Cheapest way to make long distance calls?

[sawlacey]

Would like to know the cheapest way to make calls home (Wisconsin) from the resorts? Am staying at Allstars. Want to avoid all the extra costs involved - resort charges, surcharges, etc.
Is just using a prepaid calling card the best & easiest way? Will there be surcharges using a calling card?
Any help is much appreciated! :D

[eccflash]

even with a calling card the hotel gets 75 cents per call

[loreyb]

When we go on vacation we take pre-paid calling cards, we even use them at home some times to keep in touch with DD in PA:bounce: Sorry didn't know about the surcharge!!!

[Lewisc]

You can get a prepaid card from COSTCO or SAMS CLUB for under 5 c/ minute. I think the cost for a toll free call from the room is 75c or you can use a payphone and have about 35c of extra minutes deducted from your card.

[sawlacey]

Ok - so it looks like calling cards must be the best way to go & that there is no way of completely getting around the surcharges. This may sound dumb but are there any charges for receiving calls at your resort room?:rolleyes: Thanks everyone for your quick answers!:D

[Tiggerkeeper]

We are going with the phone card. I got one at Sam's -500 minutes for $20.98 can't beat that!! We'll just make calls from a pay phone. I am carrying the cell phone for emergencies while driving cause I hate to use it otherwise.

Melissa

[chris1gill]

I've been using an online PrePaid service at www.onesuite.com - the service is great and it is 2.9 cents per minute - which is the lowest I've come across... there are no fees other than a payphone fee of 55 or 75 cents... So if you're using a payphone it may or may not be the best deal.... A resort phone doesn't fall under that classification though... I don't think!

[GrumpyOne]

Don't forget that many calling cards have an access charge associated with usage and some add on a pay phone charge as well. So if you buy a card for 100 minutes, you may not get 100 one minute calls. Make sure you know what yours does and doesn't charge for.

[MinnieMe2]

I purchased a pre-paid calling card for our trip last Feb. so I wouldn't have to listen to DH yappin' at me about "running up the phone bill" the whole time I was on the phone with the boys, who we left at home, 'in charge'. I used a pay phone a couple of times while we were at the World, and it worked out great. I'm not sure about surcharges, but frankly I was only concerned with a couple of things: talking with my boys and shutting my DH up. The pre-paid card did that for me, and I'll still have plenty of time on it for our upcoming trip in July!! I think it was $10 well spent.

[lolatuck]

We use Sprint PCS and they have free nation-wide long distance. As long as you are calling within their network. Orlando is definately in their network and so are most areas with larger cities. I live in a small town, and we are still on their network. I asked the guy who sold us the phone about using the phone while we're in WDW and he said it would not use up any more time than if we were calling from home. I have also used my cell phone to call all those long distance numbers to book our hotel, make PS's etc.

[sherry7]

Here's coming from the dreaded phone company (I have the displeasure of working for one):

Any calling card call made from a payphone is going to have a surcharge. That's the way the company who owns the phone gets compensated when you are using someone elses calling card.

Calls from hotels vary. It depends on the hotel on whether or not they charge you a surcharge to make a call, whether it be local, toll, calling card, etc. The norm is around .75 per call.

Do NOT use a calling card from your "friendly local phone company." For example, say you're calling from Florida (Verizon territory) to Pennsylvania (also Verizon territory). Even though Verizon serves both areas, per current federal regulation, they are not allowed to connect the call using Verizon equipment, lines, etc. The call will go through whatever long distance company serves the hotel, usually AT&T, Sprint, or WorldCom. These calling cards calls are usually very high in price. I have seen as high as $9 for a one minute call. That's an exception, but the per minute and surcharges are still very high.

Your best bet (unless you have a cell phone with nationwide calling included) is to buy an AT&T pre-paid calling card from Sam's Club. These are cheaper and a better deal calling wise than the comparable card from Wal Mart. I don't have a Sam's membership, but had a co-worker pick up one for me. Don't throw the card away, they can be recharged with a credit card for 3.7 cents per minute. There are no surcharges on this particular card, except for the payphone fee. Plus, as I mentioned before, Disney may charge you a small charge. If you can't get ahold of a Sam's Club AT&T calling card, try picking up another pre paid one, but keep in mind that sometimes the surcharges are really high. Still, it's usually better than the alternative.

Hope this info helps someone out there.

[madison66]

Here are some tips to avoid problems I have seen others face:

1) On calling cards provided by your telephone company:

They are merely a promise to pay with your local telephone bill at a later date. They generally do not provide 'a rate' for a call. So be advised you could be billed the highest rate known to mankind. (I say this jokingly)

On calling cards provided by your long distance company:

Same thing about the rate being anything under the sun. It will be billed to your long distance bill later on.

Please do not think that the direct dial rates you have from your home telephone will apply to your calling card. Get a discount calling card plan before you leave on your trip.

