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In the USA, you will have to deal with 2
phone companies : your "local provider" which
got a local monopoly, and your "long distance provider".
You will have no choice for the first one, but for the second,
you can play with the competition !
How to get a phone line ? what kind of subscription
should you choose ?
|
| Local
calls and the Phone Line: |
|
The easiest way and fastest way is once settled to call
your local provider :
Give them the information requested and they’ll open
the line in about 3 hours.You can open the line even if you
haven'tmoved yet in your new apartment.You'll be given the
choice between 2 kind of invoices "Unlimited calls"
or "call per call".  People
usually chose the Unlimited one, because you pay a monthly
subscription of about 15$ and get as many local phone calls
as you want.Don't forget that when you open the line you have
to pay for the opening the prices range between 35 and 55$.
On the Internet you will also find some people trying to help
you and fasten the process :
If you think you are going to make more national or
long-distance calls or international calls you can make your
choice among :
Usually most of those companies will offer you 4 types of
services that need extra subscription:
| Call Waiting |
If you are already talking on one
line a bip will alert you of an incoming call, then
you'll just have to switch by pressing the "tone"
button to go from conversation to another. |
| Call Forwarding |
Allows you to transfer your calls
to another place, such as:your office, a cellular
phone or a friend's house. |
| Unlisted Number |
Your phone number can't be find
by 411 or the Phone book. |
| Answering Service |
Similar to an answering machine,
it's a voice mail,which your phone company handles. |
Those companies will offer you different rates, depending
on the "Peak rates" or "Off-peak
rates".Make your choice regarding the
frequency of your calls to your country and be careful
with the Jet-Lag!
Here are some questions
you should ask before subscribing:
|
•
Do i get charge by the minute (full minute increment?
Or every 10 seconds ?
|
|
•
Is there a minimum communication time required ?
|
|
•
Will i get a monthly bill(with the date,hour,length,destination
and time of my phone calls) ?
|
Collect calls can
be made through specialized companies such as : " 1-800-Collect "and
"1-800-CALL-ATT", or through an Operator
by dialing " 0 " then the area
code number and the number, an operator will answer you,
just tell him you need to make a collect call. Be careful
some of the collect calls are quite expensive...for the
person your are calling.
Even if you haven't
subscribed to a long distance call provider, you are still
able to make long distance calls with a prepaid calling
card. You can buy this kind of cards in all kind of supermarkets
or gas stations. For instance you can find prepaid-calling
cards at: Walgreens; Blockbuster Video or Eckerd...The
prices of any prepaid-calling cards ranges from 5 to 20$.
The Only advise we can give you is to by cards with
the PT1 label.Another brand of Calling card
is "America On Call" 1-800-ACCESS.If
you often call to South America get the "PEPE
card"
First of all : call the "tool free"
number written on the back of the card and usually starting
with "1-800", then dial your secret
access code also written on the back of the card. You
have now access to a dial tone for international calls.
Watch out! Because some prepaid cards doesn't always carry
a "toll free" number, you might
have to pay 25c to access the tone!
But this is only a temporary solution, because those cards
are not working very well, they got a poor sound quality
but above all they are often more expensive at use than
subscribing to an international providers. Most of the
time your credit comes down from 40$ to 10$ within 2 calls
of 10 minutes !
|
•
911 is for emergencies
|
•
411 is for phone numbers information and
directory online Four11
|
|
•
800 ;888 and 877 are " toll-free
numbers "
|
|
•
The "toll free directory"
can be reached at :1-800-555-1212
|
|
•
900 numbers aren't free at all!You may ask
your phone to block your phone-line for those out
going number.
|
Note: If you happen to have a "dispute"
with your phone company; call the "FCC" (Federal
Communication Commission) Call 1-202-418-0700, or mail
to :Consumer Protection Branch Common Carrier Bureau Mail
Stop 1600A2, Washington DC 20554.
