calling the US
May 6th 2002, 8:20 am
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
calling the US
This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
May 6th 2002, 8:51 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: calling the US
In article <[email protected] >, [email protected] (Pat
Bentley) wrote:
> This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
> heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
> Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
> recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
> information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
> card while I'm over there!
You can buy phone cards anywhere but watch the fee structure. Some have connect
charges and other fees, or you have to call a local or national number which is
costly in the U.K.
Bentley) wrote:
> This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
> heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
> Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
> recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
> information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
> card while I'm over there!
You can buy phone cards anywhere but watch the fee structure. Some have connect
charges and other fees, or you have to call a local or national number which is
costly in the U.K.
May 6th 2002, 9:50 am
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: calling the US
In article <[email protected] >, pb714 @cox.net says...
> This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
> heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
> Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
> recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
> information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
> card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
>
I take it you're an American looking to call home? I don't see why it would be any
different from what I have to do to call the US: get the international dialling code
correct, then get the number correct.
--
Hywel Never knowingly understood WSWIP http://hyweljenkins.co.uk/ MicroFAQ
http://hyweljenkins.co.uk/mfaq.php
> This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
> heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
> Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
> recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
> information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
> card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
>
I take it you're an American looking to call home? I don't see why it would be any
different from what I have to do to call the US: get the international dialling code
correct, then get the number correct.
--
Hywel Never knowingly understood WSWIP http://hyweljenkins.co.uk/ MicroFAQ
http://hyweljenkins.co.uk/mfaq.php
May 6th 2002, 2:52 pm
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: calling the US
We did this last month on a trip to England. You don't have to go to a Post
Office, we bought a phone card from the first newspaper/book store we came to,
right in the airport. The instructions are fairly clear on the card. they give you
an 800 number to call from any phone, then you have to key in a code number that
is written on the phone card, then you key in the number that you want to call. In
fact, the card does not tell you what numbers to key in to call the USA; you have
to know that, or ask someone: it is 001 followed by the US area code and phone
number. Have a good trip. Jon
"Pat Bentley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
> heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
> Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
> recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
> information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
> card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
Office, we bought a phone card from the first newspaper/book store we came to,
right in the airport. The instructions are fairly clear on the card. they give you
an 800 number to call from any phone, then you have to key in a code number that
is written on the phone card, then you key in the number that you want to call. In
fact, the card does not tell you what numbers to key in to call the USA; you have
to know that, or ask someone: it is 001 followed by the US area code and phone
number. Have a good trip. Jon
"Pat Bentley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
> heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
> Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
> recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
> information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
> card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
May 6th 2002, 3:20 pm
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: calling the US
There are several options for economical calling back to the US from the UK.
1. If you are a Sam's Club member, you can buy AT&T prepaid cards for about $0.035
per domestic minute. Calls to/from other countries are charged at a multiple of
the domestic rate. Presently the multiplier for calls from the UK to the US is 4
(so the effective rate is $0.14 per minute). My experience with this card has
been very good. I have been told that Costco offers a similar deal from another
of the majors (perhaps MCI).
2. A company called IConnectHere has local access numbers in about 15 Western
European countries, including the UK. Cost is $0.159 per minute to call the US
from these countries. Charges are prepaid (you deposit $ into your account
using a credit card). My experiences with IConnectHere have been mostly
positive, with occasional glitches. You can browse on over to
www.iconnecthere.com to set up an account.
3. After arrival you can buy a phone card from newsstands or other shops. Many
different brands are available, varying wildly in cost and performance. On one
trip to the UK I bought a card that was cheap and worked great. On another trip I
bought a card that was a complete waste of money -- in several dozen attempts to
connect, all I could get was a busy signal. Watch for hidden charges, especially
payphone surcharges.
4. There are "callback" services that work by first briefly connecting to the US,
then initiating a call back (natch) to the country you're calling from. They
usually require a fairly hefty prepay, which you then draw down. I have not
personally used one of these.
DO NOT, under any circumstances, call from a hotel phone (except to reach a toll-free
access number) or use an ordinary post-pay card from one of the major carriers (ATT,
MCI, Sprint). You could face charges of $5 per minute or more. Even coin calls from a
payphone are cheaper than this.
Hope this helps.
On 6 May 2002 12:40:11 -0700, [email protected] (Pat Bentley) did write, or cause to
appear, hereinunder or as incorporated herein by reference:
>This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
>heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
>Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
>recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
>information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
>card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
TESTTESTTEST- Remove the obvious to reply.
