Euro phone cards

[mint]

I seem to remember that before I came to live in France, I used to be able to buy a phone card which I could use in kiosks, on mobiles, phones in friends' homes.

There was an access number you had to dial before dialling the number of your correspondent.  It was great because it meant I could use other people's phones, happy in the knowledge that I would be paying for my own calls.

Also, it was an incredibly cheap way of using public phones.

I can no longer remember what the card was called or indeed where you could get one.

Might come in useful on the Compostelle as I am almost persuaded that I don't want to take my mobile because then I would have to worry about a charger and a source of electricity.

Please advise.  Thank you.

[AnOther]

Something like this you mean ?

http://www.payphones.bt.com/callingcards/index.htm

Onetel used to do one but stopped it earlier this year.

[mint]

No, Erns, as far as I remember, you buy the card (where?  mine was bought for me) which comes in different demoninations (€10, €15, etc).

When you use it, you dial an access number (several figures), then you put in the code on your card when prompted to do so, then you dial the number you want, a voice tells you how much money and how many minutes you have left on the card (obviously this last depends on the destination of your call).  The stages might be in slightly different order, but you get the general idea.

For a card of about €20, I made umpteen phone calls to different places.

So, unlike the BT one, you don't even need a landline from which your calls are charged.  It's more like a pre-loaded debit card than anything else I can think of to compare it with.

[Tim]

I used to, and my in-laws still do use a card you can buy from Post Offices here in France by a company called Kertel and it works in the way that sweet 17 has described.

Once you have bought the card and used up the credit, it can be 'rechareged' at the Post Office.

May be of some use to you.

Regards - Tim

[Chancer]

Try and Find an Arab run tabac or epicerie, they will be your best chance, I too used to have one but they are few and far between thse days in France.

[misplacedperson]

France Telecom used to do a BT calling card type thing which charged calls back to your own landline account - last time I used it was donkeys ago, so it may no longer exist. The Kertel cards are available from any post office. Alternatively ...

http://www.leguide.com/cartes_telephoniques_prepayees.htm

... zillions of the things. Google search on 'cartes telephoniques'.

[mint]

Thanks for the info, one and all.

When I'm next at the PO and there isn't a half mile long queue behind me, I shall ask about a kertel card.