Earlier, Sandy Sandfort wrote:
What I was discussing are "pre-paid" calling cards. You can buy Western [..] French" articles in MONDO 2000 last year. Their phone number is (800) 776-5424.
Here in Australia, we have only two telecos (currently in the midst of a deregulatory process), one is the prer deregulation entity and as such owns all the payphones across the country. All payphones can accept cards similar to what you describe, we call them 'phonecards'. You buy your topped up card at a newsagent or one of many vendors around the place even machines on railway platforms. You mention that an 800 number must be called ? Interesting, ours are totally different in that respect, for all intents and purposes, the card is nothing more than a cash subsitute, you push it in the phone instead of coins, and it deducts credit. These cards are throwaway, credit info is stored magnetically and a holes are punched to give a visual indication of credit left. An LCD display on the phone shows your credit when you put the card in. These are true anonymous cash substitutes, of course except that they are not accepted as legal tender. On one occasion, I paid a person this way, using $30 worth of $10 phonecards, not because of any untraceibility aspects, but because it happened to be convenient tender for me at the time. Also! It is possible to store numbers on them, the intended market being for parents to give kiddies a card with an autodial number (ie. home) incase of problems. Kiddie pops in card, it automagically dials home. I don't have any idea as to whether this number is shown on the LCD when it is dialed. I suspect it is, otherwise I think you can see situations like the following: A: "If you need to contact me, pop in the card, it'll give me a ring" B: "But whats your number ?" A: "You don't need to worry about that." Matthew. -- Matthew Gream. ph: (02)-821-2043. M.Gream@uts.edu.au. PGPMail and brown paperbags accepted. - Non Servatum -