The Dominican Republic is part of the North American Number Plan, which means that it can be reached by phone like any other American mobile or landline number (whose international prefix is, as for the United States, 001) as a rule consisting of: (+1) - [3-digit area code] - [7-digit phone number]. As this is an international call, you can consider other ways to make a phone call, for example from a computer, smartphone or using a prepaid landline phone card.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Call the Dominican Republic from a Landline
Step 1. Call your telephone operator to inquire about the prices of international calls, to the Dominican Republic in particular
If you need to make a simple single call, using a landline phone might be the most effective way to do this.
Specifically inquire about the calls that are part of the North American telephone plan, which includes the US territories and the islands of the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean
Step 2. Subscribe to an international calling service with your landline telephone operator
Telecom Italia, like many other telephone companies, offer specific flat rates for calling abroad. These offers can vary between 15 and 100 € per month.
Find out about annual plans, instead of renewable contracts each month. Often the monthly price is significantly more advantageous if you subscribe for a full year instead of just a few months
Step 3. Call the desired number by entering the international prefix “+1” or “001”, followed by the regional prefix and the seven digits of the number itself, in the same way as for a call to the United States
Step 4. Purchase an international prepaid calling card, on the internet or from specialist retailers
Make sure that the call to the card number is treated as a call to a local landline, but at the same time requires a lower price per minute. Most cards indicate retail prices on the back or packaging.
You will first need to call the number indicated on the card. You can then call by entering the international prefix “+1”, the three-digit regional prefix and the seven-digit telephone number
Step 5. Consider making calls via smartphone applications or computer programs if the prices are over 10 cents per minute and you plan to call often
Method 2 of 3: Call the Dominican Republic from a Smartphone
Step 1. Purchase a smartphone capable of downloading applications, such as iPhone, Android, Windows phone or tablet
Step 2. Make sure that the person you want to call in the Dominican Republic also has a smartphone capable of downloading applications
It is ideal for families or friends who have the ability to frequently access a wireless connection and their smartphones.
Step 3. Choose a VOIP service provider
These are companies and applications that provide telephone calls over the internet via the Voice Over Internet Protocol. Unlike the usual telephone services, you will use the internet to make your calls. Popular applications and companies are Viber, Rebtel, Google Voice, Fring, Skype, Facetime, and Vonage.
- Calls made from the application itself are free, which is why it is the cheapest option for calling from smartphone to smartphone.
- Some applications, such as Facetime for example, do not allow external users to pay for making calls. Choose a service that allows you to have the flexibility you need.
- Compare the prices for calls made from the application to a landline phone. Each service has a list of prices per minute for calls (made through the program) to the Dominican Republic. For example, Rebtel offers 4 cents per minute, while with Skype it is about 5.5 cents per minute.
Step 4. Log in to the application and add your contacts
Ask the people you call the most to sign up for the same program so you can make free calls. Once added, call your contacts for free whenever you have internet access.
Data charges will be charged when you are not connected to a Wi-Fi network
Step 5. Buy credit before calling people in the Dominican Republic who do not have the application
To use Skype and Google Voice, you will need to top up your account with your credit (or debit) card. When you download the application, log in and choose the option to buy credit.
You can also choose the option to top up the credit automatically when it falls below a certain threshold
Method 3 of 3: Call the Dominican Republic from the Computer
Step 1. Choose a video chat service you want to use with people to call in the Dominican Republic
Similar to smartphone services, these programs use your computer's microphone, speakers, and webcam to make a free international video call. It is usually completely free from computer to computer, while some (relatively low cost) rates apply to computer-to-landline or mobile phone calls.
Step 2. Register a Skype, Facetime or Google account
The three most popular services of this type are Skype, Facetime (for Mac), and Google Hangout.
Step 3. Set up your account
Add contacts using the emails associated with the accounts of the people you want to contact. You will also need to prompt your contacts to download and install the software.
Step 4. Make a video call or simple call to talk through the program
Click on the desired contact's account to call and request a video connection. The quality of the connection may vary depending on the duration of the call and the number of connected users.
Step 5. Use Google Hangout if you want to talk to more than one person in the Dominican Republic at the same time
You can invite several users to join your "hangout" and talk together at the same time.
