Remind again- How to use a US cellphone to make a call in the UK?

Or can I just dial +44 7xxxx 32xxx, again dropping the zero before the 7?

Correct. The + sign substitutes for the international access code and you drop the leading zero in the area code.

By the way … I’d suggest that you just go ahead and add the phone number to your contact list in the format noted above. That will make it easy for you to just open up the contact on arrival and call or text.

Derek, thank you so much for posting this question! I had the exact same one and was going to enquire about it. Thanks to all who replied. Adding the numbers sounds like a great idea, too. Thanks Laura!

I like the idea of adding to contacts prior to using. I would also test it out. If their number accepts texts I would send out a test text. Something like “ Hi it’s Derek we’ll be arriving on such and such date and I wanted to make sure I have your number set up correctly “. I’d hate to wait till day of arrival and find out it didn’t work. Too stressful for me.

Enjoy your trip!

I have another suggestion- do you have WhatsApp? It's the most common messaging app used in the UK, Europe, and pretty much everywhere around the world altho I don't think it's as popular in the US. If you add your contact's number to your phone, and you both have WhatsApp, you can just call them for free via the app. Calling via the app uses data but if you have free data in the UK or are on wifi it won't cost you anything.

Thank you to all who responded.
I have taken your advice and added the number with the +44 (no zero) to my contacts list.

I do have What's App. I've used it on tours (both Rick Steves and OAT) as a group messaging system. I don't know if the owner has it.
But isn't the issue the same even with What's app? Do I still have to add the +44 to the contact number in What's App?

Anyway, problem solved. Thank you all again.

I do have What's App. I've used it on tours (both Rick Steves and OAT) as a group messaging system. I don't know if the owner has it.

To see if the owner is on Whatsapp:
1) Open Whatsapp
2) Select the + to begin a new chat ( or call)
3) Scroll down and you should see a list of all your contacts who have Whatsapp. You will see the owner listed there if they are on Whatsapp

"Do I still have to add the +44 to the contact number in What's App?"

Yes that's correct, all numbers need to be in international format.

Depending on the model and year of your phone, you may have a dial assist feature available in the phone app. This is intended to automatically add the country code when dialing the number. I have an iPhone 14 ProMax and it has this option. To be fair, I didn’t make any calls when I was in Europe last year, so I can’t say how well it works. But, thought you might want to check into it.

to start with, UK numbers beginning 07 are cell phones. Doesn't really affect how you call them but may affect how/whether they pick up - the phone could be in a black spot when you call. They all seem to be on voice mail when I call.......

When you arrive in UK and switch your phone on it will display the name of the UK network which your US provider has partnered with and I believe T-Mobile USA uses EE in the UK as first choice but may switch if EE coverage isn't available in an area. Whatever, when it is connected to a UK network you can dial like a UK phone does, such as just dial 07xxx 32xxxx. If you use +44 7xxxx 32xxx it will still work and if you save it in this format you can use it in UK and USA - or anywhere else. If when in UK you dial 0114 7xx xx32 .... it will try to connect you to a number in Sheffield (if it exists) and everyone will get confused.

The question you haven't asked is how do you phone people back home? US national format numbers need a +1 prefix for the UK network (or any other country outside the North American zone) to know you want a North American number. You could add the prefix to any number in your contact list which you may need to call whilst abroad, it will still work at home.

If you need blue light emergency services in UK you dial 999 when attached to a UK network. If you need the police less urgently you dial 101.

If you plan on using whats app, communicate with him before leaving the us, even if it is just a message to confirm everything is OK. You can then store him in your what's app contacts, confident that the link will work in the UK, providing you have a data connection.

To add to me.crewe's advice on emergency services, dialing 112 on your mobile phone will connect you to the emergency number in any country you visit.