How to make international phone calls From Ulm Germany?

Question

i need puplic phone to call. is there a card or somthing like that to call and where can i get it from and where the puplic phone located normally????

Answer 1

There's actually the most easy way to call:

Go to a "T-Punkt" or a post office and buy a phone card. Go to a phone booth. Insert the card into the slot, dial 00 (double-zero) for international calls, dial 1 for "USA or Canada", then dial the number you want to be connected to.

That's the easiest and most expensive way. But I'd recommend you buy a prepaid card for your mobile phone, if it supports European GSM standards. If it doesn't, buy a cheap mobile phone (available for as little as 40 euros if it's a used one) and a SIM (subscriber identitity module, runs for about 10..20 euros, with 5..10 euros worth in phone calls already included; I'd recommend Vodafone/D2 for their nice international call rates). The dialing procedure on a mobile is exactly the same than on any other phone: 00 gives you international calls, then the country code (1 is for USA/Canada; the other way round, 49 is for Germany), then area and local code as usual.

For calls to European countries, most people write down their telephone number with a leading zero. That's only the dial-in for national long distance, so it must be left out when calling internationally. But when you buy a mobile SIM, you'll get your number already in international format, starting with something like "+49" for a German number. The "+" must be replaced by the national code for international calls, which in Europe is 00, but might be 001 or something like that in other countries.

I'd strongly recommend you get a mobile and a German mobile phone number as soon as possible if you intend to stay longer. It's better, it's cheaper, and it will make you more independent.

Answer 2

Most international calls are managed by the BundesPost.  (Post Office)  Go to the main post office in town, go into the 'telephone area, and tell the person at the counter where you'd like to call.  They will ask for the phone number (area code + phone#), the name of the person you are calling.  They make the call and then direst you to a phone booth located in the same area.  When you finish talking, they will tell you the total cost of the call.

Answer 3

Pick up the phone and dial the country code for the country you want, followed by the phone number in the country you are  calling.

Answer 4

subst99s' answer is actually really all there is to say. I would follow his advise and try to find one of those calling "businesses" he suggests in the end of this answer.

Answer 5

The system Joesph describes must be from the era when John McCain was a young man. The Bundespost was split up some 20 years ago.

Public telephones are ever harder to find unfortunately, because people use those ghastly cell phones.

But you should still find them in train stations, hospitals, on major public transport hubs (where many bus lines intersect each other), near major post offices and "T-Punkt" stores, and in city centre squares.

Almost all of them are operated by "Deutsche Telekom" (they are usually in a pink and grey colour scheme); many look like actual phone boxes, but more and more get replaces by mere posts or pillars with a phone attached.

Some of them take cash, others only Deutsche Telekom phone cards. Public phones that accept credit cards are extremely rare, and charge a small fortune - mind you, all international calls from a public telephone will be fantastically expensive anyway.

Deutsche Telekom phone cards can be purchased at "T-Punkt" stores. If you have difficulty with the language, be careful they don't sell you a calling card for a cell phone instead - public phone booth is "Telefonzelle" in German.

Depending which country you want to call, a cheaper option may be to look for a calling shop - they are sometimes found inside internet cafes. It's a place foreign workers, especially from Asia and from Arabia, use to call home, because the operators there can make a special price. They are more likely to be found in areas where many foreigners live; but near the main train station might also be a place where they could be situated.