HELP...Calling Card Question using Pay Phones?

[violet13]

We are staying at the Tropical Palm Fun Suites and there is NO phone in our Suites, we have to use the pay phone, I want to buy a Pre-paid Calling card, but I heard when you use these at Pay Phones, there is extra charges.....can anybody explain this to me? What is the BEST cards to get for using a Pay Phone, this is my only option. Thanks.

 

[DMRick]

If you have a Sams membership..the att card from them is the best..it's only 3.4 cents a minute (of course you have to buy a lot of minutes form SAM's, but they don't expire. They charge a few minutes for the phone call..not much at all. Your At &T cards are rechargeable too, by making a simple phone call.

 

[Muushka]

About one of the best phone cards out there is the ones from Sams Club.

They are 3.46 cents per minute. When you use a pay phone, it uses about 6 additional minutes. So it adds about a quarter to the price of a call. You can order them over the internet and avoid sales tax. And when they run out of time, you can 'recharge' them over the phone, again avoiding sales tax. Before I got my cell phone with free long distance, I used the Sams card for all my long distance (even from home).

 

[Muushka]

Too funny DMRick. At least we agree!

 

[violet13]

We only plan on talking approx 2 minutes per call, just to let family know we made it, and to check out answering machine every night, I heard some of these cards will automatically deduct 5 whole minutes of time even if you only talk one minute, and with the added charge of the Pay phone each time, I'd really be in trouble!!! The card might be dead after 3 days and 10 minutes!! What is the AT& T card like, only charge you for what you accually talk? I wish I could RENT a cell phone for a week...is that possible?

 

[DMRick]

With the Sams AT & T, a 2 minute call would cost you ~.28..and if you talk for 10 minutes it will cost you .55..can't get much cheaper than that. Most cell phones would run lots more, unless you are paying for included minutes already (about $35 a month). You certainly wouldn't save by renting one and paying the rent and per minute charges, for the few calls you plan on making.
If you get a Sams 100 minute card, you can make 50, 2 min calls, or 10, 10 minute calls (give or take. They do charge for whole minutes last I looked. Of course if your home is overseas, they do charge you more minutes per call.

 

[C.Ann]

Okay - take a DEEP breath and calm down!

We stayed at the Tropical Palms too this past September.. My husband is quite ill and therefore it was imperative that I call home every night. I bought a pre-paid calling card at the Walmart right there down the road.. I think I got 120 minutes - used it for 12 days - and still had some time left on it when I came home.. It was WAAAAY cheaper than charging the calls back to my home - or using a cell phone - and it's very easy to use.. So easy in fact that I have purchased another one for home and have had my long distance charges disconnected.. No sense in paying a monthly fee for the LD service when I rarely ever make a long distance call.. And just so you know - there are telephones both outside of the office and inside - with chairs so that you can sit down while you're talking..

TP is a GREAT place! Sure hope you like it as much as we did.. Better re-phrase that - LOVE it as much as we did!!!

Oh - forgot to mention - I was calling all the way back to upstate New York!

Have a swell trip!