# Help me find a Rio to USA Calling Card **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353 "2008-05-06T22:19:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/1 "2008-05-06T22:19:56Z")
As some of you may remember from another thread; I’m going on a study abroad trip to Rio De Janeiro. I’d like to purchase a prepaid calling card for making calls back to the USA that offers good rates, is not renewable. The calling card that I currently use from USA to Brazil from UnionTelecard only works one way. Oh, and I’m leaving tomorrow, so it has to be something I take care of tonight or tomorrow. 🙂 Thanks, E3 ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/2 "2008-05-06T23:45:17Z")
Are you going to have a computer and internet access? If so, try Skype. All you need is a good webcam and microphone. You can make calls to phones and the rate is fairly cheap. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/3 "2008-05-06T23:59:59Z")
[QUOTE=Enright3] Oh, and I’m leaving tomorrow, so it has to be something I take care of tonight or tomorrow. 🙂 Thanks, E3 [/QUOTE] Not exactly enough time. But I’ll call my sis. We have a neice who lives in Rio, so we know how to call her from the US for $1 for all night. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/4 "2008-05-07T01:35:33Z")
According to my sis, the rates from Brazil to the US are quite a bit lower than if you called in reverse on a normal line. But I don’t know what that means. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/5 "2008-05-07T02:19:39Z")
When a buddy of mine was in Kuwait, we used these. Not sure if it’s the best for Brazil, though. Link [http://www.nobelcom.com/nobelcom/jsp/productselection/productselection.jsp?from\_country=43&to\_country=1&x=119&y=17](http://www.nobelcom.com/nobelcom/jsp/productselection/productselection.jsp?from_country=43&to_country=1&x=119&y=17) ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/6 "2008-05-07T02:49:04Z")
[QUOTE=Caffeine.addict] Are you going to have a computer and internet access? If so, try Skype. All you need is a good webcam and microphone. You can make calls to phones and the rate is fairly cheap. [/QUOTE] Um yeah. I tried that being the IT guy that I am. My wife wasn’t so crazy about that. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/7 "2008-05-07T18:21:59Z")
[QUOTE=Enright3] Um yeah. I tried that being the IT guy that I am. My wife wasn’t so crazy about that. [/QUOTE] The lovely Ms. Kuboydal’s family in Rio only uses Skype to call Georgia now. It was a bit annoying when I tried it, but that could have been due to the overabundance of coffe and the residue of cachaca in my system. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/8 "2008-05-07T19:31:53Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] The lovely Ms. Kuboydal’s family in Rio only uses Skype to call Georgia now. It was a bit annoying when I tried it, but that could have been due to the overabundance of coffe and the residue of cachaca in my system. [/QUOTE] I tried it here in GA to call someone in the same town… and I found it almost unbearable. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/9 "2008-05-08T20:15:32Z")
Really? I use it to talk to family in Vitoria and it works pretty well. For the most part the calls are clear and actually seeing the person you are talking to is nice. My folks use it as well. I’ve used it with a friend in Spain and it works pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/10 "2008-05-09T03:55:15Z")
I’d say use Skype too, but… Broadband just isn’t as common in Brazil as one would hope. Every time I go there I find myself asking my wife’s cousins kids if they can let me hop on their dialup connection at midnight to check my email. I did this last summer. They still have many places where you pay by the hour for dialup. I would hope you have better luck in a university environment, though. Of course the best bit was when I was asked to fix virus-ridden machines that (naturally) had all of the Windows system stuff written in Portuguese, and I had to download things like Ad-aware or Antivir over dialup. Joy. Oh, and that’s where I saw “Windows XP Starter Edition” for the first time. (Never heard of [XP Starter Edition](http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_starter_edition.asp)?) ---
**Author:** ![Blueapple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Blueapple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueapple)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/11 "2008-05-10T04:59:03Z")
I would just buy it once you get to Rio. It will be much cheaper there anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/12 "2008-05-10T23:39:21Z")
I have nothing useful to add to this discussion, but I have to say…Rio! I envy you immensely. That city is amazing! Have a great time. Dance to samba de roda in the Fundacao Progresso at least once for me. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-rio-to-usa-calling-card/448353/13 "2008-05-11T01:28:53Z")
Seriously people…11 replies and no one has mentioned Duran Duran? Shame on you!