How to Call a Landline Number Using Your Cellphone or Telephone

Telephones used to be the main mode of long-distance communication until supplanted by cellphones at the turn of the millennium. Fixed line or landline phones are still around though and continue to be used in many households and offices, but most people now use mobile phones to connect with their friends and loved ones. In this article, we’ll teach you how to call a landline number using either your Smart or Globe cellphone or a telephone.

Calling a landline number in the Philippines is not as simple as dialing the 7-digit telephone number. That is because you may have to include the area code to the telephone number you are calling. However, if you are calling a telephone number within the same area code, you don’t have to include the area code. But if you are calling from a different place with a different area code, you will need to include the area code.

For example, if you are in Manila and you want to call someone in Davao, you will have to insert the area code 82 before the telephone number. So if you want to call 221-3575, you should dial 82-221-3575 instead.

If you are calling from overseas, you must also include the country code +63 along with the area code. So the landline number 221-3575 with the area code 82 should become +63-82-221-3575.

It can all be quite confusing at first but you’ll soon become familiar with the steps in calling a landline number in the Philippines, no matter where you are located.

How to Call Landline Using Your Smart or Globe Cellphone

Cellphone calls to a landline number must always use the area code, with no exceptions. So even if you are calling someone within the same place or area code, you must still include the area code.

Telephone numbers under the area code 2, which includes Metro Manila, Bacoor City and San Pedro, Laguna, have been migrated to 8 digits as mandated by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). The new 8-digit prefix numbers are as follows:

• Globe – 7 ### ####
• PLDT/Digitel – 8 ### ####
• Bayantel – 3 ### ####
• Eastern – 5 ### ####
• ABS-CBN, Converge – 6 ### ####

Check out this article for the list of telephone area codes in the Philippines.

Cellphone Call to Provincial Landline

To call a landline number in the province using your Globe or Smart cellphone, just follow this format:

Area Code + 7-Digit Landline Number

For example, if you want to call 221-3575 which is in Davao City (area code 82), just dial 82-221-3575. This is applicable wherever you are in the Philippines.

Cellphone Call to Metro Manila Landline

The format for calling a Metro Manila telephone number using your Smart or Globe cellphone is:

2 + 8-Digit Landline Number

For example, if you want to call the PLDT telephone number 8920-6401, you should dial 2-8920-6401 instead. This is applicable even if you are also located in Metro Manila.

How to Call Local Landline Using Your Telephone

It’s easy to call a local landline number using your telephone. Just place “0” and the area code before the landline number you want to call.

Telephone Call to Provincial Landline

To call a landline number in the province or outside Metro Manila, just follow this format:

0 + Area Code + 7-Digit Landline Number

Let’s say that you are in Davao City and you want to call 232-7520 which is in Cebu City (area code 32). What you should dial is 032-232-7520. Note that the domestic long-distance prefix 0 is being added.

Telephone Call to Metro Manila Landline

To call a Metro Manila landline number from the province, take note of this format:

0 + 2 + 8-Digit Landline Number

For example, if you are in Cebu City and you want to call the PLDT number 8920-6446 in Quezon City, you should dial 02-8920-6446.

Telephone Calls Within the Same Area Code

You don’t need to use any prefix or area code when calling someone within the same area code. If you are in Makati City and you want to call someone in Quezon City, you simply dial the 8-digit telephone number straight away, because they are both in the same area code.

How to Call Philippine Telephone Number From Overseas

Are you currently overseas and you want to call a landline number in the Philippines? All you have to do is to insert the Philippine country code 63 as well as the area code of the number you want to call.

Overseas Call to Provincial Landline

To place an overseas IDD call to a telephone number outside Metro Manila, follow this format:

63 + Area Code + 7-Digit Landline Number

Let’s say that you are in Singapore and you want to call 232-7520 in Cebu City (area code 32). Just dial +63-32-232-7520.

Overseas Call to Metro Manila Landline

To call a Metro Manila landline number from outside the Philippines, just remember this format:

63 + 2 + 8-Digit Landline Number

For example, you want to call 8920-6446 in Quezon City. Since its area code is 2, just dial 63-2-8920-6446.

How to Call a Landline Number in the Philippines Through the Internet

There are voice over IP (VoIP) apps that allow you to call a landline or telephone number in the Philippines using your mobile phone. The way this works is that you purchase call credits on these apps and then use these credits to call any landline number in the Philippines.

In most cases, these VoIP apps are cheaper than IDD especially if you’re calling from outside the Philippines (e.g. United States). The main drawback is that they are totally reliant on your Internet connection, so the quality of calls may suffer if you have slow Internet. Their advantage is that they can be cheaper than local mobile phone to landline calls especially if you purchase a monthly subscription plan (which you can cancel anytime).

Viber Out

Viber is a free messaging and calling application for Android and iOS with over a billion users worldwide. Aside from the usual online messaging and video calling, Viber also offers its users the ability to call mobile and landline numbers. The feature, called Viber Out, is available in 60 countries including the Philippines.

Viber users can purchase “pay as you go” credits or subscribe to call plans. Viber Out credits start at $4.99 (₱250) which gives you 31 minutes of calls to landline numbers in the Philippines. This translates to approximately ₱8.00 per minute.

However, you can save money by subscribing to a call plan for as low as ₱505 per month, giving you 120 minutes of calls. This comes out to ₱4.20 per minute, which is far cheaper than the regular mobile to landline rate of ₱7.50 per minute.

Skype to Phone

Skype is one of the pioneers in the VoIP market and is still going strong despite losing ground to competitors like Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram and Zoom. You might think that Skype is only good for video calling and teleconferencing but the application also has a mobile and telephone calling feature called Skype to Phone, where you can call mobile and landline numbers in selected countries including the Philippines.

All you have to do is to purchase Skype to Phone credits and you can call any landline number in the Philippines using your Skype app (download from Google Play or the Play Store). You can purchase credits for as low as $5 (₱250) which gives you up to 35 minutes of calls.

You can save money by purchasing a subscription plan for $6.99 (₱350) per month, giving you up to 60 minutes of mobile and landline calls. This translates to less than ₱6 per minute, slightly cheaper than the regular cellphone to landline rate of ₱7.50 per minute.

What Are the Cellphone to Landline Call Rates in the Philippines?

If you’re interested to know the current cellphone to landline call rates among the different mobile networks in the Philippines, check out the table below:

These rates are for regular cellphone to landline calls, and may not apply to certain prepaid and postpaid promos.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I call a landline or telephone number directly using my cellphone?

No, you can’t call a landline number directly using your cellphone – you have to include its area code as its prefix. This is because landline or telephone numbers have fixed locations and in order for the telecommunications network to find them, you must include their area codes. A list of Philippine area codes can be found here.

I’m in the same province as the landline number I’m calling. Do I still need to include an area code?

Yes, you must always include the area code when calling from your cellphone number. However, if you are calling from your telephone and the number you’re calling is within the same province, you don’t need to include its area code; you can dial the landline number directly.

How do I know the 8-digit number prefix of a 7-digit Metro Manila landline number?

Effective October 6, 2019, all telephone numbers under the 02 prefix (Metro Manila) are migrated to 8 digits as mandated by the NTC. To know the 8-digit prefix of a Metro Manila telephone number, first determine its telco operator (e.g. PLDT, Globe), and then append the corresponding prefix. The PLDT prefix is 8 and the Globe prefix is 7.

Conclusion

That’s pretty much it. You’ve just learned how to call a landline number in the Philippines using your cellphone or telephone. Don’t forget to check out our list of area codes for your reference.

If you have any questions, just leave a comment below.