When Was the Last Time You Used a Payphone, and How Much Was It?

When was the last time you used a payphone - and how much was it? Can  you even remember?

Payphones are like good pumpkin pie. They do exist, but they are rare.

If you are old enough,  you can remember when payphones were on every other corner, and it cost just 10 cents to make a call. You could call collect, or person-to-person for your ten cents, or you could keep depositing change to pay for your escalating minutes.

Now the cost of using a payphone is 50 cents, but it's for  unlimited minutes. That seems like a reasonable fee if  you are calling your Aunt WIlma or Uncle Wilbur, but for transacting routine phone calls with your spouse, family, and friends it could get a little pricey. Besides, a cell phone is a lot easier to carry around.

Think about it. The average cell phone bill is about $144. That translates out to  just over $1700 per year. If  you had your own personal payphone, you could make 869 calls for that amount.

It's been so long since I've used a pay phone I don't even remember the experience. I have had a cell phone now for 14 years, so I'm  pretty sure it's been at least that long. I remember using a payphone in the dorm  my first year of college -1982.  I would call my parents collect, they would refuse the charges, and then call me right back.

Do you remember the last time you used a payphone? When was the last time you saw a payphone? Maybe you can find one in one of the local antique stores.