1-800 numbers are usually only available for use in North America. You will need to look up their normal number and call collect. Most will accept this.

Sorry to hear about your purse

The "access" code from France may not be 011. I'm not sure what it is.

Can you ask your hotel?

And you need to add 1 before dialing the US number.

And yes, call the cc company collect. There should be another number listed at the back (usually there'll be a message that says something like if overseas, call 1-xxx-xxx-xxxx collect -- look for that).

Good luck!

This page claims you dial 00-1-....

http://www.ehow.com/how_18136_call-united-states.html

Not sure if this is accurate, however. Someone here should know or check with the hotel.

On your other post you indicated you had Internet access. You can go to your issuer's website to get their normal number to call if it is not listed on the card.
I'm not sure what the international numbers on the card are.

I know once I had obtained an international phone number to reach a business that worked on one phone company's pay phone, but not on another company's pay phone, but that was not in France. It took me awhile to figure that one out.

Oh, do you have a laptop, convenient internet access and Skype installed? If so, try calling from your laptop.

I think that I've actually tried 800 numbers and they went through to my surprise (but I can't remember for sure).

111op is right.
To dial direct from France to US, you dial 001-area code-number. But an 800 number will not work this way.

Maggi, 001-800.....

Sorry -- then there's the whole business about calling collect. If you call access code-1-... you may be charged for the call. So the question is how to make a collect call from France?

http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/3956056284/m/9821080522

"I called the ATT access line in France (0800 99 00 11) and told the operator to place the call. It was a piece of cake and cost me nothing."

If this method works, try to have the operator call the 800 number for you. Maybe he/she has a way.

There's no way to call an 800 number from a non-US phone. Do you have Skype on your computer? If so, you can dial an 800 number via Skype. Otherwise, you need to find a toll number with area code on the credit card company's website. There may be an outside-of-the US number listed.

I do have a laptop and have been trying to obtain landlines for the credit card companies, but they do not list them, only 800 or 877 numbers. I have tried 001-800, that does not work. Don't have Skype and we are not at a hotel, we are at a rental apartment, no concierge. I've tried all combinations till I'm blue in the face. In the meantime I hope they are not using my CCs at Tifanys!

Just try it, in most cases it works with 001-800-xxxxxx, if not call collect, just hurry.

Mastercard in France 0800 901 387

Maggi, if you tell us the 800 number, I can call it and find out the non-800 number (which is written on the back of your card, but that won't do you any good now), and then I can post that number here for you. No need to give me your credit card number or your name to do that.

The 1-800 wont work from France. You need their toll number. Maybe try calling an operator and asking them to look it up for you. what company is your card through?

Try calling the AT&T operator as mentioned: 0800 99 00 11. See whether the operator can dial the 1-800 number for you.

And tell us what the cc company is so someone can look up an alternative for you!

Maggi. If one of your cards is American Express, try this COLLECT number 1-800 336-393-1111. I have others, but since I don't know what cards you have I will just post that one for now since Amex is pretty common. I am planning my trip for next week and I have beenn gathering this type of information at the advice of one of our fellow fodorites in a post about what to do in planning a trip.

FROM France TO the USA, the international code is 001. And you can't call an 800 number from France. You have to get the regular number (non-800) of the cc company.

Ah ha....you can call an US 800 number from France although as I remember trying it, you get a message, at least I did on Orange France's mobile phone that I have to call a slightly different number...but if you dial 001 800 number either it will go through or you will be told to dial something else...

What happens when you dial a US 800 number from Europe is you will get a message saying, "The toll free number you are dialing is not toll free if dialed from outside the United States. If answered, you will be billed at direct dial international rates for the call. If you do not wish to be billed, please hang up now...and then the call will go through......

I bet if you told us (Foderites) what cards you have, we can see if we have the same card, & post the non 800 number here or e-mail it to you (need your e-mail for that).

Stu Dudley

You guys are so sweet! Thanks for the quick responses. I was able to get hold of US Bank Visa and Mastercard. The one I am looking for now is the Delta SkyMiles AmEx.

Maggi, That is the exact one I posted above

The American Express Direct France number is
' 00 331 47 77 7000 or 00 331 47 77 7200

OOps, that is not an 800 It is COLLECT 1-336-393-1111.

