How to End a Phone Call

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It is really hard for me to end phone calls sometimes. I always feels like I have to have an excuse to end a call and I can never think of any. Sometimes, I just have nothing left to say, and I'd rather just end the call then to stay on the phone with a girl in silence until she decides to end the call 'cause I'm not talking. I'd like to be able to end a call without giving her the impression that I don't want to talk to her or that I have nothing to say to her. If I actually have something of significance planned, it is easy, because I can just say, "I have to go do X, so I'll talk to you later!", but if I don't actually have a good reason for ending the call, what should I do?

You could use a standard line like "it's getting late" or simply "I gotta go"

Like Xyzyyx said, you don't have to say why you have to end the conversation. Just wait for a pause between sentences. say that you're ending the conversation. If you want to soften the blow, you can tell the person you're talking to that you enjoyed the conversation or reference a time you will talk to them in the future.

"Hey, it was great to hear from you, but I've gotta run. I'll call you on Thursday, okay?"
or just
"Hey, I've gotta go."

If you don't feel comfortable with that, it's also okay to use a white lie, these are generally socially acceptable. "I've really got to catch up on my studying." "I'm running low on minutes." Just make it plausible and mix it up. People do this all the time. I really prefer the direct method myself though.

It's okay to give a girl the impression that you don't want to continue talking with her right now. I mean, you wouldn't want a phone call that literally never ends - that goes on 24/7. Neither does she. So the call has to end sometime, and bringing attention to that fact isn't necessarily bad. Also, if you are never ending the phone calls, she might think it's an unfair burden upon her that she always has to end the calls.

Oh, and a footnote: If these conversations are with a girl you're interested in or dating, I really recommend keeping the phone calls short. Use the phone to schedule a time to meet up and cut the call short - have your conversations in person. Meeting face to face and talking will be a lot better than talking over the phone or on IM.

I like "it's getting late"! That would work well at night. I don't like "I gotta go", because she might ask me later what I was doing and then I'll be stuck in a quandary.

To be frank, most people wouldn't care exactly why you had to hang up or what you were doing afterward. I doubt she would ask such a question.

I disagree. A lot of people ask "what'd you do last night?" and similar questions.

From what I've learned over the years is that when you want to get off the phone with somebody simply tell them why. If you find yourself in a situation which calls for a swift end to a conversation because more pressing matters are at hand then you've already learned what you need to use as an "excuse" for getting off. As such, if you get tired speaking to someone, simply tell them that they are. That's the way I do it in any case.

If I have to end a phone call I will say..."I have nothing more to say now, so I will talk to you another time then".
I suppose this wouldn't work to well if you were trying to get a girlfriend/boyfriend, though.

Bad phrase to use I think. It wouldn't go down well with most people. Try something else. "I have to go" is simple enough.

I have similar endings to conversations but have started using the white lie approach - my tea's ready, someone's at the door, need to feed the cats, etc - not true but can be brushed aside easily if questioned.

These seem to work ok with most!

Hahahaha, Im sure most people would be like "oh ok" and then never call you again.
It sounds like something Howard Roark would say

My favourite is that I have to get some things ready for work.
It sounds like I am really caring for my work and people don't inquire further.

I like the white lie method, but I guess I'm going to have to figure out some that would fit me well since I don't have any cats, I don't have any tea in my house, and if someone was at my front door, you'd hear the doorbell/knocking through the phone.

Here are some I might use in the future.
"I told my dad/mom/brother/sister I'd call him/her".
"My laundry is done" or "I need to go do some laundry"
"Dinner is done."

Sometimes they may even be true or close enough to being true that it isn't even a lie.

I do have to tell people on occasion that "I have errands to do" if I get invited somewhere and I'm close to sensory overload and just want to go home and be alone.

I have this problem with the phone, I don't really like talking via telephone, and when I do I don't want to for long. I tend to call before the time when I will be having a meal, and end the call with "Well, I'm going to go, I need to start getting my supper ready." or something like that...

Language diffenerence!! Tea = Dinner in much of England, don't really think a hot beverage is much of an excuse

Those are all good enough I think, even using the bathroom can be used at times - depends on who you're talking to though!

More often than not, I wind up waiting for the other person to say that they need to go.

Otherwise I really struggle with giving a reason, unless I actually have something that is requiring me to get off of the phone.