General Simple Pay Phone Question

[ricktoronto]

I have a simple pay phone question - from SDQ airport I have to call someone to say I have arrived. They are in San Pedro, +/- 30 miles away.

I have 21 pesos (moneda) -3 X 5 pesos and 6 X 1 peso coins.

Is this enough for a call of no more than a minute or 2 and can I unload these 1 peso coins in the phone?

I'd think about 10 1 peso coins would fill it so I don't imagine they will be useful.

I also have a mediapeso coin the size of a dodge hubcap and 2 25 centavo coins however I am fairly sure these are totally useless everywhere, pay phones no exception.

 

[trina]

My experience with pay phones in the DR hasn't been great. I haven't found one that works yet...that may be half the battle!

 

[ricktoronto]

I Used a payphone once at the Airport and they worked Fine but...

I still cannot remember a) if I can use the 1 pesos and b) if I cannot, will 15 pesos be enough for 1 or 2 minutes?

 

[Jane J.]

You can totally use the 1 pesos. And I think 15 pesos should be enough.

 

[kjdrga]

My solution

Everytime I have arrived at SDQ my friends usually send someone to pick me up but always with the understanding that if they aren't there to call her house and see if someone is on the way and if not to take a taxi... so I leave the customs area and go down the ramp to the left where the taxi stall is. They have a payphone that takes 2 pesos per short call. I admit at times it has eaten my money and I end up looking and smiling nice at the taxi men and they scrounge up some pesos for me (it is afterall manned by their company) As it turns out I usually end up taking a taxi, and I find the more time I spend talking to them and negociating the cheaper the fair I get to Sto.Domingo.

So you can make a phone call from there... another solution is to buy a 30 peso phone card from the codetel in the arrival area and use that at the pay phones or have a friend in the dr buy you one and tell you the pin number and you could use it right away, asuming he hasn't spent it already!

just my two pesetas

 

[ricktoronto]

Thanks for all the good advice

I have enough pesos I think for what's needed, and the phones in the arrival area when I was there last were all quite new looking and hopefully they have not been abused since. I always ahve handfuls of the 1 P coins and this will be a good opportunity to unload them on Codetel.

 

[Hillbilly]

USE CODETEL!

there is a CODETEL phone office in the airport. You can go there, make your call and pay what ever it cost.

Otherwise your $1peso coins are fine for a call to SPM..

HB

 

[ricktoronto]

Thanks Hillbilly - I think I will get rid of the pesos

Not much use for them and each trip I seems to have yet more of them. Good to know Codetel has an office at SDQ though, as well.

 

[Porfio_Rubirosa]

Snack Bar

When you leave arrivals, at the far side of the Terminal, there is a snack bar, then restrooms. In front of the restrooms are payphones. Will they take your coins? Maybe yes, maybe no. But if not, the snack bar will sell you a Codetel calling card and you can use that instead.