 Top
| Algeria |
355
|
Cape Verde Islands |
238
|
Gabon Republic |
241
|
Jamaica |
1-809
|
|
Andorra
|
33
|
Cayman Island |
1-809
|
Gambia |
220
|
Japan |
81
|
| Angola |
244
|
Chile |
56
|
Germany |
37/49
|
Korea |
82
|
| Anguilla |
1-809
|
China |
86
|
Ghana |
233
|
Kuwait |
965
|
| Antigua |
1-809
|
Colombia |
57
|
Greece |
30
|
Luxembourg |
352
|
| Argentina |
54
|
Congo |
242
|
Guadeloupe |
590
|
Madagascar |
261
|
| Aruba |
297
|
Costa Rica |
506
|
Guatemala |
502
|
Maldives |
960
|
| Australia |
61
|
Cyprus |
357
|
Guyana |
592
|
Mauritius |
230
|
| Austria |
43
|
Denmark |
45
|
Haiti |
509
|
Mexico |
52
|
| Bahamas |
1-809
|
Dominican Republic |
1-809
|
Honduras |
504
|
Monaco |
33
|
| Bahrain |
973
|
Ecuador |
593
|
Hong-Kong |
852
|
Morocco |
212
|
| Barbados |
1-246
|
Egypt |
20
|
Hungary |
36
|
Netherlands |
31
|
| Belgium |
32
|
El Salvador |
503
|
India |
91
|
New Caledonia |
687
|
| Belize |
501
|
Ethiopia |
251
|
Indonesia |
62
|
New Zealand |
64
|
| Bermuda |
1-809
|
Fiji Islands |
679
|
Iran |
98
|
Nicaragua |
505
|
| Bolivia |
591
|
Finland |
358
|
Iraq |
964
|
Norway |
47
|
| Brazil |
55
|
France |
33
|
Ireland |
353
|
Pakistan |
92
|
| British Virgin Islands |
1-809
|
French Antilles |
596
|
Israel |
972
|
Panama |
507
|
| Bulgaria |
359
|
French Guiana |
594
|
Italy |
39
|
Paraguay |
595
|
| Cameroon |
237
|
French Polynesia |
689
|
Ivory Coast |
225
|
Peru |
51
|
| Philippines |
63
|
Singapore |
65
|
Turks and Caicos |
1-809
|
| Portugal |
351
|
South Africa |
27
|
United Arab Emirates |
971
|
| Reunion Island |
262
|
Spain |
34
|
United Kingdom |
44
|
| Rwanda |
250
|
Surinam |
597
|
Uruguay |
598
|
| St Lucia |
1-809
|
Sweden |
46
|
Venezuela |
58
|
| St Pierre and Miquelon |
508
|
Switzerland |
41
|
Yugoslavia |
38
|
| St Vincent and The Grenadines |
1-809
|
Thailand |
66
|
Zaire |
243
|
| Saudi Arabia |
966
|
Tonga Islands |
676
|
Zambia |
260
|
| Senegal |
221
|
Trinidad and Tobago |
1-809
|
Zimbabwe |
263
|
| Seychelles Islands |
248
|
Tunisia |
216
|
|
|
Top
| Alberta |
Calgary 403
Edmonton 780
|
| British Colombia |
Victoria 250
Vancouver 604
|
| Manitoba |
204
|
| New Brunswick |
507
|
| Newfoundland |
709
|
| Nova Scotia |
902
|
| Ontario |
London 519
Ottawa 613
Sudbury 705
Thunder Bay 807
Toronto 416
Toronto Suburbs 905
|
| Prince Edward Island |
902
|
| Quebec |
Laval 450
Montreal 514
Quebec City 418
Sherbrooke 819
|
| Saskatchewan |
306
|
| Yukon |
867
|
| N.W.Territory |
867
|
| Nunavut |
867
|
| Anguilla |
264
|
| Antigua |
268
|
| Bahamas |
242
|
| Barbados |
246
|
| Bermuda |
441
|
| British Virgin Island |
284
|
| Cayman Islands |
345
|
| Dominica |
767
|
| Dominican Republic |
809
|
| Grenada |
473
|
| Jamaica |
876
|
| Montserrat |
664
|
| Puerto Rico |
787
|
| St Kitts&Nevis |
869
|
| St Lucia |
758
|
| St Vincent |
784
|
| Tobago&Trinidad |
868
|
| Turks&Caicos Islands |
649
|
| US Virgin Islands |
349
|
|
Alabama
|
Arizona
|
Arkansas
|
-Birmingham 20
-Huntsville 256
-Mobile 334
- Montgomery 334 |
-Phoenix 602
-Tucson 520 |
-Jonesboro 870
-Little Rock 501 |
|
California
|
Colorado
|
Connecticut
|
-Anaheim 714
-Bakersfield 661
-Berkeley 510
-Burbank 818
-Concord 925
-Escondido 760
-Eureka 707
-Fresno 559
-Hollywood 323
-Long Beach 562
-Los Angeles 213
-Modesto 209
-Monterey 831
-Newport Beach 949
-Oakland 510
-Palm Springs 760
-Palo Alto 650
-Pasadena 626
-Redding 530
-Riverside 909
-Sacramento 916
-San Diego 619
-San Francisco 415
-San Jose 408
-Santa Barbara 805
