Best way to call USA from France??
Sep 11, 2012, 3:40 pm
#1
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Original Poster
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Best way to call USA from France??
Hi all,
We are staying in Paris and need to call USA for one single business phone call (60 minutes).
We have our USA iphones so it would be $1/minute with AT&T, approx $60.
Our rented flat does not have a phone.
The agent did suggest going to a Tabac and buying a cheap mobile and a calling card. How do we do that?
Suggestions / anecdotes are welcome
Merci!
Michael
We are staying in Paris and need to call USA for one single business phone call (60 minutes).
We have our USA iphones so it would be $1/minute with AT&T, approx $60.
Our rented flat does not have a phone.
The agent did suggest going to a Tabac and buying a cheap mobile and a calling card. How do we do that?
Suggestions / anecdotes are welcome
Merci!
Michael
Sep 11, 2012, 5:05 pm
#3
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I normally don't call back much when we're in Europe, but I have a phone card (Net2Phone ... there are many others) for when I do. I locate a payphone, call the France/UK/Ireland/etc. freefone number and gab away. 7-1/2 cents/minute as I recall.
Of course you have to find a payphone (you don't even have to put any coins in or get a phone card - just dial the 0800 number at the sound of the dial tone), but that has been surprisingly easy. Not sure how long that will last, but so far it's been OK.
If you want to make your business call from, say, an office or poish hotel room, the payphone may be a bit downmarket. But be prepared to pay a lot more. And don't use the phone in the hotel!
Of course you have to find a payphone (you don't even have to put any coins in or get a phone card - just dial the 0800 number at the sound of the dial tone), but that has been surprisingly easy. Not sure how long that will last, but so far it's been OK.
If you want to make your business call from, say, an office or poish hotel room, the payphone may be a bit downmarket. But be prepared to pay a lot more. And don't use the phone in the hotel!
Sep 11, 2012, 5:13 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: MFR
Posts: 327
Skype would work great if you have internet. If not, you need a cell phone that will work in France and a French SIM card, for the cheapest rate.
Check the specs on any other cell phones you may have, or you can buy one on ebay, or buy a prepaid phone when you get to France, from the Phone House or another such source.
You can also find phones and SIM cards online at le French Mobile and other providers.
If you have a suitable phone, and will be in Paris before your call, you could buy a SIM card at the Phone House, orange, SFR, etc. or a tabac.
Check the specs on any other cell phones you may have, or you can buy one on ebay, or buy a prepaid phone when you get to France, from the Phone House or another such source.
You can also find phones and SIM cards online at le French Mobile and other providers.
If you have a suitable phone, and will be in Paris before your call, you could buy a SIM card at the Phone House, orange, SFR, etc. or a tabac.
Sep 12, 2012, 5:39 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Denver CO
Posts: 3,682
Setting up a Skype account and downloading the app to your US cell phone will probably take 20-30 minutes. Then you can call from anywhere you are online. No need for French cell phone, French cell service, Sim cards, nothing. And it will be a lot easier to find a place in Paris where you can get online to handle the call than it will be to find a quiet, working phone booth, much less chasing down phones, cards, etc., all in French.
All that's about convenience but the real payoff is cost. Paris to US runs about 8 cents a minute or less so a one hour call is under $5. AND you are then set-up for cheap calls forever from almost anywhere in the world where you can get online.
All that's about convenience but the real payoff is cost. Paris to US runs about 8 cents a minute or less so a one hour call is under $5. AND you are then set-up for cheap calls forever from almost anywhere in the world where you can get online.
Sep 12, 2012, 5:42 am
#6
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Sep 12, 2012, 10:14 pm
#7
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Hi all,
We are staying in Paris and need to call USA for one single business phone call (60 minutes).
We have our USA iphones so it would be $1/minute with AT&T, approx $60.
Our rented flat does not have a phone.
The agent did suggest going to a Tabac and buying a cheap mobile and a calling card. How do we do that?
Suggestions / anecdotes are welcome
Merci!
Michael
We are staying in Paris and need to call USA for one single business phone call (60 minutes).
We have our USA iphones so it would be $1/minute with AT&T, approx $60.
Our rented flat does not have a phone.
The agent did suggest going to a Tabac and buying a cheap mobile and a calling card. How do we do that?
Suggestions / anecdotes are welcome
Merci!
Michael
Sep 13, 2012, 12:12 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Helsinki
Programs: A3 Gold, BA Silver
Posts: 1,014
If you are looking for convenience&costs... Buying a local sim & using skype would be the recommended solution assuming that your phones are unlocked... When unable to use wifi (using data in roaming is even more expensive), you could use local skype access number to call...
Sep 18, 2012, 1:28 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2012
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Sep 18, 2012, 1:38 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2012
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Sep 27, 2012, 11:19 am
#11
Join Date: May 2006
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Posts: 717
mobilecaller.com has phone "cards" (They are virtual now!)
They have a toll free number (0800) from anywhere in France, even works in the cabines, and the cost back is about 3 or 4 cents per minute. A great deal, I have been using this card for years. Also works from the US to France, and there are toll free #s for many countries in Europe...
They have a toll free number (0800) from anywhere in France, even works in the cabines, and the cost back is about 3 or 4 cents per minute. A great deal, I have been using this card for years. Also works from the US to France, and there are toll free #s for many countries in Europe...