1. If you are a Sam's Club member, you can buy AT&T prepaid cards for about $0.035
per domestic minute. Calls to/from other countries are charged at a multiple of
the domestic rate. Presently the multiplier for calls from the UK to the US is 4
(so the effective rate is $0.14 per minute). My experience with this card has
been very good. I have been told that Costco offers a similar deal from another
of the majors (perhaps MCI).
2. A company called IConnectHere has local access numbers in about 15 Western
European countries, including the UK. Cost is $0.159 per minute to call the US
from these countries. Charges are prepaid (you deposit $ into your account
using a credit card). My experiences with IConnectHere have been mostly
positive, with occasional glitches. You can browse on over to
www.iconnecthere.com to set up an account.
3. After arrival you can buy a phone card from newsstands or other shops. Many
different brands are available, varying wildly in cost and performance. On one
trip to the UK I bought a card that was cheap and worked great. On another trip I
bought a card that was a complete waste of money -- in several dozen attempts to
connect, all I could get was a busy signal. Watch for hidden charges, especially
payphone surcharges.
4. There are "callback" services that work by first briefly connecting to the US,
then initiating a call back (natch) to the country you're calling from. They
usually require a fairly hefty prepay, which you then draw down. I have not
personally used one of these.
DO NOT, under any circumstances, call from a hotel phone (except to reach a toll-free
access number) or use an ordinary post-pay card from one of the major carriers (ATT,
MCI, Sprint). You could face charges of $5 per minute or more. Even coin calls from a
payphone are cheaper than this.
Hope this helps.
On 6 May 2002 12:40:11 -0700, [email protected] (Pat Bentley) did write, or cause to
appear, hereinunder or as incorporated herein by reference:
>This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
>heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
>Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
>recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
>information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
>card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
TESTTESTTEST- Remove the obvious to reply.
May 6th 2002, 7:57 pm
#6
Just Joined
Joined: May 2002
Location: Winchester, UK
Posts: 3
Re: calling the US
I use these cards every day to call the US and have found the Post Office ones to be by far the easiest and most cost effective (they are also very easy to find in every city/town). UK to USA rates are a fixed 5p per minute (approx $US 7 cents per min). They are available in £5, 10, 15 and 20 values). They are simple to use, you just dial a toll-free number, enter your supplied PIN code and then follow the simple instructions to dial your US number.
There are (and I have tried) a vast number of other cards on sale, usually offering slightly lower calling costs however, there is usually a connection charge which gets applied even if you get say, an answerphone, and are, as a result more expensive in the long term.
The only better value card I have tried is called "Talkmore" - (especially the £20 one as they give you an additional £5 free with this one) - However, these are much harder to find as they are only available from certain newsagents shops.
You can buy cards in the US (such as Sprint, AT&T etc) that will work fine in the UK however, your call charges will be higher. Generally, it's always cheaper to buy your calling card in the country that you will be calling FROM.
Hope this helps?
There are (and I have tried) a vast number of other cards on sale, usually offering slightly lower calling costs however, there is usually a connection charge which gets applied even if you get say, an answerphone, and are, as a result more expensive in the long term.
The only better value card I have tried is called "Talkmore" - (especially the £20 one as they give you an additional £5 free with this one) - However, these are much harder to find as they are only available from certain newsagents shops.
You can buy cards in the US (such as Sprint, AT&T etc) that will work fine in the UK however, your call charges will be higher. Generally, it's always cheaper to buy your calling card in the country that you will be calling FROM.
Hope this helps?
May 24th 2002, 7:21 am
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: calling the US
May want to try CogniCall International calling card for better rates. It is not a
prepaid card - bills you only for what you use (to your credit card) NO monthly fees
or fee to get the calling card (delivered via email). Keeps you from running short of
prepaid or having too much left over. Rate from UK to US - 17.4 cents per minute
http://cognigen.net/cognicall/?savemoneynow
[email protected] (Pat Bentley) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]. com>...
> This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
> heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
> Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
> recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
> information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
> card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
prepaid card - bills you only for what you use (to your credit card) NO monthly fees
or fee to get the calling card (delivered via email). Keeps you from running short of
prepaid or having too much left over. Rate from UK to US - 17.4 cents per minute
http://cognigen.net/cognicall/?savemoneynow
[email protected] (Pat Bentley) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]. com>...
