Unless you make a collect call, you will need a calling card to use a Brazilian pay phone.
Telefonica Calling Cards
Available in 20, 40, 50 or 75 credits. Credits are not the same as minutes. The same calling card can be used for local or long distance, and credits are counted faster when you call long distance (known in Brazil as DDD, or Discagem Direta à Distância).
You can buy calling cards at:
- Bakeries
- Coffee shops
- Snack bars
- Newsstands
- Drugstores
- Post office agencies
- Telefonica stores
- Any store that has a Telefonica sign on the window saying Cartão Telefônico Aqui.
Telefonica calling cards don't come with a code. On the pay phone, there is a slot where the card must be inserted and kept for the duration of the call - don't forget to retrieve it when you're done.
A digital panel on the pay phone shows how many credits you have at the start of the call and how many are being used as you speak.
Keep in mind that calling a cell phone (celular in Portuguese) from a fixed telephone (fixo) in Brazil is much more expensive than fixed-to-fixed calls.
Embratel Calling Cards
Go to the Embratel website for instructions in English about buying and using an Embratel prepaid phone card. They come with scratch codes.
Embratel prepaid cards can be found at:
- Lottery stations accredited by Caixa Econômica Federal
- Laselva Bookshops
- Online (instructions in Portuguese only) with delivery of the access code on the computer screen.
If you need to call international in Brazil, try to call collect rather than direct (DDI). Rates are not as good in Brazil as in the US.
If you do need to call DDI, you can get help in English from Embratel (0800 707 21 00).
Further Reading:
