Phone cards

Just returned from Germany and France and had to use country specific phone cards. Just like USA the phone business and internet cafes are changing alot. Fewer public phones(&internet cafes), many diff types and fewer minutes for more euros. If you want convenience and ease of use it looks like the option of renting a phone may be the new solution. I will continue with phone cards as my use is occasionally when I am on vacation.

I've always used a prepaid phone card from MCI (www.minutepass.com) bought in the US before going. Just need to get the local numbers to call for the countries you plan to be in before you leave. I've used it in Europe and in China/Hong Kong without any issues.

I've always just purchased a small denomination card once I got there. They actually aren't "cards", as such, just slips of paper with the access number and PIN on it.

Kevin - when you say you've used the MCI card - do you call the US from other countries?

I looked at the website and it looks like a good deal. As long as it can be used in multipule countries to call the US - I'm sold.

So I guess y'all don't recommend using one's cell phone from abroad? I have always heretofore (love that word) used a card that I purchased when I land in Frankfurt, but I thought I might like the convenience of using the cell rather than a phone booth in case my hotel room does not have a phone.

Thanks

B~

PS: Hey Nancy! ;)

Cell phone options are changing and improving all the time, so it's perfectly doable to use a cell phone, whether you purchase one there, take an unlocked one from here (quad band) and buy a SIM card, or get an international plan from your current company. I do carry a Mobal phone that I use for brief, in-country calls or to have in case of emergency. If I plan to make chatty calls home to the US, I use a phone "card" purchased from a convenience store.

Last summer my son-in-law used his ATT/Cingular cell phone with an international plan. He had to find a store in Germany to actually get it to work. He called home to the US several times and the phone bill was around $100. I bought phone cards in convenience stores in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. I made one call each night (19 days) and spent approx 20 Euros ($30). Every hotel had a phone (Rick's hotels) except one. In St Goar, there were three different phone booths. One only took insertable cards. One took pin# you punched in. The insertable cards didn't work half the time. Pack lightly - leave the phone at home - - spend your money on other things.

Several questions, thanks for any help!

1. Are public pay phones scarse like they are now in the US?

2. Do pensions/hotels/etc., charge extra for "local" or toll-free calls, like many do in the US?

3. RailEurope offers a PhoneCard they say is useable with access number and PIN in all the major western Europe countries. Loks likema good deal, has anyone tried it? They advertise per minute cost of US$0.06, plus call fee of about US$0.60.

I think it depends on which country you are in. In Germany, pay phones are a bit scarce, but there seems to be an internet cafe' / phone center on every main street every couple of blocks. You can buy phone cards there in increments of 5€ and up that will let you call the states for about .02€ per minute. That is quite a few minutes for a good price. Most hotels make a pretty penny off of their phones, though you can use the phone cards from them at no extra cost usually. Best to ask your hotel front desk and also ask them to show you which number to use on the back of the card. The hotel I used to work in, sold AT&T international phone cards and I thought they were a total rip-off. I could have just used a pay phone without any phone card at all and it would have only cost me a fraction more. But that was 2 years ago and things might have changed with AT&T by now.