Does *67 still work for caller ID blocking when calling the US from Chile?

Not reliably from Chile. *67 is a US domestic CLI blocking code and it does not survive international routing through most Chilean carriers. Even when the call connects, the receiving US number typically still sees an international caller ID (sometimes just "International" or "Unknown" by default) but the *67 prefix is stripped at the gateway. To block your number when calling the US from Chile, ask your carrier to add per-call CLIR blocking, or use a service that lets you set caller ID at the app level. WorldDialer presents a default outbound caller ID that you can customize in account settings.

Will my US bank's two-factor SMS code reach my Chilean phone number?

Sometimes. Most US banks send SMS codes only to US-format phone numbers (+1) on file, and many block international SMS delivery for fraud reasons. Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo can usually send SMS to a Chilean +56 mobile if you call to add it as an authorized number, but verification may take 1-3 business days. The reliable workarounds: keep a US phone number active via Google Voice (free, receives SMS over data in Chile), use a US eSIM line on iPhone, or switch your bank to voice-call verification rather than SMS. Configure this before traveling because adding an international number while locked out is a phone-tree nightmare.

Can I use my US T-Mobile or Verizon plan to call US numbers while in Chile?

T-Mobile Magenta and Go5G plans include unlimited free calls back to the US from Chile (the inbound is what costs them nothing on roaming partners) at no extra charge, which is the strongest US carrier offer for travelers. Verizon TravelPass charges $10/day in Chile to use your US plan's minutes, included calling back to US numbers. AT&T International Day Pass is similar at $12/day. If you're in Chile for less than two weeks per year on a Verizon or AT&T plan, day-pass roaming is cost-competitive. For longer stays, switch to a Chilean SIM plus WorldDialer at $0.04/minute for US calls; the day-pass math breaks down past 2-3 weeks.

How do I deal with Chilean DST when scheduling US calls?

Chile shifts to CLST (UTC-3) in early September and back to CLT (UTC-4) in early April; the US does the opposite. From April through early September, Santiago and New York are on the same wall-clock time (both UTC-4), so a 9am Santiago call hits 9am EDT. From November through March, Santiago runs 2 hours ahead of New York EST (Chile UTC-3, US Eastern UTC-5). The Aysén and Magallanes regions stay on UTC-3 year-round, so they sit 1 hour ahead of the rest of Chile from April through September. Brief 1-hour mismatches happen during the March and September transition windows when one country has shifted and the other hasn't.

How to Call US from Chile (Cheapest Way 2026)

To call the US from Chile, dial your carrier code + 0 + 1 + the US area code + the 7-digit number. Chile uses a multicarrier system, so the first three digits you press route the call: 123 for Entel, 188 for Movistar, 171 for Claro. On a mobile phone, you can skip the carrier choice entirely and dial +1, so the IRS international line becomes +1 267 941 1000 and Chase Bank becomes +1 713 262 3300.

What you pay depends on which Chilean SIM is in your phone and which carrier code you choose. Entel's postpaid rate to the US is $690 CLP/min — about $0.77 USD. Claro postpaid runs $120. Most plans also tack on a $52 setup fee per call. Here's how to pay $0.04 a minute instead, and which US numbers actually work from Chile.

How to Dial the US from Chile

Chile uses a carrier-select system for international calls. You pick a long-distance carrier on every call — separately from whichever company sold you the SIM.

Dial your carrier code (123 Entel, 188 Movistar, 171 Claro, 111 VTR)
Dial 0 (international access)
Dial 1 (US country code)
Dial the 3-digit US area code
Dial the 7-digit phone number
Example: 123 0 1 267 941 1000 routes the IRS international line through Entel

That's the whole formula. On a mobile phone, + works as a universal shortcut and skips the carrier-select step — the call routes through whichever carrier your SIM is registered with at that carrier's standard ILD rate. From a hotel landline in Santiago or Valparaíso, use the carrier-code form plus any outside-line digit the hotel requires (usually 0 or 9). Chile's own country code is +56, but that's for people calling INTO Chile. You won't need it on the way out.

Which Carrier Code Do I Dial?

Chile has six common ILD carrier codes. The three you'll see most are Entel, Movistar, and Claro.

