Posted a question earlier, but guess I should have been more specific.

What calling card gives you the biggest bang for your bucks when calling the U S from London?

In the past I've stayed at friends and used a calling card to call home and it was cheap, but if I used that same card on a payphone the card was sucked dry in a matter of minutes.

>.. if I used that same card on a payphone the card was sucked dry in a matter of minutes.<

Don't use payphones, they are very expensive.

I answered on your other thread ( FYI - you can just add to an earlier thread if you need more clarification).

Anyway - I still don't understand your problem w/ pay phones. If you dial in the access code, the pay phone does not add on any fees (just like using an 800 number in the States). The phone card has a pence pre minute rate and that is what you pay.

I have usually paid about 3 pence or 5¢ per minute no matter what phone I've used. Occasionally I have paid as much as 10¢ per minute - but bought the card for some other benefit.

To add - I am talking about the calling cards you can buy in any news agent, tube station kiosk, etc -- NOT the ATT, MCI, Sprint-type cards.

This was a couple of years ago, but I remember having good luck with the "Pay Peanuts!" international phone card. I learned to my cost that there are considerable differences in the rates charged by the different cards, and various connection charges, etc., can really eat up the money on your card if you don't read the fine print.

I took an AT&T calling card with me but found out it was only good to call TO the UK, not from. We ended up buying a calling card (although it looked more like a receipt!) from one of the local stores in London. Wasn't all that expensive (by London standards which I guess isn't saying much!) Have a great time on your trip!

Have you asked if there are different rates at different times of day? For example, between 8 am and 6 pm it may cost more per minute. Did you call from a private phone in the evening?
Just a thought.

Here is a 2nd vote for Pay Peanuts. I used thim in April and was quite happy.

Keith

Pay peanuts out of business at the moment.

An ATT PrePaid card from Sam's Club will cost 3.4 cents per unit and can be used to call The US for about 4 or 5 units per minute. Get the ATT access number for calling from the UK before you leave home. As for a a pay phone charge, it is only a local call.

I have used the prepaid calling card purchased in the UK. The calls are fairly inexpensive. The only problem is the card expires 90 days from first use. So if you do't use the entire value and don't return to the UK in that time, money is gone.

The cost of a call from the UK to the US using the Sam's club card is 9 units (3.4cents/unit). It is a fairly long procedure too (lots and LOTS of numbers to punch in). The card value never expires and can be topped up, even from outside the US. I usually call from a payphone since many hotels add a charge to ring an 0800 (toll-free) number.

A problem that I've encountered using payphones is some of them don't allow toll-free calls or charge a large surcharge to ring a 0800 number. These seemed to be the old-style ones found in some pubs and some small hotels.

On a previous trip, I also used a calling card from a London private phone and got way more minutes out of it than if I used it from a London phone box. But I don't remember the brand. I've never had the nerve to use a phone card from a hotel phone, because the charges looked too scary, even for an 800 number.

If you don't have a phone card and want to make a quick call home, you can go to a phone box, put in a 50-pence piece and talk for at least a little while.

To nibblett:

I did a double check on the rate of the ATT PrePaid card UK to US and it is 5 units per minute from a touch tone phone to a land line phone. It may very well be 9 units to a cell phone (that I don't know).

Yes, you do need to dial one or two sets of numbers. Once you are on the system and want to make mutiple calls you just press the star key three times, or press the pound key for more options.

Happy travels

Try Pincity - it doesnt charge extra for payphones.

http://www.pincity.com