Using VOIP for Collect Calls or for Calling US 800 numbers?

[ebrandt]

Hi All,

We are walking the Camino Primitivo in June 2015. We will have an iPad mini with us but we are not planning to bring phones. With the news of possible disruptions from Spanish airport strikes, I have been trying to make sure I have my contact info for trip insurance and credit cards up to date. Both my trip insurance and my credit card give me a US 800 number and an collect number to call.

Has anyone used a collect or 800 number form Spain using VOIP? Are there any tricks or issues to be aware of. I know its pretty darn hard, if not impossible, to make a collect call from either a mobile or land line in the UK. I haven't had to try it from Spain. But given the heightened possibility of travel disruption (I'm currently booked on a flight arriving June 7 -- one of the 24 hour strike days ) I want to know what I am doing to make calls.

Thanks,

Liz

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Liz,
Well, there's one thing less to worry about with the strike called off, but I'm sure you still need some kind of a plan for calling home. In my experience, 800 numbers don't work from abroad. I've never tried collect calls.

For 25-30 euros you can get a cheap Spanish cell phone with 20 euros of time on it. I can even tell you where a Movistar shop is in Oviedo. And you can save your phone for your next camino, so it isn't a total loss. I bring the phone I bought in 2004 or so and have just bought a new sim card every year. For me, having the ability to make a call in an emergency, either within Spain or overseas, is worth the little added cost and added weight. I know that's not what you asked, but it's pretty cheap and could be worth its weight in gold. One more device to carry, I know it's a hassle, but it will allow you to call both in and out of Spain in a pinch.

Less than 4 months for both of us! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[ebrandt]

Thanks Laurie -- We actually bought one of those National Geographic phones when we walked the fist time that had the advantage that our kids and parents could call a local US number and reach us. We could up that as it was very reasonable or put a spanish sim in it. But to call a US commercial business was still quite expensive and we could not use the 800 or collect call features on it. We had problems because our (#^&**) credit card company stopped our card because of fraud fears even though we told them where we were traveling in advance.

Anyway I guess I'd like to figure out whether there is any way to take advantage of the collect numbers the insurance and credit card provide. I suspect we will do as you suggest and bring our cell and maybe take avantage of your experience and by a moviestar sim for it. Liz

 

[peregrina2000]

I've emailed a Spanish friend to ask about collect calls. In the days of operators, it was simple, but I don't think there are any live bodies manning the phone lines any more!

 

[tominrm]

800 numbers do not work from overseas. The reason is that 800 numbers are not "real" telephone numbers. It is an additional telephone number business sets up with the local telephone company to accept long distance charges if applicable. When you dial 800 number inside the US, the number gets "translated" into 10 digit "real" telephone number that includes the area code. So if you think you will need to call the number from overseas, call that 800 number before you leave the US and ask for the "real" telephone number.

 

[ebrandt]

800 numbers do not work from overseas. The reason is that 800 numbers are not "real" telephone numbers. It is an additional telephone number business sets up with the local telephone company to accept long distance charges if applicable. When you dial 800 number inside the US, the number gets "translated" into 10 digit "real" telephone number that includes the area code. So if you think you will need to call the number from overseas, call that 800 number before you leave the US and ask for the "real" telephone number.

Thanks Tom -- I know you can't dial an 800 number on a cell or analog phone, but I wondered if VOIP changes that. I assume from your response that the answer is no? Thanks. Liz

 

[peregrina2000]

Ok, Liz, I think maybe I didn´t understand. Are you talking about Skype on your ipad?

Here´s what I heard from my friend, but I don´t think it answers your question:

Collect call in Spanish is "llamada a cobro revertido".
She also told me that the way to do it depends on the company from which you are calling, and said she can send instructions on how to do it from a land line in Spain, but I don´t think that´s your plan, am I right?

I should have known better than to think I could help any one out with a technology problem.

 

[ebrandt]

Ok, Liz, I think maybe I didn´t understand. Are you talking about Skype on your ipad?

Here´s what I heard from my friend, but I don´t think it answers your question:

Collect call in Spanish is "llamada a cobro revertido".
She also told me that the way to do it depends on the company from which you are calling, and said she can send instructions on how to do it from a land line in Spain, but I don´t think that´s your plan, am I right?

