Leaving for Ireland Sunday... anybody know a good way to pay for calls home?

[perdidobay]

I can't decide what to do. Is using my MCI calling card or buying a prepaid card from Sam's the better way to go.... any imput I would truely appreciate

 

[Mamu]

International calling cards are the cheepest and best way to call home.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Assuming, of course, that you can find a payphone that will let you use your card.

 

[perdidobay]

Is it finding a payphone in Ireland that's hard, or one that takes a calling card the hard part?
Thanks for the advice!

 

[BedKnobbery2]

Make SURE any calling card you purchase in the states can be used Internationally. It may also be cheaper to purchase a calling card there; I know it was cheaper to do that when I was in Europe, but that was in 2001, things may have changed since then.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Well, I don't know about availabilty of phones in Ireland but I would reccommend buying a prepaid AT&T phone card. On the card it has a number you dial to reach an AT&T operator who then can connect you to the number you wish to dial or something close to this. All I know for sure is that my Dh said to send him AT&T phone cards when Iraq b/c those were the only ones that worked.

Have a wonderful trip!
Tina

 

[perdidobay]

Thanks for the advice....
I am debating buying here vs there becuse the rate is now- 1 euro = $1.22 us dollar

 

[4greatboys]

Just wanted to say have a great time! And takes lots of pictures for us.

 

[EpcotKilterFan]

Just wanted to add... make sure it is a card that you can contact an international operator.

I gave a calling card as a gift to a friend that went to Scotland for 2 weeks so she could call and let me know how she did in her competition.

Well she finally called me when she landed in New York because no one could figure out how to use the card in Scotland. It was not a name brand card so that may have been the problem.

have a great time!!

Debbie

 

[mamajoan]

IRELAND!!!! WAY COOL!!!


sorry to say I do not know a thing about telephone plans overseas....

I just wanted to say Have a great time!!!!

and I wish I were going too!

 

[SandraM]

Hi there from South Dublin,

Just want to reassure you that we definitely have phones in Ireland Unfortunately I don't know anything about payphones here as I use my cellphone (generally referred to here as "mobile") or land line.

I'll have a check around and let you know if I find anything of interest.
The main land line service provider is at www.eircom.ie and the main mobile provider is www.vodafone.ie - you may find these sites helpful.

What part of Ireland are you coming to? Let me know if I can find out any stuff that might be useful to you.

 

[perdidobay]

Thanks everyone for the info... I wish I could take you all with me

Sandra,
I will be taking an escorted CIE tour starting out in Dublin, heading south along the coast and then west, ending up in Shannon. I am hoping to avoid those pesky surcharges hotels add on to your bill. Thanks for the websites, I found them helpful
I see I can buy eircom calling cards there, and they also provided a cost chart so I have some idea what to expect to pay per minute.
I can't wait to see your beautiful country!

 

[SandraM]

Glad to be of assistance.

If you're doing any internet searches about Ireland, use www.google.ie , you can choose to only search pages from Ireland and this should help get you the results you're looking for.

If by any chance you find yourself in a town called Kilkee, in Co. Clare, make sure you eat in a little pub called Naughton's. We were there recently and my DH and DS just adored the fish and steaks they had. DH is fussy about his meat but he said this was the best he'd ever had outside of Argentina.

I'm afraid the exchange rate isn't the best for you at the moment, but I hope you have a great time anyhow.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

My dad always uses international calling cards when he goes overseas.

Have a great trip. I've always wanted to see Ireland.

 

[CarolA]

Buy your card there. The rates will be LOTS better then you will get with a pre-paid card from the US. AT&T is much more expensive then the local cards you get in Europe. (Not that you would get that from the AT&T ads!)

Don't call home often. (My theory is that just about anything can wait a few days and my family does know how to reach me in an emergency!)

 

[Poohstyx]

Hey MJ! I didn't realize your trip was so soon. I should have answered your PM sooner! Hope you & your sweetie have a wonderful time. I can't wait for the pix. We'll get together when y'all get back and hear all about the trip.

Take care - say hi to the

Poohstyx

 

[sk!mom]

I've never been to Ireland, but when traveling in France we were unable to use the phone card purchased before leaving home. It was supposed to be an international card but we had no luck with it. So we tried to plan ahead and then had to buy one there anyway.
Due to that experience, I would just wait and buy one there.