Bushranger or someone who lives in OZ. I ordered a sim card and the directions are not all that clear or I am super dumb not sure which.
Phone Question. If I am there and want to call USA do I put
+0011209123456
or is it +11209123456
and
If I am calling Victoria from NSW how would I enter that?
Simply 03 12345678
Or something else
I did finely figure out how to get the + sign. You have to hold down the Zero until it appears. Simple but it took a while to get it <G> Thanks in advance

I've never called the US but 0011 is the prefix for using landline phones to ring overseas followed by the country's international prefix - 1 - for the US.

The 0011 doesn't get used for mobiles in calling from Australia and for the US from Australia, pretty sure it'll just be +1 in front of the number with any intyernal national prefix dropped.

Wiki explains a bit about the different numbering systems - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...des_by_country
and more useful is http://www.exportbureau.com/telephon..._dialcode.html which shows no 00 for Australia, different to most other countries it seems and something I hadn't realised.

As an example for Switzerland from a mobile here it'll be
+ 41 [prefix for Switzerland] followed by Swiss number [with 0 prefix dropped]

To dial another mobile number within Oz it is simply just using the full mobile number including the 0, but no need for state code and the mobile will be a ten digit number.

Dialing landline numbers, no need to enter the state code when in the same state but you do need to use it from another state as in the NSW to Vic case you have given,
yep, 03 1234 5678 .

I'll have a go at answering this, but hopefully a more technologically able person can correct me if I'm wrong. I think using a mobile phone to call the US it's just +1 (i.e. plus sign and country code, the US international code being 1) then the number. When I ring friends or send texts to the US that's what I use.

If you use a land line to call the US, it's 0011, then country code, then the number.

If it's a mobile number in another state just ring the number, no code needed. If it's a landline use the appropriate state code, 02 or 03.

Joanne, your questions aren't dumb in the least. I worked for a telco for 24 years and I get confused.

If you're using an Australian-registered SIM card your mobile will connect to an Australian carrier, and you will need to enter the international access code (+ or 0011, doesn't matter) followed by '1', then the 3-digit area code and 7-digit local number.

Australian 2-digit landline area codes are organised roughly by state or pairs of states: NSW + ACT, 02; Vic + Tas 03; Qld 07; SA + NT 08; WA 09. If you're calling a number within your area code zone, even though it may be a toll call (e.g. Sydney to Canberra) you don't have to dial the area code, just the 8-digit local number. Your assumption about a NSW-VIC call is therefore correct.

Toll-free numbers follow the format 1800-NNN NNN, 1300-NNN NNN or 13-NNNN.

All Australian mobile numbers follow the numbering plan 04NN-NNN NNN and as Bushranger notes don't carry a local area code as in the US. There are no national roaming charges, but as a general rule you'll find call rates higher than those in the US and you may soon exhaust your SIM's credit.

If you expect to be making many calls home you can economise by buying a phone card at a newsagent, post office or other location. Asian groceries in particular offer a wide range. They're usually sold in denominations of $10 and up. Choose one that offers low rates to North America (most will). You can use these from any phone - simply dial the relevant local access number listed on the card, then follow the prompts. The call rates are very low (typically a few cents a minute), and on the principle that there's no such thing as a free lunch the call quality may not be quite as good as a regular connection, but it's usually acceptable.

That was a close call Susan but we're on the right frequency.

Yes, the phone cards do make a cheap option, some as low as .9 cents a minute [yep less than 1 cent]

But there can be catches in where you are, whether you have a local number to call as against a national toll free number for even though the call to there may be free, it is possible that you'll have an extra loading of several cents a minute.
Some numbers such as a 1300 one can have just a single up front premium to the international dial, so do check what you're going to be up for if looking at using one of those.
Supermarkets and petrol[gas] stations also stock them.
And if doing it from a mobile you'll still pay your mobile per minute charge for an Australian call, so they're far better for landline calls.

We've rarely ever had a quality problem in regular card use calls to Switzerland though it has improved over the years, cost wise too for about 13-14 years ago an international call was something like $1.50/m, gradually dropping over next five.

The other system you may want to consider if people at other end are hooked up is Skype, using an internet connection, VOIP and there's a few variations about as well.

And do just get accustomed to which way the time differce is for nothing like getting rung up at 3 AM in the morning from someone who has added/subtracted it the wrong way to their local time.

thanks for the great information JH