# Please help me choose a long distance phone service **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2002, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-a-long-distance-phone-service/102894 "2002-04-10T20:15:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Geoduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c37758/32.png) [@Geoduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geoduck)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-a-long-distance-phone-service/102894/21 "2002-04-15T19:48:47Z")
Type “long distance phone service comparison” into Google and check out a few of the “objective” evaluation sites. We are in the middle of doing that today. There seem to be a few no monthly fee services that are cheap. Zone LD is one of them, but a few more we are checking out now. Another option is to go to Costco and buy a MCI calling card which provides 3.5 cent per minute calls. You have to program your phone to pre-enter the access number and codes, but Consumers Reports recommends this approach. The problem with not designating a long distance carrier to your local phone company is that you are then at the mercy of any company if and when a visitor to your home makes a long distance call by the usual means. A random but "permanent " designation process then gets triggered. Cell phones can be good to urban areas, depending on your carrier. Because their use is limited to a single phone, we don’t use them much for long distance–we like having an extension phone for our young kids to speak to their relatives on. ---
**Author:** ![Doubting\_Robert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Doubting\_Robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubting_Robert)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-a-long-distance-phone-service/102894/22 "2002-04-17T22:54:43Z")
**Geoduck** , thank you. That technique led me to a lot of choices, some of which sound pretty good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-choose-a-long-distance-phone-service/102894.md?page=1)