-Santa Monica 310/424 |
-Boulder 303
-Colorado Springs 719
-Denver 303/720
-Ft.Collins 970
-Grand Junction 970
-Pueblo 719 |
-Bridgeport 203
-Hartford 860
-Stamford 203
|
|
Delaware
|
District Of Colombia
|
Florida
|
Georgia
|
Hawaï
|
| 302 |
202 |
-Brevard 407
-Daytona Beach 904
-Ft.Lauderdale 954
-Ft.Myers 941
-Gainsville 352
-Jacksonville 904
-Key West 305
-Miami 305/786
-Orlando 321/407
-Palm Beach 561
-Panama City 850
-Pensacola 850
-Sarasota 941
-St.Lucie 561
-St.Petersburg 727
-Tallahassee 850
-Tampa 813
-W.Palm Beach 561 |
-Athens 706
-Atlanta 404/678
-Augusta 706
-Colombus 706
-Macon 912
-Savannah 912
|
808
|
|
Idaho
|
Illinois
|
Indiana
|
Iowa
|
| 208 |
-Aurora 630
-Bloomington 309
-Chicago 312/773
-Cicero 708
-Collinsville 618
-Northbrook 224/847
-Rockford 815
-Springfield 217 |
-Ft.Wayne 219
-Gary 219
-Indianapolis 317
-Lafayette 765
-Terre Haute 812 |
-Cedar Rapids 319
-Des moines 515
-Sioux City 712 |
|
Kansas
|
Kentucky
|
Louisiana
|
Maine
|
Maryland
|
-Kansas City 913
-Topeka 785
-Wichita 316 |
-Bowling Green 270
-Lexington 606
-Louisville 502 |
-Baton Rouge 225
-Lake Charles 318
-New Orleans 504
-Shreveport 318 |
207 |
-Annapolis 410/443
-Baltimore 410/443
-Rockville/Silver Springs 240/301 |
|
Massachusetts
|
Michigan
|
Minnesota
|
Mississippi
|
Missouri
|
Montana
|
-Boston 617
-Cambridge 617
-Lowell 978
-Springfield 413
-Worcester 508 |
-Ann Harbor 734
-Detroit 31
-Flint 810
-Grand Rapids 616
-Lansing 517
-Pantiac 248
-Sault St Marie 906 |
-Duluth 218
-Minneapolis 612
-Rochester 507
-St.Cloud 320
-St.Paul 651 |
-Biloxi 228
-Colombus 662
-Jackson 601
|
-Jefferson City 573
-Kansas City 816
-Sedalia 660
-St.Louis 314
-Springfield 417 |
406 |
|
Nebraska
|
Nevada
|
New Hampshire
|
New Jersey
|
-Lincoln 402
-North Platte 308
-Omaha 402 |
Las Vegas 702
-Reno 775 |
603 |
-Atlantic City 609
-Elizabeth 908
-Jersey City 201
-New Brunswick 732
-Newark 973
-Trenton 609 |
|
New Mexico
|
New York
|
North Carolina
|
North Dakota
|
| 505 |
-Albany 518
-Binghampton 607
-Brooklyn 347/718
-Buffalo 716
-Long Island 516
-Manhattan 212
-New York City 212/347/646/718
-Niagara Falls 716
-Queens 347/718
-Rochester 716
-Staten Island 347/718/917
-Syracuse 315
-White Plains 914 |
-Asheville 828
-Cape Hatteras 252
-Charlotte 704
-Raleigh 919
-Wilmington 910
-Winston-Salem 336 |
701 |
|
Ohio
|
Oklahoma
|
Oregon
|
-Akron 330
-Cincinnati 513
-Cleveland 216
-Colombus 614
-Dayton 937
-Lorain 440
-Marion 740
-Toledo 419
-Youngstown 330 |
-Oklahoma City 405
-Lawton 580
-Tulsa 918
|
-Eugene 541
-Portland 503
-Salem 503 |
|
Pennsylvania
|
Rhode Island
|
South Carolina
|
South Dakota
|
-Allentown 484/610
-Erie 814
-Harrisburg 717
-New Castle 724
-Philadelphia 215/267
-Pittsburg 412
-Scranton 570 |
401 |
-Charleston 843
-Colombia 803
-Greenville 864 |
605 |
|
Tennessee
|
Texas
|
Utah
|
Vermont
|
Virginia
|
-Chattanooga 423
-Clarksville 931
-Knoxville 423
-Menphis 901
-Nashville 615 |
-Abilene 915
-Amarillo 806
-Austin 512
-Dallas 214/469/972
-Del Rio 830
-El Paso 915
-Fort Worth 817
-Galveston 409
-Houston 281/713
-Laredo 956
-San Antonio 210
-Waco 254
-Wichita Falls 940
-Tyler 903 |
-Logan 435
-Sal Lake City 801 |
802 |
-Arlington 703
-Norfolk 757
-Richmond 804
-Roanoke 540 |
|
Washington
|
West Virginia
|
Wisconsin
|
Wyoming
|
-Bellevue 425
-Olympia 360
-Seattle 206
-Spokane 509
-Tacoma 253 |
304 |
-Eau Claire 715
-Green Bay 920
-Madison 608
-Milwaukee 414 |
307 |
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