Public Telephones and Phone Cards

If you travel in remote places you will be aware that even in small country towns there are public telephone boxes mainly Telstra.  Payment of calls can be by coin or card.  As there has been a move to have more telephone boxes with card payment to deter thieves it may be a good idea to purchase a Phonecard before you depart.  Cards for $10, $20 & $50 amounts can be purchased from Australia Post, newsagents or phone shops and the card displays the remaining credit balance at the conclusion of the call. 

Some providers such as Telstra and Optus have a phone card that can be linked to your home telephone account which you pay when you get home.
 

Telstra PhoneAway , Telstra Say G’Day or Telecard can be purchased on line from Telstra Calling Card Shop.  Whilst the PhoneAway and Say G’Day cards can be topped up over the telephone or on line you need to have a Telstra phone account for the Telecard facility. 

Most of these cards allow you to make calls from most telephones in Australia and around the world.  Family and friends can leave voicemail messages which can be retrieved by you from nearly everywhere. 

In some larger major tourist areas the public telephones have provision for payment by credit or debit cards such as Mastercard, Visa or American Express by swiping the card in a slot.  There may be a service fee for this type of payment.

Many small stores and petrol stations also have coin operated telephones for use by the public.