The Baby Boomer eMuseum

Life

Long-distance (toll) telephone calls were expensive

Long-distance (toll) telephone calls were expensive
A long-distance call could be quite costly, depending on the time of day and the distance involved. Callers would try to keep the conversation as brief as possible.

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There are 4 comments for this item.

Posted by Chuck Kopsho at 3:26 pm (PDT) on Tue May 16, 2017   
My father was pissed at me for running up the phone bill. One time, I put the bill in the fireplace. Ultimately, he would get another copy of a past due bill. Then is when I stopped. Now I have a smartphone and I can call toll free within the U.S.A. and Canada. I have one of the Obamaphones.
Posted by LoyalTubist at 9:13 pm (PDT) on Mon September 5, 2016   
With cell phones, any phone number in the United States is local. The local landline phone company here in Needles goes better than that: Any call to the United States or any of the five territories is a local call. Wow.

I can remember when I was in the Army and it usually cost $10 to call my girlfriend in Los Angeles from Fort Dix, New Jersey. And I had to get a roll of quarters from either the credit union or the PX to make the call.
Posted by freddo30 at 7:10 pm (PDT) on Thu April 7, 2016   
Ha Ha , Kent State 1974 , girls had to sell their food coupons for 1/3 face value to pay their long distance phone bills amassed calling their (former) high school boyfriends at (home, boyfriend's college, etc). I kept the money my father sent for food coupons and bought theirs, pocketed the difference and ate like a king. Of course the guys all had new girlfriends by then anyhow...McDowell had the best breakfast and Prentice was good for supper.
Posted by Bob Matthews at 3:16 pm (PDT) on Thu July 10, 2014   
"Number pleeeaze!"

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