What is a collect call?

A collect call is a type of telephone call in which the calling party asks the receiving party to pay for the cost of the call. The receiving party accepts the charges by providing their phone number or by agreeing to pay using a credit card or prepaid account.

Collect calls are often used in situations where the calling party does not have access to their own phone or is unable to pay for the call themselves. This type of call is typically more expensive than a regular call, as the receiving party is responsible for covering the cost of the call.

Collect calls were more commonly used before the advent of mobile phones and unlimited calling plans, but they are still available as a service offered by some telephone carriers. Nowadays, there are also other ways to make calls without incurring the cost of a collect call, such as using a calling card or a messaging app with voice calling capabilities.