How to call Mexico from the US: A step-by-step guide

When you’re launching abroad, the first step is finding clients and business contacts in your new market. The second step is figuring out how to call them.

Going global means the answer is no longer as simple as picking up your phone, so if your business is headed to Mexico, it’s time to find out how to make an international call to Mexico from the US 🌎

We’ll provide a typical step-by-step process for calling Mexico, as well as a list of area codes in Mexico you may need to know. Then, we’ll walk you through how to use a VoIP phone service for simpler, more affordable international calls.

Calling Mexico from the United States is easier than it’s ever been. In the past, the process for calling Mexican cell phones differed from the process for calling landlines.

How to call Mexico from the USA

 

If your call isn’t going through, contact your carrier to ensure you have international calling enabled. Some carriers may require additional steps to call international numbers. 

More guides to international calling:
Calling the Philippines from the US
Calling the UK from the US
Calling Australia from the US

What Mexican area code should I use?

Much like in the United States, Mexico assigns area codes to different regions of the country.

If you receive a phone number without an area code, but you know where the person or business you want to call is located, you can use the table below to figure out the right area code for major parts of Mexico.

List of Mexico area codes

Region	Area Code	Region	Area Code
Acapulco	744	Mazatlan	669
Aguascalientes	449	Merida	999
Cabo San Lucas	624	Mexicali	686
Campeche	981	Mexico City	55
Cancun	998	Minatitlan	922
Celaya	461	Monclova	866
Cd. Juarez	656	Monterrey	81
Cd. Lazaro Cardenas	753	Morelia	443
Cd. Obregon	644	Nuevo Laredo	867
Cd. Sahagun	791	Oaxaca	951
Cd. Valles	481	Orizaba	272
Cd. Victoria	834	Pachuca	771
Coatzacoalcos	921	Patzcuaro	434
Colima	312	Poza Rica	782
Cuernavaca	777	Puebla	222
Culiacan	667	Puerto Vallarta	322
Chetumal	983	Queretaro	442
Chihuahua	614	Saltillo	844
Chilpancingo	747	San Felipe	686
Durango	618	San Luis Potosi	444
Fresnillo	493	Tampico	833
Guadalajara	33	Tapachula	962
Guadalupe Victoria	676	Taxco	762
Guamuchil	673	Tehuacan	238
Guanajuato	473	Tepic	311
Guasave	687	Tequisquiapan	414
Guaymas	622	Texcoco	595
Hermosillo	662	Tlaxcala	246
Huatabampo	647	Toluca	722
Iguala	733	Torreon	871
Isla Mujeres	998	Tulancingo	775
Ixtapan de la Sal	721	Tuxpan	783
Jalapa	228	Tuxtla Gutierrez	961
La Paz	612	Valle de Bravo	726
Leon	477	Veracruz City	229
Manzanillo	314	Villahermosa	993
Maravatio	447	Zacatecas	492
Matamoros	868

Examples of how to call Mexico from the USA

To help you understand how to call Mexico from the USA, we’ll look at some examples.

Let’s say you want to call a cell phone number in Cancun that’s typed out as 045 998 555 5555. You’d apply the steps we outlined above in the following way:

1. Enter + (if you’re calling from a mobile number or OpenPhone) or 011 (if you’re dialing from a landline).
2. Add on the Mexico country code, 52.
3. Remove the”045″ from the number.
4. Type the remaining digits of the number, including the 998 area code (998 555 5555).

By the time you dial, you should have this number typed on your phone if you’re calling from a mobile or VoIP number: +52-998-555-5555.

The process would be exactly the same if the number you wanted to reach were a landline number instead of a mobile number.

Now, let’s say you wanted to call a phone number in Guadalajara. This region has a two-digit area code (33) followed by eight digits, but the steps are still the same. If the phone number is written out as 044 33 1234 5678, you’d follow the steps this way:

1. Enter + (when calling from a mobile number or OpenPhone) or 011 (when calling from a landline). 
2. Add on 52.
3. Remove “044” from the number.
4. Type the remaining digits of the number, including the 33 area code (33 1234 5678).
   

When you dial, you should have this number typed in: +52-33-1234-5678.

How much does it cost to call Mexico from the US?

When you’re calling from a landline or cell phone, international calls don’t come cheap. For example, AT&T’s basic rate for calls to Mexico is $3.50 per minute on landlines as of September 2020. Using a cell phone? Make that $3.65 per minute.

Even on an international calling plan, which requires you to pay a monthly fee, you’ll still have to pay 9 cents per minute to call Mexico from a US landline phone or 24 cents per minute from a US mobile phone.

These rates may be fine if you’re making a monthly call to a grandma in Mexico. But if you need to make calls to Mexico for business — which may involve dozens of clients, business partners, and suppliers — the costs can add up. Luckily, there is a way to cut down on expenses.

How to enable international calls on OpenPhone

To start making calls to Mexico from the USA on OpenPhone, the account owner or admin must head to your account settings on the web or Mac app, then follow these steps:

1. Tap “Settings” on the left-side panel.
2. Tap “Phone Numbers” under “Workspace.”
3. Select the phone number you’d like to enable international calls for.
4. Under the “General” section, scroll down to “International calling and messaging.”
5. Toggle the switch to enable international calling and messaging on the selected phone number.

Then, add credit to cover your international calls by following these steps:

1. Tap “Settings” on the left-side panel.
2. Tap “Billing & credits” under “Workspace.”
3. Scroll down and tap “Buy Credits” to purchase credits to cover international calls and texts.

You have the option to set up an auto-charge, which will automatically refill your credits when you drop below $0.

Save and simplify with OpenPhone

Making calls to Mexico (and all around the world) is simpler and more affordable with a VoIP service. While the dialing process remains the same, you can pay as little as 2 cents per minute to reach anyone in Mexico. This can make a massive difference when you’re connecting with clients or partners abroad. What makes the switch even sweeter is the fact that you can save hours by streamlining recurring tasks using auto-replies, snippets, and integrations.

When you’re ready to try out what VoIP has to offer, start your free trial of OpenPhone. You’ll be able to enable international calling as soon as your seven-day trial ends, or you can end your trial early to start serving your Mexican clients right away.