It's easy to call Jamaica from the U.S. and stay in touch with friends, family, and professional contacts.
Step 1: You should place your call.
No international codes are needed since Jamaica is part of theNARP.If you don't have an area code, dial the Jamaican phone number.If you need to, dial 1 first.Jamaica's area code is 876.Enter the seven-digit phone number of the person or company you're trying to call.
Step 2: If it's necessary, dial out.
If you are calling from a landline in an office, dorm room or another internal phone network, dial out before entering the Jamaica phone number.Don't call another extension on your network.You can dial "9," "#," or any digit or symbol that opens your phone line.
Step 3: Look at the time.
If you are calling from a different time zone than Jamaica, you should check the time before you make the call.Jamaica does not observe Daylight Savings Time.Jamaica is five hours behind Mean Time.In U.S. terms, this means they use Eastern Standard Time all year long, without ever changing to Eastern Daylight Time for the summer.
Step 4: Go to Skype.
You can access your account on your computer or other device.Enter your email, phone number, and usernames when prompted.In the marked field, type in your password.Click "sign in" after that.
Step 5: Decide between credit and subscriptions.
If you are making a one-time call to Jamaica, or only plan to call there rarely, estimate how many minutes you will need to complete your call.Purchase credit to cover the amount if you check the current rate.If you plan on calling Jamaica frequently, you should compare the rate for a monthly long-distance subscription against the total cost of purchasing credit for each individual call you make.Go for the monthly subscription if it's cheaper.If both you and the other party have Skype accounts, you can have a video chat with them on your computers at no additional cost.
Step 6: Purchase a credit card.
If you're not going to be calling Jamaica often enough to warrant a subscription, you can either buy credit or add credit.Pick the dollar-amount that will cover the duration of your call.In this case, the United States, you need to give Skype with your billing country as well as your payment method.Press the "Pay Now" button after you've finished and follow any additional instructions to complete the payment.The previous payment method has been saved if you have made any previous purchases.If you want to use a new method, be sure to change it.
Step 7: Purchase a subscription.
If you plan on calling Jamaica frequently enough to justify a flat-rate subscription, you can visit Skype's subscription page.Click the Continue button if you want to call Jamaica.If you want to be billed monthly, quarterly, or yearly, you should choose the appropriate option on the website.Follow the prompts to complete your purchase after entering your payment method.If you have purchased credit in the past, you can use it to pay for a subscription.
Step 8: Place your call.
Go back to your home page.Click on the button.Select Jamaica from the drop-down menu of countries that appear above the dial-pad.Then enter the area code of Jamaica, followed by the phone number you want to call.Click the blue call-button icon to dial.
Step 9: Don't use cell phones.
If you have a landline, you can make and receive calls to Jamaica from it.If the recipient also has a landline, be sure to dial that number instead of their cellphone in order to save money.If you think they will call you back in the future, ask them to do that as well.If a call is made from a cellphone, both parties should not be billed for the same call.It may cost more to call a cell phone from a landline.
Step 10: If no one answers, hang up.
The Jamaican phone number is an international number and will be billed as such.If you don't know how many times the recipient's voicemail will allow the phone to ring before you pick up, hang up.Go ahead and leave a message if cost is not an object.
Step 11: A flat-rate plan is something to consider.
To find out if a flat-rate calling plan would be cheaper, compare your current international plan with others.You can find your most recent phone bill by looking at it.Add up the charges for the calls.The monthly rate for a flat-rate plan has unlimited international minutes.If the flat-rate plan is cheaper, switch to it.To make sure that the switch will be worth it, be sure to factor in any extra charges for set-up and cancellation.
Step 12: You should research calling cards.
If you don't want to pay more for a flat-rate plan, you can compare various calling-card rates.It's a good idea to do a lot of comparative shopping first.If you don't use your card in one phone call, its value may decrease over time because of the hidden fees and surcharges.