Some LD carriers will allow you a discount calling plan on a calling card. (check into this and arrange before you leave home). You may have a discount on the calling card, when calling back to the main line residential number only. I would recommend you get the discount calling card plan in writing before you leave. Calls placed to other phone numbers like work, etc...might not apply if you have a program to call home. Hotels may still tack on a surcharge on top of this, so you may consider calling from a pay phone.

2) On calling from a payphone anywhere in Florida (Theme park, hotel, gas station, grocery store, etc):

Payphone rates in Florida were deregulated, therefore a payphone provider only has to offer access to the operator, long distance and local calls, but NOT at ANY particular rate. Again, you could be charged the highest rate known to mankind. Well, whomever accepts the call will be billed this rate or gets the call billed to the account. Additionally, you will be billed by the provider of the payphone LD service and probably an operator service provider, with a surcharge also. So by the time the accountholder gets the bill, the total charge will include a operator surcharge and per minute rates that are time of day and mileage sensitive. There should be a placard on the payphone with a number to call to get the rate information before you call. Who actually does this though? Most people just make the call.

Collect call - beware...when calling interstate, from one state to another, payphone rates in Florida were deregulated, therefore a payphone provider only has to offer access to the operator, long distance and local calls, but not at any particular rate. Again, you could be charged the highest rate known to mankind. Well, whomever accepts the call will be billed this rate. Additionally, you will be billed by the provider of the payphone LD service and probably an operator service provider, with a surcharge also. So by the time the accountholder gets the bill, the total charge will include a operator surcharge and per minute rates that are time of day and mileage sensitive. There should be a placard on the payphone with a number to call to get the rate information before you call. Who actually does this though? Most people just make the collect call.

Station to Station or Person to Person calls -- beware, these are considered operator assisted calls and include operator assisted surcharges and per minute rates that are time of day and mileage sensitive. There should be a placard on the payphone with a number to call to get the rate information before you call.

Call with your calling card - make sure you have prearranged with your calling card company for some sort of discount calling plan and follow the instructions to place the call. Again, a per call surcharge may also be included or higher rate for the first minute and so on....

Call to international destination - this one seems to be a free for all. International calls fall under the jurisdiction of the FCC. Make sure that you get the rate before you place the call if you are billing this to a bill later on (otherwise put coinage in the phone).

3) On calls with a pre-paid calling card:

If you purchase before you get to Florida, be aware that the rates on the card and possibly a per call surcharge, may be different when you get to Florida from the state you purchased the card. More minutes may be subtracted from where you purchase the card. This is not always the case in a card that is sold nationwide.

Keep the packaging that the card comes with. I can't stress this one enough. This has rate information, per call surcharge information and contact information should you have a problem with the card.

If you purchase the card in Florida and don't use all the minutes on the trip, know that the rate information may not apply to the state that you take the card back to, the rates may only be applicable in Florida. Again, keep the packaging.

Purchase from a reputable dealer.

It is possible that the first time the pre-paid calling card is activated, there is an activation fee that automatically subtracts minutes from the card. This will reduce the balance on the card.

Another point to look out for is let's say you don't use up all the minutes on the card and save the unused portion for a future trip. You pull the card out several months later thinking you had 20 minutes left or whatever...it's possible that a non-usage weekly/monthly fee is also subtracted, therefore, you might THINK you have a card with 20 minutes, but it might be sitting with a zero balance also. Another reason to keep/read the packaging.

4) On calling from the hotel phone:

Make sure you have instructions and the rate structure to use the phone in your hotel room, whether you stay on a Disney site or not. Get one from the front desk if there is not information in writing in the room.

You should know how much the call will cost before you place the call when using the hotel phones.

Keep in mind, they should offer long distance, 800 and local telephone access, but again, there is no rate cap on this sort of thing.

Per call surcharges are usually billed in hotels/motels.

These are general tips that anyone using telephone service can utilize to protect themselves.

I know this is a lot of information to digest, but I hope that it offers some advice and things to be prepared for in a future trip!

Madison :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

I found a cheap local long distance company (6 cents a minute and no fees etc.) AND have the Sam's Club card (less than 4 cents a minute) and have dropped my long distance carrier. I not only get the cheaper rate but avoid all those added taxes (about $6 a month). I used my Sam's Club card at DW in April and used the option to make more calls on one DW call to keep the 75 cent charges to a minimum. You make one call and let them hang up and then you can dial another number without DW getting another fee. I made as many as 5 calls at a time this way. I might save a few cents calling from a pay phone but after a long hard day in the parks I enjoy the luxury of calling while laying on the bed with a big mug of iced tea. Hope I made this understandable and it h elps someone. I have got to file my trip report this weekend before someone out there comes and bops me on the head. I enjoy reading everyone else's and should do my share. (grin)

Linda

[sawlacey]

Matris2 - thats a great idea about making more than one call at a time to save on that 75 cent resort fee! I will surely take advantage of that!:p

[SlightlyGoofy]

You are very welcome and I am glad that I could contribute something useful.

