Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - BOWLING FOR FRANCS

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/)

- - BOWLING FOR FRANCS (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/bowling-for-francs-39689/)

BOWLING FOR FRANCS

Hey guys, One important question that I would like to ask: How does one make a collect call to the U.S. from Paris? Is it just dial 00 + 1 + number? Will a French operator talk to me? How does one say "I would like to make a collect call"? Je voudrais telefoner aux Etat-sUnis COLLECT? Au secours! I would like to know this in case my VISA card gets stolen. Thank you, Daniel

Daniel, you are right ... dial 00+01+area code+telephone number for the US from Paris. I believe you will get an American operator. If not, just speak english anyway. They will probably understand and speak english. English is the official international language. By the way, any attempt to speak french should begin with "please" ... sil vous plait ... french is a very polite language and the french as well as others do appreciate politeness. You may want to say something like ... Madame ou messuieur, Pardonnez-moi or escusez-moi, je suis Amrericane, je parle un peu francais .... (Mrs or Mr ... pardon me or escuse me, I am American, I speak a little french ...) ALso when you speak french ... you will get answered in french, so be prepared to understand the answer. For example, if you ask for directions to someplace ... the answer (in french) will be straight ahead, turn left at the next light or 2nd light, then right turn, 100 meters next to the blah de blah, etc. My other big language tip of the day is not to say just Good Morning (Bon Jour) or thank you (merci), but to always add Madame or Messieur ... so it should be ... Bon Jour Madame, Bon Jour Messieur or Merci Madame or Merci Messieur. If you are using a public phone you will need a telephone carte which you can purchase at any post office or tobac store. Here's some phone numbers you can call in Paris to report a lost or stolen credit card ..... Lost or stolen credit cards in Paris American Express : Tel - 01 47 77 72 00 Diner's Club : Tel - 01 49 06 17 50 JCB : Tel - 01 42 86 06 01 Master/EuroCard : Tel - 01 45 67 84 84 Visa : Tel - 08 36 69 08 80 (2,23 FRF per minute) Mastercard International (emergency service for international visitors) 33, av Maire, 75015 Paris Tel : 08 00 90 13 87 (toll free number) VISA card is accepted in every cash machine. In case of loosing your card phone: 01 42 77 11 90 American Express : 11 rue Scribe, 75009 Paris Tel: 01 47 77 70 00 In case of loosing your card phone: 01 47 77 72 00 Phone numbers to call in the US from the US or from overseas are listed on the back of your credit cards. Remember to write them down and carry separately. Also write down or copy your credit card account numbers and make a copy of your passport, driver's license and air tickets as well. You are only liable for $50 of fraudelent charges if you contact your credit card company within 24 hrs, but if you can do it as soon as you know you lost one or it was stolen you may prevent the thief from charging on it which they will do as soon as possible.

From within Paris, cannot I not use a public phone, insert a phone card and dial the USA direct without having to engage an operator? Would I dial in France as follows? 00 1 [us area code] [7 digit phone number] e.g. 00 1 709 542-1162 I called home from a public phone in Switzerland with no problem last year. So I presume the same is true in France.

Yes, Bob, you can call direct without using an operator with the tele card. You have the right numbers. If you are using an AT&T card, you will get an American operator who will connect you.

Thanks John. I want to avoid those operators. I ran into that trap last year in Switzerland when I used a pulse phone. So my punching in of numbers failed and I got the operator, Stateside. The cost was over $2.00 per minute. (I did not know it was pulse because I could hear little chirps as I punched in. Later I found out that I was hearing the wrong sound for touch tone. My ear was not tuned for Swiss pulsing versus touch toning.) Next time, I bought a phonecard and went to the post office telephone booths. That way I could watch my money disappear on the meter.