Long Distance Calling Card

[Reign]

One issue my soon to be wife and I had during our previous WDW trip was trying to call home. We ended up buying a Disney Calling card. Which was quite the waste of money. I think we got all of 5 or 6 phone calls out of it and I think it cost us like $10. Does anyone know if you can use a regular long distance card from your hotel room (ie. calling toll free number without being charged). Also does anyone know where we can find a good card. We had almost the same problem when in Disneyland the last time. We couldn't find a card at any of the local gas stations. Would I be able to find them at airports or if I bought one from a grocery store here at home, would I be able to use it down there.

 

[Singledad]

I think you might be cheaper in the long run if you buy one of those cheap pre-paid cell phones, such as a tracphone or net10. No connection fees (at least for those two, read the 'fine print' on others.) and you know exactly how long you can call. no 'roaming' either. at least, I never have encountered roaming and I go all over the place.

I got a phone and 30 starter min for 10 bucks at walmart. I also picked up a 20 dollar card for a total starting of 150 min. So depending on how long those calls are, you can make quite a few.

ETA: those calling cards are just about dying out, due to the cell phones, and lack of pay phones. You should be able to use a calling card ANYWHERE and quite a few hotels charge you a user fee no matter what number you call (at my small hotel even a 800 number costs you 50 cents.) not sure about disney though. so hopefully someone else can answer that.

 

[Snow Shoe]

You would far better off useing a pre-paid type of cell phone. The trac10 phone is very relable, and cheap from Walmart.

 

[Reign]

Thanks for the response. I will do some research on that.

 

[ZoZo]

Do you have a Costco membership? I bought a long-distance card there several years ago; airtime is about 4 cents/minute. I have just refilled it as needed, and it works great! To make a call from your room, you just dial a toll-free number -- I think WDW might charge you a fee for making a "local or toll-free" call from your room, but then my card was 4 cents a minute after that!

The problem with prepaid cell phones (and I have one) is that the airtime is usually much more expensive than a regular prepaid long distance card. I tried using my prepaid AT&T GoPhone on my last trip to WDW, and it wiped out my minutes. At the time, I was paying 25 cents/minute for my prepaid cell phone, so it was much, much more expensive than my regular prepaid long distance card. Wish I'd realized it at the time!

 

[Singledad]

The problem with prepaid cell phones (and I have one) is that the airtime is usually much more expensive than a regular prepaid long distance card. I tried using my prepaid AT&T GoPhone on my last trip to WDW, and it wiped out my minutes. At the time, I was paying 25 cents/minute for my prepaid cell phone, so it was much, much more expensive than my regular prepaid long distance card. Wish I'd realized it at the time!

that is true, if you don't read the fine print it can cost more, but for what is offered around me, the tracphone is cheaper. and i've never seen one for that much a min, that is freaky crazy!

 

[Best Aunt]

I got one at Sam's Club, but that was a few years ago. I used it at a pay phone in the Magic Kingdom. There was a recording telling me that it would use an extra 30 units on the card for calling from a pay phone. I wasn't even sure what that meant, but there was a lot of time on the card so I wasn't worried about it.

A lot of grocery stores and drug stores have big gift card displays these days. You could check there.

 

[seashoreCM]

I would look for a calling card with no connect charge (except from pay phones).

All calling cards suffer a pay phone connect charge, sometimes expressed as "units" which generally corresponds to "minutes". Those with their own connect charges incur the pay phone connect charge on top of that.

Look at the card under the phone or in the nigght stand drawer to see what charges the resort levies. Or try one call and see if he calling card also reports a connect charge taken the number of minutes remaining.

Psst! I have found (not at Disney) occasional "free local call" phones in hotel lobbies on which I can use a calling card with no pay phone charge. These ar not the "charge a call" brand phones.

I think those "donate your used cell phone to give a serviceman a 60 minute calling card" deals are quite a ripoff. The 60 minute card might only give one or two short calls after the connect charges are levied.