Collect calls from cell phone

[BAwithkids]

Does anyone know if (and how) you can make collect calls to the US from an Argentine cell phone? My daughter is in the hospital, and we need to be able to talk with our US insurance company while there. It's BlueCard, which is fantastic, and they have a collect number we can use, but at least last night, the hospital wouldn't let us use their phones to contact an international operator in order to make the call.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[tangobob]

Not really an answer I'm afraid. You will find that the Argentine telephone companies bill you no matter what, if you call out and if someone calls you internationally.
There is an answer however, have you thought of calling from a locotorio? the calls are so cheap that you will probably not even consider the cost. Just make sure you have some metalico with you, they will not change a $10 note.

 

[ndcj]

Firstly, sorry to hear your daughter is in hospital, and I hope everything works out ok!

So far as I know, you can only make collect calls from here from landlines. Cell phone operators will charge you for the minutes regardless.

What about initiating a call to them from your cell phone and requesting a call back? A lot of companies that offer reverse charges calls from overseas will call you back on any number anywhere in the world, because it's becoming increasingly difficult to make reverse charges calls in a lot of countries.

I presume you already know, but to dial a US number from here, it's 00-1-areacode-number.

 

[BAwithkids]

Thanks to you both. So, I can make an international call from my cell phone? I know the insurance company will do call backs, so that's a great idea. And we'll see if there's a locotorio near the hospital.

 

[starlucia]

Do you have a laptop and access to Wifi in the hospital? If so, you could use Skype, which is how I make all of my international calls (I find it the cheapest and easiest option by far.)