provides support to not only Canadian customers but customers around the world.

OpenPhone has everything you need to call and text your Canadian customers including:

• Free calling and texting to the US and Canada 
• The option to useOpenPhone from almost anywhere in the world via the iOS, Android, web, and desktop (PC and Mac) apps
• Automatic call recording
• Competitive international calling rates to reach others outside the US and Canada

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can also build better relationships with your customers. Here are a few other key reasons thousands of businesses use OpenPhone:

• You can get a local Canadian or US number to build a local presence in any part of these countries. Get as many phone numbers as your team needs as your business scales. You can even move over any existing US or Canadian number for free. 
• Easily add business hours and an away voicemail greeting to set clear expectations for when your company is available.
• Split responsibility for incoming calls and work together to follow up with your contacts using shared numbers. Plus, add a phone menu to any OpenPhone number to save time routing calls to specific information or teams. 
• Give your team more context and automate repetitive tasks through our integrations with Slack, Zapier, Google Contacts, HubSpot, and Salesforce. 
• Send scheduled text messages, snippets, and auto-replies to save time and deliver a better customer experience.

Get started with a free trial of OpenPhone today to call anyone in Canada for free.

Looking to call elsewhere? Check out our guides to calling other countries:
How to call the UK from the US
How to call Mexico from the US
How to call Germany from the US

Words by Daryna Kulya

Co-Founder at OpenPhone. Ukrainian-Canadian in SF. Love exploring new hiking trails.