Carrier | Code

Entel | 123

Movistar Chile | 188 (or 181)

Claro Chile | 171

VTR | 111

Carrier 117 | 117

Netline | 169

This setup is unusual. Most countries route every international call through whichever carrier owns your SIM. SUBTEL — Chile's telecom regulator — mandated multicarrier ILD in the 1990s to keep one company from owning the international voice market. You can be a Movistar mobile customer and still route your US call through Entel. The carrier code you dial is the one that bills you.

WOM customers do not have a WOM carrier code. WOM users either route through one of the other three codes from their handset (paying that carrier's rate) or stay within WOM's bundled minute plans. "181" is Movistar's legacy contract code; "188" is the standard one most current customers see on their bills.

What Chilean Carriers Charge to Call the US

Depends on your SIM and which carrier code you dial. Entel postpaid is the headline number — $690 CLP/min, the highest of the four mobile operators. Claro postpaid is the cheapest at $120. Everything else lives in between.

Carrier | Standard Rate to US | Notes

Entel (postpaid) | $690 CLP/min (~$0.77) | $352/min prepaid. $52 setup per call.

Movistar (carrier 188) | $349 CLP/min (~$0.39) | $240-299/min on contract plans

Claro Chile (prepaid) | $289 CLP/min (~$0.32) | $120/min postpaid

VTR (fixed-line) | $320 CLP/min (~$0.36) | $489/mo fixed-line fee on top

A 20-minute call to your US bank on Entel postpaid costs $13,800 CLP (~$15.40 USD). On Movistar 188, $6,980 CLP (~$7.80). On Claro postpaid, $2,400 CLP (~$2.70). Cheaper carrier codes exist; the question is whether you can be bothered to dial 171 every time you want to talk to Chase.

Movistar's fixed-line plans bring per-minute cost down — $7,500 CLP a month buys 150 minutes, then $82/min over plan. Fine if you call the US every week. Most expats and travelers don't. The Chilean peso has drifted from about $750 CLP per dollar five years ago to today's $895. Slow drift, not freefall — which means CLP-denominated calling rates look slightly steeper each year, while a USD-denominated alternative gets steadier by comparison.

Do US Toll-Free Numbers Work from Chile?

Sometimes from a landline. Rarely from mobile. Never actually free.

This applies to every US toll-free prefix: 1-800, 1-888, 1-877, 1-866. Dial 123 0 1 800 xxx xxxx (or +1 800 xxx xxxx from mobile) and it's a coin flip whether the call connects. If it does, your carrier bills it at full international rates — Entel's $690/min, Movistar's $349/min, whichever code you used.

The fix: find the company's regular +1 (NXX) number. Banks, the IRS, the SSA, USCIS, Medicare — they all publish a direct non-toll-free line for international callers. Use those (see below).

WhatsApp Works in Chile. The IRS Doesn't Answer It.

WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and FaceTime all work in Chile on Wi-Fi or mobile data. For calling your cousin in Brooklyn or your project lead in Houston, those apps are free and they're fine.

Chile is unrestricted on mainstream messaging apps. SUBTEL's 2008 VoIP regulations explicitly carved out internet-to-internet calling as outside the regulator's scope. Expats in Santiago default to WhatsApp for personal calls and Zoom for work. That's the right call.

Here's where free apps stop working: WhatsApp only calls people who have WhatsApp. The IRS doesn't have a WhatsApp account. Neither does Chase. Neither does USCIS. Neither does Medicare. The lane they answer in is the +1 PSTN landline lane, and that lane costs money from a Chilean SIM.

Free apps work for | Free apps don't work for

Friends and family with smartphones | US government agencies

Group video calls | US banks and credit card fraud lines

Voice notes back and forth | US hospitals, schools, lawyers, accountants

Anyone who installed the app | Any number that isn't already on the app

Your Options for Calling the US from Chile

Four ways. Three of them have a catch.

