How do I call home?

This is the first part of our series of FAQs on studying in America.

We asked a selection of students, already in the US, to share the wisdom of their experiences with us. This is what some of them wrote back to say.

Our topic: How do I call home once I reach?

Reply 1 from Suba Vasudevan, formerly at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Calling cards are easily available, and if you don't end up buying them online in India (on sites like razacomm.com and relianceindiacall.com), you will always get them at the local Indian store.  However, with the advent of the Internet, my advice would be to arm yourself with a calling card from India.  With the calling card, you will be emailed a pin number and a dial-in number that you will use to call into (toll-free) while in the US. 

Reply 2 from Anjali, formerly at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 

The best phone company I've found is Reliance. You can go on to their website and either get a prepaid card
or you can sign up for a plan where they deduct the amount of your bill from your credit card every month.

Reply 3 from Tora Mitra, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts

Phone cards are usually the best option to call India. Even the grocery stores sell phone cards so that should not be a problem.

Reply 4 from Sridhar Vedachalam, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Get hold of international calling cards from India. Airtel offers one such, and so do others like TATA, etc. You can buy in denominations of Rs. 500. It can be bought online using a Indian credit card. A few weeks after settling here, you can buy Calling cards in the US. Some of them are post paid, while there are some pre-paid cards available as well.

Reply 5 from Rammesh Navaneethakrishnan, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Reliance India Call (Slightly costly but best voice quality)

Reply 6 from Nishi Mishra, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota

Once you reach your destination, ask around for calling cards to make international calls. Some domestic US airports might have  very few shops with international calling cards, so you might have to walk around a bit. If you have to catch another flight then don't go  around looking for a calling card all over the place. It is advisable to reach your final destination and then look for a calling card. More so, if you are being accomodated by your seniors temporarily then ask them to buy you a calling card from internet, pay them in cash and use their phone to make your call.

Reply 7 from Nikhil, Stanford University, Stanford, California

Buy a 'calling card' using relianceindiacall.com and follow directions to dial to home

Reply 8 from Priyanka Gupta, Connecticut

Get a reliance phone card online at www.relianceindiacall.com

Reply 9 from S, Michigan

Calling cards (available at any gas station or grocery store) are the cheapest option. You can use them with a public payphone or ask one of your friends to lend you their cellphone.

Reply 10 from Dinesh Rajan, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana

An International calling card is necessary to call home. They can easily be procured over the internet if a credit card is available. Otherwise it would a good idea to check with senior students to know of any other facilities available in calling back home.