How to Call Nigeria From the US: Complete Guide (+234)

Table of Contents
- How to Dial Nigeria From the US
- Step by Step
- Nigerian Mobile Network Prefixes
- Nigeria Area Codes (Major Cities)
- Cheapest Ways to Call Nigeria From the US
- Best Option by Situation
- Weekly family calls
- Daily calls to Nigeria
- Business calls to Lagos
- Recipient has WhatsApp
- Tips for Calling Nigeria
- Common Mistakes
- 1. Including the leading 0
- 2. Dialling the wrong number of digits
- 3. Not accounting for power outages
- Summary
- Keep Reading
Nigeria is one of the most expensive countries to call from the US using standard carrier rates. AT&T charges $3.50 per minute, Verizon charges $2.99 per minute. A 20-minute call to Lagos could cost you $70.
But VoIP services have made calling Nigeria drastically cheaper — as low as $0.03 per minute for landlines and $0.05 per minute for mobiles. This guide covers how to dial correctly and the cheapest options available.
How to Dial Nigeria From the US
Step by Step
- Dial + (or 011 from a landline)
- Dial 234 (Nigeria country code)
- Dial the number without the leading 0
Critical rule: Nigerians dial numbers starting with 0 (like 0803...). When calling from abroad, drop the 0. So 0803 123 4567 becomes +234 803 123 4567.
Nigerian Mobile Network Prefixes
Nigeria has four major mobile networks. The prefix tells you which network:
From the US, the network prefix does not affect your rate — you pay the same regardless of which Nigerian network you are calling.


