Calling Saudi Arabia, UAE and the USA from Jordan: Codes and Rates

Many families in Jordan have relatives or colleagues in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the United States. Yet many calls fail for one simple reason: the number is dialed in the wrong format. This guide explains the golden rule for dialing any international number, applies it to all three destinations, and shows live Fastidcall rates and how to calculate the cost.

The golden rule: international number format

The world uses a single international numbering plan defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), called E.164. Any number in the world is written as:

+ [country code] [national number without the leading zero]

• From Jordan, the international exit prefix is 00; on a mobile you can use + instead.
• Drop the leading zero of the national number. This is the most common mistake: the Saudi number 05X XXX XXXX becomes +966 5X XXX XXXX.
• Don’t repeat the country code, and never put a zero after it.

Calling Saudi Arabia from Jordan

Saudi Arabia’s country code is 966. Saudi mobile numbers start with 05 domestically, so internationally you dial:

• Mobile: 00966 5X XXX XXXX or +966 5X XXX XXXX
• Landline: 00966, then the area code without the zero, then the number — e.g. Riyadh (11), Jeddah (12).

Time difference: Jordan and Saudi Arabia share the same time all year (UTC+3).

Live Fastidcall rates for Saudi Arabia:

Destination	Type	Prefix	Rate	Billing (s)
Saudi Arabia	Mobile	+96651	$2.33/min	60/60
Saudi Arabia	Mobile	+96655	$2.78/min	60/60

Note that some Saudi networks are billed per full minute (60/60): a call of one minute and one second is charged as two minutes. For short calls, know what you want to say before you dial.

Calling the UAE from Jordan

The UAE’s country code is 971. Emirati mobile numbers start with 05 domestically (050, 052, 054, 055, 056, 058):

• Mobile: 00971 5X XXX XXXX
• Landline: 00971, then the emirate code without the zero — Dubai (4), Abu Dhabi (2), Sharjah (6).

Time difference: the UAE is one hour ahead of Jordan (UTC+4).

Destination	Type	Prefix	Rate	Billing (s)
United Arab Emirates	Mobile	+9715	$1.22/min	1/1
United Arab Emirates	Landline	+9714	$1.22/min	1/1

The UAE is billed per second (1/1) on Fastidcall, so you pay only for the seconds you actually talk.

Calling the United States from Jordan

The USA (and Canada) use country code 1 under the North American Numbering Plan. A US number has 10 digits: a 3-digit area code plus 7 digits:

• 001 212 XXX XXXX (New York, for example) or +1 212 XXX XXXX
• There is no leading zero to drop, and mobiles and landlines are dialed the same way.

Time difference: the US spans several time zones. The East Coast (New York) is 7 hours behind Jordan during US daylight saving time and 8 hours behind in winter; the West Coast (California) is 10–11 hours behind. The best window is usually Jordan’s late afternoon (4–7 pm), which is morning on the East Coast.

Destination	Type	Prefix	Rate	Billing (s)
United States	Landline	+121273	$0.56/min	6/6
United States	Landline	+1646	$0.56/min	6/6

Watch out for numbers that “look” American

Several Caribbean countries also use country code 1 with a three-digit area code — the Dominican Republic’s 809, for example. The U.S. FCC warns that scammers exploit this similarity to trick people into calling back expensive international numbers. If you get a missed call or voicemail from an unknown +1 number, check it before calling back.

Quick reference table

How to call with Fastidcall, step by step

1. Create an account and confirm your email.
2. Top up your credit and set the number you want the other person to see (your verified number).
3. Type the number in international format. The destination, network, per-minute price and billing increment appear instantly.
4. Press call. Nothing is charged while it rings; the line-opening fee is charged once, only if the call is answered.

Common dialing mistakes and how to fix them

The easiest way to avoid all of these: save your relatives’ numbers in your phone in international format, starting with +, from day one. The number then works whether you call from Jordan or anywhere else, and messaging apps recognise the contacts too, because they rely on the international format.

Tips for business calls with the Gulf and the US

• Working days differ: the weekend in Jordan and Saudi Arabia is Friday–Saturday, while the UAE moved to a Saturday–Sunday weekend in 2022 (with a half working day on Friday for government), and the US weekend is Saturday–Sunday. Sunday, for example, is a working day in Amman and Riyadh but a day off in Dubai and New York.
• Ramadan: official working hours in Gulf countries change during Ramadan, so check the other side’s hours before calling.
• Company numbers: many Gulf businesses use landlines or unified numbers. Unified numbers (such as those starting 800 or 9200 in Saudi Arabia) may not be reachable from outside the country, so ask for an alternative number.
• Make your number recognisable: a call from a number the client or colleague knows gets answered more often than one from an unknown foreign number.

How to estimate your monthly cost

Add up roughly how many minutes you spend per destination each month, multiply by the per-minute price shown in the tables above, then add the line-opening fee multiplied by the number of answered calls. For example, four 15-minute calls a month to a UAE mobile means 60 minutes at the listed price, plus four opening fees. For destinations billed per full minute, round each call up to the next minute. That way you know in advance how much credit you need, and you can easily compare it with any international bundle your operator offers.

Frequently asked questions

I dialed the number but the call didn’t go through. Why?

Usually there is an extra zero after the country code or a missing digit. Saudi and Emirati mobile numbers have 9 digits after the country code; US numbers have 10.

Is the price the same for every network in a country?

Not always. Prices can differ between mobile networks, or between mobiles and landlines, which is why the dialer shows the network and price that match the exact number you typed.

Can I call emergency or short-code numbers?

No. Emergency numbers, short codes and special services are designed for local calling inside the country and must be dialed from a local phone there.

Do the rates change?

Yes, international route prices are updated periodically. The figures on this page are read directly from our rate table when you open it, and the dialer shows the final price before every call.

Sources & further reading

1. ITU — E.164 assigned country codes
2. ITU-T Recommendation E.164
3. Telecommunications Regulatory Commission — Jordan (TRC)
4. Communications, Space & Technology Commission — Saudi Arabia (CST)
5. Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority — UAE (TDRA)

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