last year i called home from a hotel phone eventhough it cost $5 for 3 min. can someone tell me how much it cost from a regular pay phone (that takes euro not cards) to call u.s.
thanks

Hi,

No guarantees on this next tip but:
If you go to a normal pay phone and call 0900-1919 you will be greeted with a dutch message that basically says "dial the number that you wish to call followed with a # - so to call a random california number you would dial:
001-818-970-9999#
The cost for the call is very very cheap - around 1 cent per minute + the cost of a local amsterdam call (about 2 cents per minute). This service basically uses voice over IP - similar to skype - and that's why it's dirt cheap.
The reason why I say no guarantees - is that I always use a normal phone with this number - I have never attempted to use a hotel phone or a public phone - but I see no reason why it should not work.
Good luck.

While I am there I use a cheap cell phone that I bought there several years ago.I think I paid 40 euro for it. I just buy a long distance phone card and away I go. It also gives me a phone for anything else I might need. You can even program it to speak english when dialing out. Just an option, have fun.

Most hotels charge €1 per min even for local calls, not just long distance. That's how they make money. Pay phone direct dial is just as expensive.

The alternative is to buy the phone card from most supermarkets, convenient stores or souvenir stores. The cost is about 10 cents per min.

I've been to Europe (from the US) every summer for the last three years, and before the first time I went over there I bought one of those calling cards from Costco (MCI cards where the domestic rate is 3 cents per minute). I've used it ever since with absolutely no problems, and it's cheap too. If you use any major phone company's card it should be the same.

You call MCI up before you leave and they give you the exact rates from wherever you will be as well as the toll-free access numbers. You use these free numbers to call either from a pay phone, or you can actually call from the hotel for free (yes, the hotels make money out of local and international phone calls, but the access numbers are the equivalent of (800) numbers in the States, and everywhere I've been these calls have been free even at hotels - but you should check on this when you check in). The only exception to this was when I was in Lisbon and the hotel did not have touch-tone dialing (only pulse dialing), and that time I had to use the pay phone outside. The cost from the Netherlands the last time I was there (a couple of years ago) was 12 cents per minute (it must have changed by now).

I use the MCI phone card from Costco. It works great and very inexpensive. You need the correct access number which I beleive is 08000229122 that connects you. Then you fallow the usual instructions. When I used it in November it was about 14cents a minute.
You can also purchase a phone card from many of the local vendors that give a pretty good value.
The downside to the MCI card is there are so many # to push.
You can also call the MCI # and they will give you the access #.

check out www.teledump.nl or www.belpiraat.nl

They provide cheap calls everywhere in the world for cheap. You just have to dial a 0900-xxxx and then the number.

Regards,

Bluntero

thanks for all the help . this year we will be staying in a apt. which has a phone of course so the suggestions will definitly help.