Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway
From: cgch!wtho@mcsun.eu.net (Tom Hofmann)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Phone Cards
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Date: 26 Sep 89 11:19:20 GMT
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As I see there are two different types of phone cards around the world.
One type is handled like a credit card of the telephone company: for
using it you make an operator assisted call and tell the operator your
card number, or you type the card number directly into the phone (e.g.
USA).  For the other type you pay a certain amount and this amount is
coded on the card itself. For usage you push the card into a special
slot of a public phone, and the coded amount is decreased while making
a call.  An "empty" card can be thrown away (e.g. Switzerland).

What I would like to know:  Isn't there a country (or LDC in the US)
where phone calls can be paid be regular, internationally accepted
credit cards (Visa, Master Card, American Express, etc.)?  Phone calls
would get much easier while travelling abroad.  Or is there a reason,
why telephone companies do not accept them?

Tom Hofmann        wtho@cgch.UUCP