How to call Mexico from the US: the dial string, the 10-digit rule and costs

How do you dial Mexico from the US?

Dial 011, then 52, then the 10-digit Mexican number. That is the whole dial string from a US landline or cell phone, for Mexican landlines and mobiles alike, according to the IFT, Mexico's telecom regulator at the time ^[1][2]. In a browser dialer, skip 011: choose Mexico or type +52, then the 10 digits.

1. Get all 10 digits. Every Mexican number has 10 digits ^[2]: a 2-digit area code in Mexico City (55), Guadalajara (33) and Monterrey (81), and a 3-digit one elsewhere ^[1].
2. Strip old prefixes: 044, 045 or 01 in front of the number, or a 1 right after +52 ^[2][1].
3. From a US phone, dial 011 52, then the 10 digits. 011 is the US international prefix ^[5]; 52 is Mexico's country code ^[4].
4. In a browser dialer, leave out 011: pick Mexico or type +52, then the 10 digits. Google Voice's help, for example, says to enter the country code before the number ^[10].

X stands for a digit of the local number. Area codes come from the IFT guide ^[1], which I read on November 1, 2026.

What changed in Mexican phone numbers in 2019 and 2020?

On 3 August 2019 Mexico moved every landline and mobile to 10-digit dialing and removed the 044 and 045 mobile prefixes and the 01 long-distance prefix ^[2]. The old prefixes kept working for a one-year transition ^[2]. From 3 August 2020, only calls dialed with all 10 digits connect ^[1].

Old business cards, websites and saved contacts can still carry the old formats. Even the ITU's dialling-procedures list, last issued in 2011, shows Mexico's retired 01 prefix ^[5]. The table turns each old format into what to dial today.

How do you call Mexico from a browser?

If the person in Mexico has only a phone number, use a web dialer that rings ordinary phones: most charge per minute from prepaid credit, and a few give free calls with daily limits. If they use WhatsApp, WhatsApp Web can call them for free. In a web dialer, allow the microphone when the browser asks, pick Mexico or type +52, then enter the 10 digits.

Web dialers that ring Mexican phones

Google Voice, Yolla and TwinPhone all call Mexican landlines and mobiles from a browser tab ^[10][11][12]. Google Voice personal accounts work only in the US ^[6], and a new number needs a phone number for a text code plus a government ID check ^[13][14].

Yolla's web dial pad shows the rate before each call ^[11], and its app asks for your phone number ^[15]. TwinPhone signs you up with an email or Google account and no phone number ^[12]. When I opened its dialer page, the country selector was set to +1, so switch it to Mexico first ^[12].

WhatsApp Web, if the person uses WhatsApp

WhatsApp announced calling in WhatsApp Web on 28 July 2026 ^[16], and its help page says these calls are free, even to another country ^[9]. The feature is still rolling out, so your account may not have it yet ^[9]. It reaches WhatsApp contacts, not ordinary Mexican numbers, as I explain in my answer on WhatsApp and landlines.

Free web dialers, with daily limits

PopTox lists Mexico as a free destination ^[17] and allows up to 5 free calls a day to the same number ^[18]. I found no published limit on call length, and every PopTox call shows the same US caller ID, not yours ^[19].

When I loaded Call2Friends' free-destinations list on November 1, 2026, a free call to Mexico was capped at 55 seconds ^[20], with 1 or 2 free calls a day per IP address ^[21]. The list changes during the day, and on one evening reload Mexico was missing, so check it before you count on a free call.

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

On the rate cards I read on November 1, 2026, paid browser dialers charged $0.01 to $0.04 a minute for a Mexican landline ^[3][8]. Yolla and Call2Friends charge the same for mobiles, TwinPhone charges $0.02–$0.04, and Google Voice's card has no Mexico mobile row. TextNow and PopTox list Mexico as free, with conditions.

Rows follow the order of my overall comparison, not price. Google Voice's rate card, read signed out, had a Mexico landline row and no Mexico mobile row.

TwinPhone costs more than Yolla and Google Voice on this route. It bills whole minutes, rounded up, from credit that never expires ^[23], and gives no trial credit ^[25]. It cannot dial emergency numbers ^[25], and it claims 145+ countries on one page but 165 destinations on its rates page ^[12][8].

On the plus side, it names Brave as well as Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari ^[12], and rents optional numbers that ring in the browser, but only for the US, Canada and Puerto Rico ($3.19 a month) ^[26]. Its mobile price is a range because, as TwinPhone's page on calls to mobiles explains, rates vary with each network's termination fee; the exact rate shows before the call connects ^[27].

If you talk for hours every week, Rebtel advertises unlimited calls to Mexico for $3 a month ^[28], but only in its phone app ^[29]. Why prices vary by route is the subject of my explainer on international call prices.

Which way of calling Mexico fits your situation?

It depends on who you are calling and how often. A relative on WhatsApp costs nothing to reach from WhatsApp Web. A landline, or a mobile without WhatsApp, needs a paid web dialer or one of the limited free ones.

• The person uses WhatsApp: WhatsApp Web, at no cost ^[9].
• You already have Google Voice: the lowest paid landline rate I found on this route ^[3].
• You won't give a phone number to sign up: TwinPhone takes an email or Google account ^[12], at a higher per-minute price than Yolla or Google Voice.
• You want your own number to show: Yolla says it displays your number ^[30]; TwinPhone does so only for a verified mobile, at $1 a month ^[31].
• You need an occasional free call: PopTox, with a shared caller ID ^[19], or a Call2Friends free call while Mexico is on its free list ^[20].

Frequently asked questions

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