Calling Canada from Florida
 

Can anyone give me any information on buying phone cards in Florida to call Canada? Where is the best place to buy these cards? and is this the best ( cheapest) way to call Canada?
I've never used phone cards, so am not sure. If I use one at a phone booth, does it have to be a phone booth with a credit card slot? Or can it be the old fashion type and then I key in the card number? Also, does anyone know how much they are for Canada? Thanks for any help.

Buy any phone card and dial like any other number. (I would check prices, however before buying the card.) Dialing a number in Canada is just like dialing any US long distance number. (1+area code+number)
I would however try one of the dial arounds because rather than using ATT or which ever company is the default carrier when you call. If it is ATT or Sprint you can pay a bunch. I suggest sampling the rates at Vartec and PT-1 long distance. I think PT-1 is about 8 cents a minute for Canada, plus a pay phone surcharge.

I have Vartec as my long distance carrier and the charge for any call US or Canada is 5 cents per minute. The only drawback is that there is a 50 cent minimum, which means if you get an answering machine and leave a message, you pay 50 cents.

I figure I talk long enough when I do get connected that the minimum charge is amortized.


I buy my phone cards at Wall Mart.
I think I get the best price there without having to shop all over the place.

PS. If the phone does not have a slot, like the telephone in a motel room, all these cards that I have seen have a 1-800 number you can dial. Your phone card has a key number or PIN printed on the back. You enter this number on the telephone key pad for authentication. (You cannot use an old round dial phone.) You are connected with a central service and you go from there by dialing your number.
There are instructions by recorded voice to talk you through it.

I find it fairly easy. The big problem is trying to use from a pay phone and not having enough light to read the PIN number!!

Most hotels charge for 800 numbers.

Thanks for the advice. I actually will be using a phone booth , and so am interested in cards that will work with them. I know from experience ( a bad one!! $32.00 for a five minute call) that the default carrier can be a big mistake.
So it sounds like the best bet is to buy cards at Walmart. Are all the cards good for roughly the same minutes? Bob, I'll just have to carry a small flashlight to see the small numbers!! Thanks.

I always use the Bell Canada access number when I phone home from the US. It's 1-800-555-1111. Then I use my Bell Canada calling card. Maybe Bell can give you some kind of prepaid long-distance plan - I know my sweetie has some kind of arrangement where he pays a flat rate and then gets charged 10 cents a minute. He does a lot of travelling and that works out well for us.

Go to a Wal Mart or Sam's Club (if you are a Sam's member) and buy the AT & T calling card for at least 1,000 minutes. At that level of minutes, the calls within the U.S. are only 3.4 cents per minute. To call Canada, the rates are exactly double or 6.8 cents per minute. IF you buy a card with fewer than 1000 minutes the rates go up on a sliding basis. This is the BEST rate I've seen anywhere. We call Toronto regularly and this is hands down a better deal than any that the other phone cards or calling plans offer!

The numbers on the calling cards are small. I do not have the best eyes and I usually write the number on a separate piece of paper in big figures.

The minutes remaining for a given call is usually announced by a recorded voice before you connect. "You have xx minutes remaining for this call."

Buy your cards by price. I have seen them at the best prices for me locally at WalMart, but good prices are elsewhere too.

Thanks so much everyone. Meesthare, I usually do use the Canada Direct number (800 555 1111), but the rate isn't very good. Maybe I should call them and see if they can do better. I know last year, they couldn't offer me anything better.
Randy, the 1,000 minute card does sound like the best bet. Thanks so much. I do plan on using a lot of minutes.
Dixon, you've given me a good idea, to write the numbers on a piece of paper. The old eyes aren't what they used to be! Or are they just making the printing on everything smaller these days...ha.ha.