# Anyone remember 10-10 long distance services? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 24, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-10-10-long-distance-services/659215 "2013-05-24T13:28:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-10-10-long-distance-services/659215/21 "2013-05-25T19:08:13Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I remember them, but phone cards were cheaper and thus were what I used in college, where we didn’t have a long distance service otherwise. Eventually the collect calling services were even cheaper, so I started using those. Plus they worked at payphones, without me having to have exact change to make the call. (I even used them for local calls on payphones.) Using prepaid calling cards required me to call a toll-free number first. That used to be free from pay phones, but later they instituted a charge (about fifty cents) for tell-free calls from pay phones. So that made the prepaid cards less of a good deal. (I still carry one in my wallet for emergency purposes, although I suppose that I can borrow a stranger’s cell phone in a real emergency.) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-10-10-long-distance-services/659215/22 "2013-05-25T19:10:21Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Did you tape a piece of paper to your phone reminding anyone who used it to please dial 10-10-whatever first? My folks did that for a while. In fact, we had an official 10-10-YAK sticker that we stuck on the handset of our phone. (We also have the “no long distance plan” option for our home phone.) ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-10-10-long-distance-services/659215/23 "2013-05-25T19:25:00Z")
Don’t forget the Dime Lady! ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-10-10-long-distance-services/659215/24 "2013-05-26T01:52:06Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > In fact, we had an official 10-10-YAK sticker that we stuck on the handset of our phone. (We also have the “no long distance plan” option for our home phone.) OP Here: I took another look at the VarTec snail-mail ad before consigning it to the Dustbin Of History (conveniently located in the kitchen) - it was the 10-10-811 "Five_Line" (_ = Image of Buffalo Nickel) - 5¢ a minute State to State! No Monthly fees! 50¢ minimum a call! What a Deal! But alas, apparently deals like that are long gone according to reviews of much later 10-10 plans. What impressed me most was the glossy quality “Don’t Forget” Christmas-card like ad, which had my Dad’s name and other information hand-written inside - I know robot signers existed back then†, but that’d be some up front capital expense - more likely they just hire some poor miminum wage temps to write the data. How much profit could they be making at 5¢ a minute, 50¢ minimum call anyway? I guess more than you’d think… And indeed there was a insert with a “Dial 10-10-811” sticker, but my parents didn’t bite on sticking that to the phone. †For Poster “the turn of WHICH century?” Napier, as I recall way back in the long ago year of 2000, they were steam-powered of course. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-10-10-long-distance-services/659215/25 "2013-05-26T04:45:24Z")
Um, I still use one (10-10-987) for calling Europe when I’m concerned about voice quality. If I’m just going to tell my German buddy to call me right back, I’ll use my Google Voice account. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-10-10-long-distance-services/659215.md?page=1)