> This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and I
> heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post Offices -
> Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to call the US? I
> recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave me wrong
> information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase a calling
> card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
May 24th 2002, 10:21 am
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: calling the US
IDT charges about 9 or 10 cents, I believe
Dave wrote:
>
> May want to try CogniCall International calling card for better rates. It is not
> a prepaid card - bills you only for what you use (to your credit card) NO monthly
> fees or fee to get the calling card (delivered via email). Keeps you from running
> short of prepaid or having too much left over. Rate from UK to US - 17.4 cents
> per minute
Dave wrote:
>
> May want to try CogniCall International calling card for better rates. It is not
> a prepaid card - bills you only for what you use (to your credit card) NO monthly
> fees or fee to get the calling card (delivered via email). Keeps you from running
> short of prepaid or having too much left over. Rate from UK to US - 17.4 cents
> per minute
May 29th 2002, 7:20 am
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: calling the US
GlobalTel Direct Dial cards are cheaper (UK-US: 0.155 US$/min)
http://64.33.98.33/GlobalTel
Regards Gintas
Dave <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> May want to try CogniCall International calling card for better rates. It is not
> a prepaid card - bills you only for what you use (to your credit card) NO monthly
> fees or fee to get the calling card (delivered via email). Keeps you from running
> short of prepaid or having too much left over. Rate from UK to US - 17.4 cents
> per minute
>
> http://cognigen.net/cognicall/?savemoneynow
>
>
>
> [email protected] (Pat Bentley) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]. com>...
> > This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and
> > I heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post
> > Offices - Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to
> > call the US? I recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave
> > me wrong information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase
> > a calling card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
http://64.33.98.33/GlobalTel
Regards Gintas
Dave <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> May want to try CogniCall International calling card for better rates. It is not
> a prepaid card - bills you only for what you use (to your credit card) NO monthly
> fees or fee to get the calling card (delivered via email). Keeps you from running
> short of prepaid or having too much left over. Rate from UK to US - 17.4 cents
> per minute
>
> http://cognigen.net/cognicall/?savemoneynow
>
>
>
> [email protected] (Pat Bentley) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]. com>...
> > This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May and
> > I heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post
> > Offices - Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to
> > call the US? I recently changed phone companies and my new service provider gave
> > me wrong information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to purchase
> > a calling card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
May 29th 2002, 10:21 am
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: calling the US
Gintas S. wrote:
>
> GlobalTel Direct Dial cards are cheaper (UK-US: 0.155 US$/min)
> http://64.33.98.33/GlobalTel
A couple of days ago I had a phone call from Spain. That fellow's phone card costs
about 7.5 cents per minute to the USA. No minimums, etc. One-half-cent per minute for
domestic Spanish calls. I don't know the card's brand.
>
> GlobalTel Direct Dial cards are cheaper (UK-US: 0.155 US$/min)
> http://64.33.98.33/GlobalTel
A couple of days ago I had a phone call from Spain. That fellow's phone card costs
about 7.5 cents per minute to the USA. No minimums, etc. One-half-cent per minute for
domestic Spanish calls. I don't know the card's brand.
May 29th 2002, 6:20 pm
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: calling the US
IDT GLobal Call is .1 USD per minute. At least that is what the airline mag says.
"Gintas S." wrote:
>
> GlobalTel Direct Dial cards are cheaper (UK-US: 0.155 US$/min)
> http://64.33.98.33/GlobalTel
>
> Regards Gintas
>
> Dave <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > May want to try CogniCall International calling card for better rates. It is not
> > a prepaid card - bills you only for what you use (to your credit card) NO monthly
> > fees or fee to get the calling card (delivered via email). Keeps you from running
> > short of prepaid or having too much left over. Rate from UK to US - 17.4 cents
> > per minute
> >
> > http://cognigen.net/cognicall/?savemoneynow
> >
> >
> >
> > [email protected] (Pat Bentley) wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]. com>...
> > > This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May
> > > and I heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post
> > > Offices - Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to
> > > call the US? I recently changed phone companies and my new service provider
> > > gave me wrong information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to
> > > purchase a calling card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
"Gintas S." wrote:
>
> GlobalTel Direct Dial cards are cheaper (UK-US: 0.155 US$/min)
> http://64.33.98.33/GlobalTel
>
> Regards Gintas
>
> Dave <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > May want to try CogniCall International calling card for better rates. It is not
> > a prepaid card - bills you only for what you use (to your credit card) NO monthly
> > fees or fee to get the calling card (delivered via email). Keeps you from running
> > short of prepaid or having too much left over. Rate from UK to US - 17.4 cents
> > per minute
> >
> > http://cognigen.net/cognicall/?savemoneynow
> >
> >
> >
> > [email protected] (Pat Bentley) wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]. com>...
> > > This is probably a dumb question, but I will be in England at the end of May
> > > and I heard that one could purchase an international calling card from the Post
> > > Offices - Is this accurate information? Will the directions be on the card to
> > > call the US? I recently changed phone companies and my new service provider
> > > gave me wrong information to call home so I think it best to play it safe to
> > > purchase a calling card while I'm over there! Thanks -Pat Bentley [email protected]
