I will be in Puerto Plata next week. What is the best, ( cheapest and most reliable) way to keep in touch with home (USA)??
- Thread starter busterbaggs
- Start date
How does E.T. Phone Home???
Or any of the long distance calling offices, Turitel, Codetel/Verizon etc. It is not much and is superior to using an in-hotel-room phone if there is one.
No Card Used
I guess you've either never seen one or never been to the DR or any Latin American (or third world) country - you go in, take a booth, make the call and they charge you at a cashier when you are done. Verizon/Codetel even has a litttle meter in your booth tracking the call price in pesos.
You don't need prepaid or any calling card since they operate the business to place these calls for you.
If you can't find or use these places (God only knows why not) you can buy a prepaid Communicard (Verizon/Codetel), find a "Punto de Llamadas, which is a blue phone usually in the lobby of a hotel (Costalunga in Boca Chica has one) and dial 311, or 611 in English, put in the number from the card and make a call using the blue phone - at a lot higher cost than the calling shop for sure.
DON'T use the "HOT" phones on tourist streets that say call with a CREDIT CARD anywhere in the world - costs of US$15.00 a minute are not uncommon and they don't tell you the true cost -true tourist ripoff. These are also found in the SDQ airport in the departure lounges.
If you need to make a lot of calls or receive them you may be better off buying the cheapest cell phone you can find and use that. One sure way to receive calls and you do not pay at all to have incoming calls.
busterbaggs said:
I guess you've either never seen one or never been to the DR or any Latin American (or third world) country - you go in, take a booth, make the call and they charge you at a cashier when you are done. Verizon/Codetel even has a litttle meter in your booth tracking the call price in pesos.
You don't need prepaid or any calling card since they operate the business to place these calls for you.
If you can't find or use these places (God only knows why not) you can buy a prepaid Communicard (Verizon/Codetel), find a "Punto de Llamadas, which is a blue phone usually in the lobby of a hotel (Costalunga in Boca Chica has one) and dial 311, or 611 in English, put in the number from the card and make a call using the blue phone - at a lot higher cost than the calling shop for sure.
DON'T use the "HOT" phones on tourist streets that say call with a CREDIT CARD anywhere in the world - costs of US$15.00 a minute are not uncommon and they don't tell you the true cost -true tourist ripoff. These are also found in the SDQ airport in the departure lounges.
If you need to make a lot of calls or receive them you may be better off buying the cheapest cell phone you can find and use that. One sure way to receive calls and you do not pay at all to have incoming calls.
Are you talking about a US or ATT type prepaid?
Most of the US cards tell you to call an 800 or 888 number does not work the same here, about double the cost of dialing direct. If your going to use them either find a USA direct phone (hotel lobbys) like the Jaragua. Or find out the local number to call within the country.
busterbaggs said:
Most of the US cards tell you to call an 800 or 888 number does not work the same here, about double the cost of dialing direct. If your going to use them either find a USA direct phone (hotel lobbys) like the Jaragua. Or find out the local number to call within the country.