I should have known better than to think I could help any one out with a technology problem.

Thanks for the info. It does dseem to confirm that there is a way to make a collect call. When we were in the UK, I finally concluded that collect calls were simply not possible and we just called our credit card company direct and paid the freight when they fraud alerted our card.

But, yes, I am talking about skype on my iPad. It just seems dumb to carry both a phone (and cord and an iPad (and cord). I want to carry the iPad so we can copy pictures to it from our camera card. Tom is a pretty devoted amateur photographer. We figured out in 2013 that uploading pictures to Picasa to back them up was not workable. Also I would like to blog and we need a way for our kids and parents to contact us in an emergency. The iPad seemed like it would fill the bill and alleviate the need to have a phone and buy a sim card.

So now I am wondering whether the iPad alone really will work if we need to contact the credit card company or travel insurance provider. Maybe we need to carry a phone too. No big deal -- just irritation since we probably will never use it!

If we can use a land line in Spain to make a collect call, though.....

Liz

 

[SYates]

Reality check:
IF you need to contact your bank/credit card company / travel insurance in the case that something went wrong, you can always do that from a hotel phone/locutorio (less frequent now) / post office and a variety of other places in bigger towns. BUT how likely is such a need to arise really? Just food for thought ... Buen Camino! SY

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks for the info. It does dseem to confirm that there is a way to make a collect call. When we were in the UK, I finally concluded that collect calls were simply not possible and we just called our credit card company direct and paid the freight when they fraud alerted our card.

But, yes, I am talking about skype on my iPad. It just seems dumb to carry both a phone (and cord and an iPad (and cord). I want to carry the iPad so we can copy pictures to it from our camera card. Tom is a pretty devoted amateur photographer. We figured out in 2013 that uploading pictures to Picasa to back them up was not workable. Also I would like to blog and we need a way for our kids and parents to contact us in an emergency. The iPad seemed like it would fill the bill and alleviate the need to have a phone and buy a sim card.

So now I am wondering whether the iPad alone really will work if we need to contact the credit card company or travel insurance provider. Maybe we need to carry a phone too. No big deal -- just irritation since we probably will never use it!

If we can use a land line in Spain to make a collect call, though.....

Liz

Yes, you can definitely make a collect call from a Spanish phone, and my friend will email me very precise directions if that will help you. Laurie

 

[ebrandt]

Reality check:
IF you need to contact your bank/credit card company / travel insurance in the case that something went wrong, you can always do that from a hotel phone/locutorio (less frequent now) / post office and a variety of other places in bigger towns. BUT how likely is such a need to arise really? Just food for thought ... Buen Camino! SY

Hi SY -- Actually we had problems with our credit card several times the last time we were in the UK (although no problems in Spain). Stupid, yes! But still a problem. So once burned, twice warned. When we had the problems in the UK, I could not figure out how to make a collect call -- I just don't think it is possible from the UK. So we had to call directly on our cell which was VERY expensive. It really solves my problem to know that I can make a collect call because, as you say, I can get myself to a land line pretty easily. To thanks to Laurie also for finding this out for me. Liz

 

[SYates]

Unless things have changed very recently, you should be able to make a land line/collect call from any bigger post office in Europe. As for credit/debit card troubles, remember the golden rules:

• Tell your bank that you will travel abroad and will use your card abroad.
• Get a 4 digit pin code, if you haven't one, to use with your card.
• Only use your card to withdraw money from ATMs during bank opening hours.
• Pay attention to where the numbers are actually on the ATM key pad as layouts do vary.

Buen, trouble free, Camino! SY

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Liz,
Sorry it's taken a while, but I've heard from my friend. She has spoken with Movistar, the phone company that used to be the nationally owned monopoly, and they told her you just have to dial 1515 and then you'll be able to make your collect call. But she has tried it serveral times and has not been successful. She is now in the process of contacting a friend who works in the company, but she thinks that this service has essentially fallen into oblivion, at least from a private phone. As SYates suggests, you should be able to do it from some public places.

Based on this information, I think it'd be important to have a good Plan B, but I will let you know what I hear next.

Buen camino, Laurie