celoni@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Jim Celoni) (01/13/91)
In article <16006@accuvax.nwu.edu> zweig@cs.uiuc.edu writes: >My AT&T Universal card ... [doesn't] >work with _any_ long distance company other than AT&T.... >My understanding was that there was some kind of mechanism for >distributing calling card numbers... It's a feature :). My AT&T Universal calling card number works fine with the local operating companies (e.g. Pac*Bell) for intra-LATA calls, but only with AT&T for inter-LATA. So my number is in the shared database, but the IXCs have more restricted access to it?? I do think it's a feature because it alerts one who doesn't notice the lack of the sparkling "AT&T" or the "Thank you for using AT&T" voices that another carrier is trying to handle the call. I use Metromedia <> ITT's Preferred Calling Card (NO surcharge, 950 access, competitive per-minute rates; info 800/ 275-0100) for most domestic calls, even intra-LATA, but if I know a call will be long enough for the difference in per-minute rates to exceed the surcharge (e.g. 0.72+(ATT less 10%) < Metro, or 0.40+PacBell < Metro -- several minutes to > 1/2 hr depending on time of day and called number), then I'll use the Universal Card. A caveat about the Universal Card: the magnetic stripe has the credit card number, not calling card number, so if you swipe it into a public phone, your credit card will be billed *by whatever carrier the phone wants to use*, and even if it's AT&T you won't get the 10% off. I punch my number in. Another competitive option for travel calling (not touted as often as the MCI Card and Sprint FONcard) is MCI's VisaPhone/MasterPhone (0.70 surcharge+0.10-0.18/min; info 800/ 866-0099/333-3252). Standard disclaimer applies; I'm just a happy user. +j