LEGACY TELEPHONE Used visa debit/credit card for information at pay phone. it would not take my calling card. got a bill for 25.49 for 1 minute. my bank says i can dispute it. gonna try that first. Cypress California

but i shouldnt have to get a cell phone because everybody has one.its a waste of money.

Both credit AND debit cards can carry the VISA label, but only a credit card offers protections MANDATED by LAW. Which is why I do NOT (and probably never will) use a debit card.

Those private pay phones are simply a bad deal, but private pay phones are seldom used because most people (who travel) have cell phones.

So the PER USE costs for private pay phones is very high, while the volume of use, and hence the PER USE costs, for Bell's pay phones was very low back before cell phones became common.

For future use, at least get yourself a prepaid cell phone and buy, say, 30-minute cell phone calling cards if your use will be very limited. You don't want to have a high-value cell phone calling card expire unused.