Calling USA

Several calling cards are widely available here. The Verizon card probably the easiest to find, but there are others. You can buy the cards in many stores, drug stores, supermarkets, etc, as well as from Verizon. The cards are easy to use and give you a choice of English or Spanish access numbers.

Buy the cards here. My son came from the US with cards, thinking he would keep the charge off my bill, however, the access number was an 800 number in the US, which couldn't be called toll free from here, so I ended up with paying for the calls he had also paid for with his cards.

If you have an old unlocked GSM phone you can have it activated on the ORANGE network. You could call home and they could call you.

Willie

Here is a cheaper method. Take along your laptop and install voipbuster.com
bring along headsets with mic. Now deposit 10 euros in to the account with credit card. Now take your laptop to any hot wi-fi spots and connect and make calls for hours. My friend has found several hot spots in santo domingo, near apartment buildings and computer stores. park the car in the lot and pick up their free wireless internet. Now you are connected and talk for as long as you want. This program allows you unlimited calls to usa phones and cel from anywhere on earth.
AZB

There are also calling centers in most of the cities and the tourist areas. I think they charge about 5 to 7RD per minute.

Carrying around a laptop and trying to find a wireless hookup while on vacation, could be a bit of a pain. The image a AZB's friend sitting in a parked car to pick up someone else's wireless connection reminds of the last time I was in the airport. I saw a couple of people sitting on the floor outside the Continental Airlines President lounge using their laptops to connect to CO's wireless connection. It was quite a site, they looked like the bums that used hang out at the bus station, except these guys had laptops.

I was first using my Verizon cell phone roaming down there and I new it would be expensive. I then started buying Verizon calling cards available EVERYWHERE. An RD 100 card serves about 11 minutes to the US. We just kept using those from the hotel phone to call home.