A
collect call in
Canada,
Pakistan, and the
United States, known as a
reverse charge call in the majority of the English-speaking world, 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, which is called
automated operator services (AOS) as opposed to
Home Country Direct (HCD). Several companies offer services to place collect calls that compete with local service providers. Collect calls can be made from almost any
public pay telephone in the world by following directions posted on or near the phone. Collect calling has been in constant decline since the advent of
cellular phones and
VOIP products, which can offer cheaper international rates.