I just called American Express and they told me the number from France is 0800-900888. They said that should work in France, despite my saying it is an 800 number. The rep's understanding was that this is a toll free number in France.

Nikki's advice is good. 0-800 is toll free in France. So they can try to look up your card.

Yeah, I have an Amex card that also lists 1-336-393-1111 collect that someone has posted.

Try this number and have them connect you with Delta Amex if necessary.

All credit cards I've ever had have the international collect calling number right on the back, really, just look at the card. That includes Delta Amex, which I have.

Well Christina, she lost her cards, but it sounds like she was able to get some numbers by looking at her husband's -- but not the Delta Amex.

Success! I used the 0800 suggestion and was able to get through. Thank you so much to all of you. I can't believe how quickly everyone came through with advice. It actually brings tears to my eyes. Even when I called the CC companies everyone was so sorry this happened to us. That is really heartwarming. I think everything is taken care of now. Just hope I remembered all the CC in my purse. Lesson to future travelers: Photocopy everything in your wallet and keep it in a separate place, including your passports. I've read it before and intended to do it before we left, but got too busy. Also NEVER leave anything in the car!!!! Thanks again!

Also, I hope you & your husband didn't carry the same cards, so that ALL the cards are now unusable.

Stu Dudley

Good.

I love the internet.

Thankfully, Stu, he and I have separate credit card accounts, except for one, which I cancelled for both of us. So we can use his cards for the remainder of the trip. Nikki, I love the internet too. Everyone is so helpful.

Another reason to have a Skype account with Skype-Out access. For a few bucks a year it can make things lots easier.

I wrote a little program that lets me put my skype on a flash drive. Then, I can go into any internet cafe, I don't install anything, just plug in the flash drive and headphones. When I fire up the program, skype is running, but saving the data on the flashdrive, not on the computer. Safe and easy.

dave

Awwwww Maggi! I was biting my nails waiting to see if there was going to be a cliff hanger or a happy/sad ending. Thakfully you had a happy one (in the long run).

I hope your wise words about photo copying all important docs doesn't fall on deaf ears.

Thx for posting and not leaving us hanging - you could have taken the info and never posted again.

Have a good [remainder] of your trip!

~Jay

I used to make copies of the front and back of all my credit cards. I stopped doing that a couple years ago because of concern that the copies are just as useful to a thief as the cards themselves, since they can be used over the internet or on the telephone. Now I just bring a list of my cards with the phone numbers to call from abroad, taken from the back of the cards. No expiration dates or identifying numbers on this list. I then e-mail myself a copy of this list so I can access it from anywhere.

Hi Maggi! Jumping in this thread late...but I just wanted to say that I'm glad you were able to call your CC companies...and very sorry to hear that your purse got stolen!

Take care!!

Hello, glad it is all okay now. I wanted to add that several years ago I photocopied my cards and had the copies in my carryon, not in plain site. Two of my credit cards got fraudulent charges (in Paris). Luckily both credit card companies called my husband who was at home to report suspicious charges, one for electronics and one for a very large amount of cosmetics. It was before I had a cellphone in France and I just happened to call home. The cards had never been out of my underarm passport/valuable pouch. My carryon was left in my hotel room while i was out. After this I wrote all the info out on a small card along with the non 800 international phone numbers and have a very unusual hiding place for it.

dial the international part of the call, then for 800 numbers, use 880. Not toll free but it completes the call.

Well, as the thread is three years old, the original poster will have solved her problem by now.

How (and why) do people resurrect dead threads like this?

BTW and I know the thread is 3 years old, most credit card companies advise customers to call their US number collect to report lost or stolen cards...

1-800 numbers usually work as noted although the numbers are not toll free if dialed from outside the United States. You will be billed at international direct dial rates. If you do not wish to be billed, hang up before the other person answers.

Also, I do seem to remember having trouble completed a call from France via my French sim card to a US toll free number and was told to substitute some other code for the 1-888,,,don't remember all the particulars.

And again yes I realize the thread is dated.

>>How (and why) do people resurrect dead threads like this?<<

Not hard to figure out... because people do a search on a topic then don't notice the dates.