Method | Cost | Setup | Best For

Chilean mobile (standard) | $289-690 CLP/min | None | Emergencies only

Carrier minute plan | $1,500-7,500 CLP/mo + per-min | Activate plan | Weekly callers

WhatsApp / Telegram | Free | App + smartphone on both ends | Personal calls, both parties on the app

WorldDialer (browser) | $0.04/min | None | Occasional callers, US institutions, US landlines

Carrier minute plans assume you'll call the US every week. You're in Las Condes, you need to sort out a Chase fraud alert, and then you won't dial a US number for three months. Paying $7,500 CLP a month for the months you don't call is the migration tax — convenient, lower per-minute, but you're still subsidising the months you stay quiet.

WorldDialer runs in a browser. No app. No subscription required. No VPN. Open the tab, add credit, make the call. $0.04 a minute to US landlines — about 18 CLP per minute at today's exchange rate, priced in dollars so the peso can keep drifting and the math stays the same.

US Phone Numbers You'll Actually Need

These are the non-toll-free US numbers that work from Chile. Bookmark them. The 1-800 versions will likely fail from your Chilean mobile.

Institution | Number | Hours (ET)

Chase Bank | +1 (713) 262-3300 | 24/7

Bank of America | +1 (315) 724-4022 | Mon-Fri 7 AM-10 PM, weekends 8 AM-5 PM

IRS International | +1 (267) 941-1000 | Mon-Fri 6 AM-11 PM

SSA International | +1 (410) 965-0160 | Mon-Fri 9 AM-4 PM

USCIS (outside US) | +1 (212) 620-3418 | Mon-Fri 8 AM-8 PM

Medicare (outside US) | +1 (410) 786-3000 | Mon-Fri 8 AM-7 PM

The IRS and SSA publish these on .gov sites — they're set up for calls from overseas. USCIS handles green-card, naturalization, and dual-citizenship cases from outside the US on +1 (212) 620-3418, which matters for Chilean-American dual citizens and Chilean nationals with US immigration cases in flight. Calling US banks from abroad covers the wider list.

One more for the Chilean-American audience: FBAR. If you're a US person with a Chilean bank account that crossed $10,000 in aggregate value at any point in the year, you have to file. Mining-sector compensation, a Banco de Chile balance after a property sale — that threshold is easier to hit than people expect. FBAR has its own set of phone lines.

A 15-minute call to Chase:

On Entel postpaid: $10,350 CLP (~$11.55)
On Movistar (188): $5,235 CLP (~$5.85)
On Claro postpaid: $1,800 CLP (~$2)
On WorldDialer: $0.60 (~270 CLP)

Same call. Same Chase. Different bill.

When to Call the US from Chile

Right now, Santiago is on the same clock as New York. From early April through early September, Chile sits at UTC-4 while US Eastern is on UTC-4 daylight time — a 9 AM call from Santiago lands at 9 AM in Manhattan. No conversion math required.

Chile observes daylight saving. The country shifts to CLST (UTC-3) in early September and back to CLT (UTC-4) in early April. The US switches the other way, so the gap changes across the year:

April-September (Chilean winter, US summer DST): Chile UTC-4 = US East Coast EDT → same time
November-March (Chilean summer, US winter EST): Chile UTC-3, US East Coast EST UTC-5 → Chile 2 hours ahead
Brief 1-hour offsets around the DST transitions in March and September

Practical conversion:

US East Coast 9 AM-5 PM = 9 AM-5 PM Santiago (Apr-Sep) / 11 AM-7 PM Santiago (Nov-Mar)
IRS opens at 6 AM ET = 6 AM Santiago (Apr-Sep) / 8 AM Santiago (Nov-Mar) — early but doable
US West Coast 9 AM-5 PM = 12 PM-8 PM Santiago (Apr-Sep) / 2 PM-10 PM Santiago (Nov-Mar)

If you're working a US East Coast partner's hours out of Santiago — mining HQ, finance, a US remote — half the year the calendars already line up. The Aysén and Magallanes regions stay on UTC-3 year-round, so the math there shifts by an hour from May through September.

Call US Numbers from Chile

You have the numbers. Here's the easiest way to dial them.

WorldDialer works from Chile (and everywhere else). $0.04/minute to US landlines. Browser-based, no VPN needed, no subscription required. The price is in dollars, so the peso can keep drifting and the math stays the same.

Next time you need to call home — Brooklyn, Boston, or your bank — we'll be here.

→ Try WorldDialer

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