What are the best, most reliable international phone cards to make landline calls or borrow someone's cell phone to call from Italy to the US during a guided tour, as I don't have a cell phone?
Is it best o purchase it in Italy or in US?
Posted by
Los Angeles
4874 posts
I believe in his latest guidebooks Rick mentions phone cards in passing and shrugs, they're like travelers checks. No one uses them anymore. Get a cell phone, even if just a burner phone for the trip.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23650 posts
Wow, haven't thought about that in years. Since phone cards are for the most part dead, I would wait to see what is available once you get there. Stop at a Tobacco shop and see what is for sale. Not sure where you would purchase in the US. You might goggle phone cards and see if ATT is still in business for phone cards. We carry an ipad and use email and sometimes face time to stay in touch. We don't carry cell phones.
Posted by
UT
50 posts
I'd recommend getting a phone and just using Google Fi. It's the same rate for data there as it is here and there's no need to swap sims or anything like that. We used it on our last trip and the experience was seamless for our needs.
Other carriers can do international service as well and a sim swap isn't awful (did that our first trip), but this just worked for us quite simply.
Posted by
San Francisco area
1892 posts
Are you traveling with a tablet or laptop? You might be able to use a VOIP service like Skype. There are others. Fairly cheap calls to US numbers. Free to other Skype accounts.