Collect call facts for kids
A collect call is a special kind of phone call. Usually, the person who makes the call pays for it. But with a collect call, the person making the call wants the person they are calling to pay instead.
In the past, you needed a special person called an operator to make a collect call. The operator would connect the call and then ask the person receiving it if they agreed to pay. If they said no, the call would not go through. Today, computers handle most collect calls, so you don't need to talk to an operator.
Collect calls used to be very popular, especially from payphones. But now, with mobile phones and internet-based calling like VoIP, long-distance calls are much cheaper. Because of this, collect calls are not used as much anymore.
It's interesting to know that the most collect calls are made on Father's Day. However, the day with the most phone calls overall is Mother's Day.
See also
In Spanish: Llamada a cobro revertido para niños
