Collect call - Definition and Overview

A collect call (or calling collect, in the UK and other countries, reverse charge call) is a telephone call in which the calling party wants to place a call at the called party's expense. In the past, collect calls were only possible as an operator-assisted call, but with the introduction of computer-based telephone dialing equipment, it is now possible to place a collect call without using an operator.

Some commercial businesses provide collect call services: in the US, 1-800-COLLECT and 1-800-CALL-ATT are replacements for the phone company's collect call services. These numbers are toll-free, and are typically free for the calling party.

Other forms of paid communication, such as telegrams, could also be sent "collect".

See also

• toll-free telephone number