Linda

[Mic]

I am not real thrifty or knowledgeable about phone charges, but I lucked out on my trip last year. When I bought my van, I was enrolled in some sort of travel club that sent me a free 30-minute pre-paid calling card. I carried this thing around for 18 months, but dug it out to call home one day from a payphone in Downtown Disney to save on the resort surcharge. The operator immediately said "22 minutes left on your card" so there must have been an 8-minute surcharge of some type. I did not worry, since it was a free card. While at Epcot the next day, I wanted to call home from that giant phone at the exit of Spaceship Earth, but knew from experience how expensive it was(we billed a call to my sister to our home phone...Whew...1 call, $9!!!) so I whipped out that card again. At the end of the call, I was told how many minutes remained on my card,and I don't think there was a surcharge! I know I talked for @ 5 minutes, and that was all that was deducted.

[punky'smom]

I carried both our cell phones with us and they were great. We also left our 17 and 21 year olds at home. So I had to keep in touch with them. No roaming charges with Voicestream.

[pixie dust gal!]

The nice thing about the phone cards at Sam's Club is that you can buy one card with the whole 500 minutes on it or buy5 - 100 minute cards in one pkg. - that way others can have their own!

[mikimaus]

I take my cell phone. I save my minutes that month so I can use it while at WDW.

[margaretCT]

Please let me know if I have my thinking straight on phone calling.

I have Sam's Club ATT Calling card at 4.16 cents per minute and I have a cell phone. I can avoid 75 cent hotel charge if I call home with both these. Since I am calling an 800 number to access calling card, there should be no cell phone long distance or roaming charges, right?

Another member of my group also has a cell phone (both from Connecticut). If I call her while we are both in DW, would that be a long distance call since both phones are from out of state? And if it is long distance, I assume I could use a calling card?

My Nokia 5140 (?) is set up so I can program in calling card number so I wouldn't need to remember that number and I think I can program in the ATT 800 number.

Wasn't life simpler when it was just Ma Bell? (But not as much fun!).

Margaret in CT

[Lewisc]

Check your service plan, unless you have a national plan you'll have to pay roaming charges (the cell your phone connects to will be outside your calling area). Some plans (but not in the NY area) allow you to change to a different plan for a month.

[sherry7]

Margaret, I agree with LewisC. Check your cellular calling plan. Even if you're dialing an 800 number, the cellular company usually charges you for your airtime and/or roaming charges. You will probably be better off just using the Sam's Club calling card by itself. BTW, I agree with you, life was simpler when it was just Ma Bell (I work for Verizon Communications). :D But back in those days (pre 1984) only rich people could afford cell phones, and I'm not even sure if calling cards existed. I guess people had to carry a lot of change. ;)

[margaretCT]

Sherry and Lewis,

I checked with my carrier and I will have to pay roaming charges. Interestingly, last June my daughter was in LA and used her cell to call home and there were no roaming charges. Maybe it was an oversight?

Thanks for the info.

Margaret

[Lewisc]

It depends on which plan and carrier you have. Many (most) of the Sprint PCS plans are national (no roaming charges if you're in an area where Sprint has service). Voicestream offers a national plan (for the areas they have service) the price is reasonable but you get fewer minutes than the regional plans. ATT and Verizon has national plans but they are bit more expensive.
People who travel alot get one of the national plans.

[faith]

I love the At&T prepaid cards from Sams! I always travel with them, and even with the small surcharge from a payphone it's a bargain.
Avoid those cards sold at gas stations. My Mother bought one, and the surcharges were outrageous.

[mickey7861]

We always use calling cards to call home. Call from the hotel lobby to avoid the .75 charge if you're really frugal. This April just the kids and I went and DH stayed home (to work for more WDW) so once I called him and gave our room number he called us from then on ....no surcharge that way.

[jgates]

Sam's Clubs cards are fantastic. We are giving a ton as grad gifts to the college bound kids.

Our cell plan I pay a really cheap monthly fee and then per minute for each minute used. It ends up being a ton less than if I bought a packaged plan with XX minutes. (US Cellular business plan through work). However, it is .49 per minute for me if I were in Florida. I will still probably carry the phone so we can be reached in emergency or if I need to call out and don't want to hunt down a phone for a quick call. But no other tower or roaming charges.

[SlightlyGoofy]

My DH says that I am the cheapest woman alive but believe me when I return from the parks at the end of the day I will spend that 75 cents rather than save about 40 cents to call from the lobby. I am ready for a nice horizonal rest with a cold drink in a a/c room. I do keep track of how many calls I make so I don't get overcharged and make more than one call at a time with my Sam's card to avoid extra charges. I even use my Sam's card at home. Can't get cheaper service and I don't have to pay all those extra charges and taxes!!

Slightly Goofy (Linda)