View Full Version : Phone Card - Buy One if you want to make any Calls
Where ever you are staying, hotel or villa don't forget to buy a phone card. If you phone anywhere other than a local call, without using a phone card, your credit card will be stung very badly! Calls outside the USA are particularly expensive and will cause a severe strain on your card. It is also very difficult to determine what is and isn't a local call. So USE YOUR PHONE CARD every time you use the phone.
Phone cards are available from gas stations and most food retail outlets, as well as pharmacies. Available in multiples of US$5, starting at US$5.
Edited by - Margot on 18/02/2002 07:34:12
markemma
18-02-2002, 13:23
I have been buying phone cards for many years now, they are great because you can phone anywhere from anywhere, most hotels now have sussed this out now and charge a small amount to use from their hotel rooms, but its not alot, its great you can go to any payphone and call.
The best buy is (if you are a member) at Costco, they start about $20 upwards and you get loads of time to talk. You can also get them in walmart, k-mart, normally at the tills when you pay.
Emma
steph_goodrum
18-02-2002, 14:23
When you buy the phone cards and use up your units, don't destroy them, check if they are re-usable, our is (AT & T bought at Walmart) you can either phone a no. and top them up using your credit or debit cards or go supermarket and pay for more units at the till.
steph
I normally stock up with phone cards when they are buy one get one free. I normally like to retrieve my answer phone messages and there are only two phone cards that allow me to do that, Walmart and Walgreens.
imported_n/a
20-02-2002, 00:23
We joined One-Tel where you stay as you are with BT but if you want to make a phonecall and put it through the One-Tel costings you simply dial 1877. Charges from UK to USA are 3p per minute which can be very useful and far cheaper than BT. The only commitment you make is that you pay for the calls you make by DD every month.
They also give you a Home and Away card and you can dial a code from most phoneboxes or house phones in the US (many more countries too) and they charge you about 42p per minute from US to UK. We use this to ring home and family call us straight as back at the house for only 3p per minute - the whole family have joined. You can have an hour for £1.80! to hear how horrible the weather in the UK.
Only mistake I made was getting work an account and giving them the house number!!
You can join through the Internet - just type in One-Tel and you should get it. It's only 4p to Ireland too!!
orlandobabe
20-02-2002, 22:25
Atlantic-now Breathe do a similar thing to One-Tel for 2p a minute.
I used to use one-tel but this is better.
They put £20 on your credit card-you dial the code number and it says
'welcome to breathe-you have ...........so much credit remaining and then they give you the amount you have left.'
I think it is brilliant. You can dial anywhere in Uk and US at any time of day-peak rate-whatever for 2p a min.
If I get a villa enquiry on my answerphone-I just ring them straight back-at that price-you don't worry!
It really keeps the phone bill down too.
When you go under your £5 -they just top it up again-so you don't have to do anything!
You can ring guests, man co, banks etc at a fraction of BT charges.
Orlandobabe
orlandobabe
20-02-2002, 22:29
I really hope any guests to this site take note of what we are saying re-phones and phone cards.
A guest stayed in my house and used his credit card and somehow it rang up a bill on the phone. He was charged at $5 a minute. We are still trying to sort it out-but that wouldn't have happened if he had just used a phone card. At least you can keep track of it!
Isn't it a lovely day--------in Orlando!
Orlandobabe
orlandobabe
20-02-2002, 22:35
While we are still on the subject of phone cards-The Omni Rosen have a dispensing machine with phone cards in. I have bought two and on each occasion when I rang a friend with 2 or 3 minutes remaining on it-we kept on talking without being cut off for about half an hour!
Coincidence or what?
As soon as I tried again to use the card -I was told it was all used up!
I shall certainly buy another-but have never seen any buy one get one free cards!
Another little tip a man co told me. If you buy a card and I've forgotten the name-but it is 'something Farms' and our nearest is straight through the arch into Kissimmee old town-and carry on till you see this garage-they have cards that let you talk for about an hour at a time and you get about 6 of these calls on it-so they are no good for short calls.
Can anyone help with my poor memory here? Has anyone else heard about it-I will try to get some more info If I can!
Orlandobabe
imported_n/a
21-02-2002, 18:34
How can you contact Atlantic-now Breathe - are they on-line?
One big advantage Atlantic (Breathe) has over One-Tel is you can just dial from any phone - we've stood in the middle of London and phoned USA from a public phone - and at 2p per minute! I think One-Tel only let you nominate up 2 or 3 specific telephones to call from.
ian
imported_n/a
22-02-2002, 03:45
Ian this sounds great how can I contact them?
imported_n/a
22-02-2002, 03:45
Ian this sounds great how can I contact them?
Hi Janesansom,
I'll look out their details over the weekend and let you know. We have an auto-top up with them - they just charge our card when our balance drops below an agreed figure. We've been with them for about 4 years and had no trouble whatsoever with their service.
ian
''Breathe'' the cheap phone providers can be contacted on 0845 458 0000.
If this does not get you through to them try 0808 188 5005.
Its a testament to their service that I can't find any up-to-date contact for them (either that or my pathetic filing system!). They are a part of Affinity Wireless.
Let me know please.
ian
orlandobabe
23-02-2002, 22:16
If Ian's number doesn't work-I may have another one.
BTW-the Sprint Bill arrived today-and it's still not sorted out. They still have charged us $75 over the odds.
I hat hassle!
And the insurance is in-$715.
I topped it up end of last year with fire and theft-I thought that was for the yearly amount-so I'm back on the phone about that one on Monday as well!
Double hassle!
Orlandobabe
davefloridavilla
24-02-2002, 01:50
One thing about phone cards, we have a special line in our villa that offers guest services etc for local resturant deliveries etc, its the kind of line often used for short term rentals that allows the guest to log their credit card.
Can anyone tell me if the phone cards work on these, because I thought I read somewhere that they wouldn't.
Yes, the phone cards do work on these rental phones. I advise all my guests to use them as I have been caught out myself with a high credit card bill before. I have been told that the management company takes a share of the profits on the credit card calls. If that is true I am not very pleased as they routinely put in these phones, and we were certainly not advised that they made money for themselves by doing so!.
Ruth
www.golfvillasflorida.com
davefloridavilla
24-02-2002, 14:46
One thing my management company told me only at the end of my last stay in my own villa was that the owners have a pincode to enter which will open the phone up for use at normal phone rates and the charges will appear on the next statement like a normal phone.
The credit card facility is just for guests.
So I will be using that next time.
only 12 months late but better than never!!
semerton
25-02-2002, 02:16
Its very improtant to have a phone card I have been told by others that thier guests have had bills up to $1000 my managment company gives the guest a $5 phone card ready for them to phone home and we also have a notice at the side of the phone to worn them