How to Call China From the US: Complete Guide (+86)

China is one of the most frequently called countries from the US, with millions of Chinese Americans maintaining family and business ties. The good news: calling China is remarkably cheap via VoIP — as low as $0.01 per minute for landlines. US carriers, however, charge $1-$5 per minute.

This guide covers the correct dialling format for Chinese numbers, city area codes, mobile prefixes, and the cheapest ways to call in 2026.

How to Dial China From the US

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+86 + Area/Mobile Code + Local Number Mobile: +86 138 1234 5678 Beijing landline: +86 10 1234 5678 Shanghai landline: +86 21 1234 5678 Guangzhou landline: +86 20 1234 5678

Step by Step

Dial + (or 011 from a landline)
Dial 86 (China country code)
For mobile: Dial the 11-digit number (no leading 0)
For landline: Dial the area code + local number

Important: Chinese mobile numbers are always 11 digits starting with 1. Landline area codes are 2-3 digits, and the total number (area code + local) is 10-12 digits.

China Mobile Network Prefixes

China City Area Codes

Cheapest Ways to Call China From the US

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AT&T charges $5.00/min to China — one of the highest rates of any major carrier. A 20-minute call costs $100 on AT&T vs $0.40 on BubblyPhone. That is a 99.6% savings.

The WeChat Factor

WeChat (微信) is the dominant messaging platform in China with over 1.3 billion users. Nearly every Chinese person has WeChat. For voice and video calls to someone who has the app, WeChat is free.

However, you still need VoIP for:

Calling Chinese landlines (businesses, hotels, government offices)
Calling someone whose phone is off or has no internet
Calling when WeChat is blocked or restricted
Business calls where you need a professional phone connection

VPN and Connectivity Notes

China's Great Firewall blocks many foreign services. If you are calling someone IN China:

WeChat works — it is a domestic Chinese app, no VPN needed on their end
WhatsApp is blocked in China — do not rely on it
Google Voice app is blocked — but calling from the US side works fine
BubblyPhone works from the US side regardless of China's firewall — the call terminates on China's phone network

Best Times to Call China

China uses a single time zone (CST, UTC+8) despite its geographic size. Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen are all on the same time.

Summary

Calling China from the US is incredibly cheap with VoIP — $0.01-$0.02/min vs $2-$5/min with carriers. Use WeChat for free calls when both sides have the app, and BubblyPhone for landlines, businesses, and reliable phone-to-phone connections. Dial +86 followed by the number without any leading zeros.