How to call the United States from China
To call the United States from China, dial 00, then 1, then the three-digit area code and the seven-digit number, for example 00 1 201 555 0123.
How to dial the United States from China
On a mobile phone you can type + instead of 00; from a landline, dial 00. In the QuikRing dialer you skip both: pick the United States and type the number.
The numbers are examples of the format, not real subscribers.
How numbers in the United States are built
A US number is a three-digit area code followed by a seven-digit number. From abroad always dial the area code; there is no trunk prefix to drop.
A number in the United States is the country code +1 followed by a national number of 10 digits. The trunk prefix, where there is one, is dropped after the code.
Written locally as (201) 555-0123, an example mobile number in the United States is dialed as +1 201 555 0123 from abroad.
There's no leading digit to leave out: dial the full local number after the country code.
Why a call to the United States fails to connect
- Leaving out 00 (or +): without it your carrier reads 1 as the start of a number in China, not as a country code.
- A wrong number of digits: a number in the United States has 10 digits after +1.
Best time to call
New York (Eastern Time) is 12 h behind China. When it is 12:00 in China, it is 00:00 in New York.
That gap moves between 12 h and 13 h during the year, because one of the two countries changes its clocks for daylight saving.
China does not change its clocks for daylight saving, so the offset stays UTC+8 all year.
Most of the United States changes its clocks on March 8 and November 1; Hawaii and most of Arizona do not.
The 48 contiguous states use four time zones: Eastern (New York), Central (Chicago), Mountain (Denver) and Pacific (Los Angeles). Pacific time is 3 h behind Eastern, so the table shows both ends: New York and Los Angeles.
There's no clean overlap in standard working hours between China and the United States.
The weekend in the United States is Saturday and Sunday.
| Best time to call | China time | United States time |
|---|---|---|
| Waking hours, 08:00–21:00 in both (New York time) | 08:00–09:00 | 20:00–21:00 |
| Waking hours, 08:00–21:00 in both (Los Angeles time) | 08:00–12:00 | 17:00–21:00 |
When it is 09:00 in China, it is 21:00 in the United States.
What it costs to call the United States
Right from your browser, no app or SIM card. Charged per started minute, with no connection fee.
Your first minute to the United States is free
Prices checked October 8, 2026.
We recommend QuikRing for this call: the first minute is free, the price per minute is shown before you dial, and there is no app or SIM to set up. It does not place emergency calls, so use your phone for those.
Calling a US toll-free (1-800) number from China
Numbers that start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, 888 are US toll-free numbers. They are built for callers inside North America, so from a phone abroad they often do not connect, or they are billed as an ordinary international call, depending on the carrier and plan. QuikRing places the call from your browser into the United States, so it reaches the number like any other US call, at the per-minute rate shown before you dial.
What a call costs
What a call to United States (+1) costs with QuikRing.
How to call the United States with QuikRing
- 01Open QuikRing in your browser and sign up. Your first call to the United States is free for up to one minute.
- 02Pick the United States in the dialer, or type +1 followed by the number.
- 03Check the price before you call: $0.02/min to a mobile, $0.02/min to a landline.
- 04Press Call. The phone in the United States rings like any other call, and nobody needs an app.
Frequently asked questions
How do I dial the United States from China?
To call the United States from China, dial 00, then 1, then the three-digit area code and the seven-digit number, for example 00 1 201 555 0123.
How much does it cost to call the United States from China?
With QuikRing a call to the United States costs $0.02/min to a mobile and $0.02/min to a landline, charged per started minute. Ten minutes cost $0.20 to a mobile and $0.20 to a landline. We recommend QuikRing for this call: the first minute is free, the price per minute is shown before you dial, and there is no app or SIM to set up. It does not place emergency calls, so use your phone for those.
Is the first call to the United States free?
Yes. A new account's first call to the United States is free for up to one minute. After that you pay $0.02/min to a mobile or $0.02/min to a landline.
What is the best time to call the United States from China?
New York (Eastern Time) is 12 h behind China. When it is 12:00 in China, it is 00:00 in New York. Best window to call: 08:00–09:00 your time (20:00–21:00 in the United States). That gap moves between 12 h and 13 h during the year, because one of the two countries changes its clocks for daylight saving.
Do I need to drop the leading 0 when dialing the United States?
In most countries, yes — leave out the local trunk prefix (usually a leading 0) after the country code. A few countries, like the US, don't use one at all: you just add +1 in front of the full local number. There's no leading digit to leave out: dial the full local number after the country code.
How many digits is a phone number in the United States?
A number in the United States has 10 digits after the country code +1, not counting a leading trunk digit.
Do landlines and mobiles in the United States cost the same to call?
Yes. A call to any US number, mobile or landline, costs $0.02/min, charged per started minute. The dialer shows the price before you call.
Can I call a US toll-free (1-800) number from China?
Numbers that start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, 888 are US toll-free numbers. They are built for callers inside North America, so from a phone abroad they often do not connect, or they are billed as an ordinary international call, depending on the carrier and plan. QuikRing places the call from your browser into the United States, so it reaches the number like any other US call, at the per-minute rate shown before you dial.