# Simple math question? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794 "2006-12-27T22:13:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gus\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@Gus\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_R)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/1 "2006-12-27T22:13:18Z")
I’m comparing telephone deals for my sister so she can make occasional calls to her friend in Syria. I found her an online phone card that costs $20 plus a $2 processing fee, and charges 23.5¢ a minute. Since the $2 processing fee changes the reality of the fee being 23.5¢ a minute, how do I find out the actual per minute price? I came up with this, but I’m not sure it’s accurate: Since the $2 processing fee is 10% of $20, I added 10% to 23.5¢ and came up with 25.85¢ a minute. Am I correrct? ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@Gus\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_R)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/2 "2006-12-27T22:17:47Z")
Hmm, or do I do it this way?: At 23.5¢ a minute, she would be able to talk for 85.1 minutes on a $20 phone card. 10% less than that is 76.59 minutes. 20/76.59 = 26.1¢ ---
**Author:** ![Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/3 "2006-12-27T22:36:54Z")
Your first post is right. In your second post, you calculate a 10% decrease in minutes, but the $2 fee is a 10% increase in cost. A 10% decrease in minutes would match an 11% increase in cost 1/(100%-10%)=(100%+11.111…%) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/4 "2006-12-28T01:16:02Z")
At [onesuite.com](http://onesuite.com) you should be able to find much better cards than that. I pay 2 cents a minute to the US, with no additional charge, and to my recollection, no out-of-country calls were more than 11 cents on the “card” (its all online) I use. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/5 "2006-12-28T01:17:36Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] At [onesuite.com](http://onesuite.com) you should be able to find much better cards than that. I pay 2 cents a minute to the US, with no additional charge, and to my recollection, no out-of-country calls were more than 11 cents on the “card” (its all online) I use. -FrL- [/QUOTE] Never mind, I was wrong. The only one I found was like 38 cents. Sorry about that. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/6 "2006-12-28T03:08:26Z")
25.85 cents per minute is right. The card costs $22. $20 of that is usable minutes, at 23.5 cents per minute = 85.1 minutes on the card. $22 / 85.1 = $0.2585 per minute. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/7 "2006-12-28T12:45:59Z")
I don’t know if they cover Syria but try 712-945-1111. You need no percentages calculations for free phone calls 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/8 "2006-12-28T16:34:56Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] I don’t know if they cover Syria but try 712-945-1111. You need no percentages calculations for free phone calls 🙂 [/QUOTE] I just Googled the number and I found [this](http://www.futurephone.com/index.php) website. Does anyone know if this is legit? Unfortunately it won’t be of any good for Gus\_R’ s sister (Syria’s not on the list), but I’d sure like to use it for some other countries. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/9 "2006-12-28T18:23:26Z")
[QUOTE=x-ray vision] I just Googled the number and I found [this](http://www.futurephone.com/index.php) website. Does anyone know if this is legit? Unfortunately it won’t be of any good for Gus\_R’ s sister (Syria’s not on the list), but I’d sure like to use it for some other countries. [/QUOTE] It certainly works. I use it almost daily to call Australia, Venezuela and Canada. They have very few traffic issues and the quality of the connection is very good. I once heard the theory that they make their money with something to do with a payment to/from the company that terminates a phone call. It is pennies on a call but can make money off dark lines. Maybe someone in telco can shed some light on it. And all the numbers I dial are on the phone-book and all my conversations spin around weather, food and children. They are welcome to listen in to all my yacking, for all I care. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-math-question/385794/10 "2006-12-28T20:02:07Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] I once heard the theory that they make their money with something to do with a payment to/from the company that terminates a phone call. It is pennies on a call but can make money off dark lines. Maybe someone in telco can shed some light on it. [/QUOTE] I thought it was just the twenty second ad you listen to before you can make a call. -FrL-