Prepaid Phone Card Handy for Cruise Calls Home

When I called home during previous vacations, I used to charge a call from a pay phone to my home phone but that got to be way too expensive. So now I usually end up buying a pre-paid phone card at the last minute.  I’ve purchased several and they all seem to have different fees.  Seems like you have to be a rocket scientist these days to figure out how much you’re actually paying to use a pre-paid phone card.

So I’ve done some online research and studied a few companies.  Some of the websites are just too confusing.  The reason I chose Speedy Pin is because it seems like a fairly straight-forward website, easy to navigate, the rates seem fair compared to other companies and they don’t kill you with fees.

                                                               

So I’m in the process of buying one of these cards and will report back shortly.  However, if you need one now, I’m going to get the MCI World Traveler card.  It seems like the best buy with the least amount of fees. If you fill out the box below it will take you to the site and clue you in to the rates you’ll be paying.  For instance, if you’re cruising the Caribbean and think you may want to call the continental U.S. from the U.S. Virgin Islands, the rate should run between 6 and 7 cents a minute.  If you’re calling the U.S. from Mexico, it goes up to about 37 cents a minute.      

 

Let me touch briefly on fees.  A lot of cards have a maintenance fee.  This one does not. That means you could pay up to a $1.00 a week just to have the card, and you’ll pay this whether you use it or not.  So if you have minutes left on the card, there’s a good chance the maintenance fees will eat up any remaining time. 

There’s also a rounding charge which means if you speak for ten-and-a-half minutes, you’ll be charged for eleven minutes.  That’s if you get a 1 minute rounding fee.  That’s what this card has.  Some cards have a 3 minute rounding fee.

These rates, by the way, are valid from a pay phone, not cell phones.  For cell phone rates you’ll have to check with your cellular carrier.

There’s also going to be a charge for using a pay phone, in the neighborhood of 50 cents for each call you make.  That will be deducted from your minutes.

Although pay phones seem to be a thing of the past, there are plenty of them dockside.  You’ll generally find pay phones available at the various cruise terminals.  They come in very handy for cruise ship employees who like to call home during their breaks. 

I like using prepaid phone cards because I know I won’t get hit with some ridiculous phone bill when I return home.  This also forces me to spread out the time I spend talking on the phone.  If I know I have a certain amount of minutes remaining on the card, I’ll divide that into how many more stops we’re making and how many calls I’d still like to make.  When the card runs out, that’s it.  I generally spend about $20 on a card and as an example probably make 3 or 4 calls home to the U.S. from the Caribbean during a 7-day trip.

I’ve never called home from the ship directly.  I hear the fees are beyond crazy to do that.  So if you’re interested in reasonably priced pre-paid phone card, this one seems like a good choice.  

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