🇨🇳How to call China from the US
Exit
011
China
86
The number
Drop the 0
Chinese mobile numbers are eleven digits starting with 1 and carry no leading zero, so nothing is removed. Landlines do: Beijing written 010 becomes +86 10, Shanghai's 021 becomes +86 21.
01Call it
Or skip the exit code entirely
Calling from a browser means no exit code, no carrier and nothing that changes when you cross a border. Type the number and the price appears before anything dials. The first minute is free and needs no card.
Type a number to see its exact price.
Sign up and call. First minute on us, no card details.
02When
When to call
The whole of China runs on one time zone, UTC+8, with no daylight saving. It is 12 hours ahead of US Eastern in summer and 13 in winter, so the two working days barely overlap and the practical window is early morning in the US.
Family, universities and suppliers. A corridor where the number is frequently a landline at an institution rather than a personal mobile.
03Cost
What a minute costs
Which of those applies is read off the digits you type, so you are never asked to guess whether a China number is a landline or a mobile. Services that ask you to pick quote one of these prices and are wrong whenever the guess is.
Per minute in USD from a US caller ID, part of a minute counting as a full one. Rates last changed 18 August 2026. Everything we publish for China, or check one number.
04From elsewhere
Calling China from somewhere else
Only the exit code changes. The country code and the number are the same wherever you are standing.
| Calling from | Dial before 86 |
|---|---|
| United States and Canada | 011 |
| United Kingdom and Ireland | 00 |
| Australia | 0011 |
| Japan | 010 |
| Most of Europe, Africa and Asia | 00 |
05Questions
Common questions
How do I call China from the US?
Dial 011, then 86, then the China number. Chinese mobile numbers are eleven digits starting with 1 and carry no leading zero, so nothing is removed. Landlines do: Beijing written 010 becomes +86 10, Shanghai's 021 becomes +86 21. From a browser on Airlophone there is no exit code at all: you type the number starting +86 and the price for that exact number appears before it dials.
What is the country code for China?
+86. From the US you dial 011 first to leave the country, so the full string begins 011 86. From the UK and most of Europe the exit code is 00 instead, and from Australia it is 0011.
How much does it cost to call China?
On Airlophone it starts at $0.59 a minute, billed per minute with part of a minute counting as a full one. The exact price depends on the band: landline $0.59, mobile $0.59 per minute. The band is read from the digits of the number itself, so you are never asked to guess whether a number is a landline or a mobile. Calling the same number on a mobile carrier's international direct dial or while roaming is charged separately by that carrier and is normally a great deal more.
What is the best time to call China from the US?
The whole of China runs on one time zone, UTC+8, with no daylight saving. It is 12 hours ahead of US Eastern in summer and 13 in winter, so the two working days barely overlap and the practical window is early morning in the US.
Do I need an app or a SIM card?
No. Airlophone runs in a browser tab, so there is nothing to install and no SIM to buy, and it works the same on a laptop you have borrowed. The person you call needs nothing either: the call arrives on the ordinary phone network, so their phone rings whether it is a landline or a mobile and whether or not they have internet.
Call China now
No exit code, no app and no SIM. Type the number, see the exact price for it, and the first minute is free without a card.