Be afraid, very afraid - because you are entering credit card purgatory. That is your destination if you use one of these ubiquitous (and colorful) telephones to call home. It has become the standard issue pay phone on the islands, and an alarming and increasing number of hotels are signing up for this service. Remember this warning - do NOT use your credit card to pay for telephone calls from the islands, unless a) some large corporation is footing the bill or b) you didn't read this article. Because the charges, which they don't want you to know about firsthand are steep: $15.14 for the first minute and the bargain price of $3.57 for each following minute. So your 10 minute call to home will wind up costing $47.27. And to add a little more insult to injury, if you call from one of their accomplice hotels (they get half of the charges), it is likely that you will be dinged another couple of dollars for calling the 800 number to connect. Tip: Bring your cellphone, or buy a local phone card.
