Check with your wireless provider if you have International calling enabled. If not, activate it. As of October 2010, the rates for calling India starts at $1.99 a minute with Verizon Wireless, $1.49 a minute with T-Mobile and $3.49 a minute with AT&T. If you plan on making frequent calls to India, opt for an International calling plan that costs around $0.30 a minute with an average monthly charge of $3.99.
Dial "011," the U.S. exit code.
Dial "91," India's country code.
Dial the area code for the city you are calling. It will be a two- to four-digit number. For example, the area code for Delhi is "11," Mumbai is "22," Chennai is "44."
If you are calling an India cellular phone, do not enter the area code. Instead, dial the 10-digit mobile phone number.
Enter the six- to eight-digit phone number you wish to call. (If calling a mobile phone, skip this step.)
Press the call button on your phone, and wait for your call to connect.
Go to the Airtel CallHome website (see Resources). Click on "Tariff" and select "India," from the drop-down box that appears. Browse through the available plans, and choose the one that best meets your needs. The cheapest plan costs 1.6 cents per minute to call India.
Sign up for an account through the "Airtel Call Home" homepage. Click on "Buy," and complete the purchase. You will receive an email confirmation with your account ID number, a pin number and password. You can also customize the pin number and password once you sign in to the account.
Dial "1-877-247-4047." Alternatively, you can use your 3G mobile minutes by calling the local number for your area. You can find this by clicking on "How To Use" on the homepage, and selecting "Local Access" from the drop-down box. Select your city from the drop-down box, and your local access numbers will appear. Dial any one of these numbers.
Enter your account number, followed by the "#" key.
Dial "0," followed by the area code and the phone number you wish to call. If calling a mobile phone, after dialing "0," enter the 10-digit mobile number.
Go to the Reliance Global Call website (see Resources). Browse through the available plans, and choose the one that best meets your needs. Its cheapest prepaid plan is the Simply Reliance Plan, which costs $1.99 cents per minute.
Sign up for an account by clicking the "Sign Up" button on the Reliance Global Call homepage. Enter your contact details, account details and payment information. In the Usage Plan section, select your chosen calling plan. Customize a pin number and password.
Dial the Toll Access number for the area you are living in. You can find this by using the "Access Number" tab at the top of the Reliance Global Call homepage. You also can use the Toll free number "1-866-373-5426" for prepaid calls, but the charges for using this number are slightly more than using the Toll Access number.
Enter your PIN number when prompted. Also, you can set up PINless dialing for registered phones online while signed in to your account.
Dial the country code, "91."
Dial the area code and the phone number you wish to call. If calling a mobile phone, enter the 10-digit mobile number.
Go to the Trueroots website (see Resources). Click on "Register and Buy" on the right-hand side of the page. Select a username, a plan of your choice and a recharge option. Click "Continue" to register your phone number, and then complete your payment information.
Dial the toll-free number "1-866-925-8282." Alternatively, to find your local calling numbers on the homepage, you can click on the "Click here" tab beside the "Toll Access" heading. Then select your city from the drop-down list to find your Toll Access number and dial it.
Enter the country code "91."
Dial the area code and the phone number you wish to call. If calling a mobile phone, enter the 10-digit mobile number.
Go to the Rebtel website (see Resources). Click on the "Sign Up--First Call Free" button. Enter your contact details, and choose a pin number.
Enter the name and number of the person you wish to call under the "Add your first contact" heading. The number should begin with "011" followed by the country code "91." Then click on the green "Add Contact" button.
Save the unique local number that will be generated onto your phone. You will receive this via email as well as through a text message.
Call the unique local number. When the person who you are calling picks up, have them hang up and call you back on the number that appears on their screen.
Do not hang up. Simply wait on the line and you will be connected. You will only be charged your local rates.
