The near death of the pay telephone.
By Marie Coyle
@MarieCoyle (30175)
May 18, 2024 4:49pm CST
The neighbor came over. He needed to make a call to get his son to take him to his cell provider, because his phone decided to die, I believe from what he said, of old age. He wanted his son to help him pick out the best phone for him.
Of course, I told him to use my phone to call his son. Then he said to me, where is there a pay phone around here, if this ever happens again? I honestly could not think of a single pay phone. After he left, I looked it up. The nearest pay phone is 12 miles away. And they have exactly 2 pay phones in the entire city.
The pay phone is pretty much obsolete, I suppose in a few more years there won't be any at all.
Do you have any pay phones close to where you live?
Remember airports that literally had rows of pay phones? I still see the very occasional one in an airport at times.
I recall a time way back in the day when high school boys thought it was cool to see how many kids they could cram into a phone booth. That was one game I never wanted to play, I just can't imagine being squashed like that!
18 people like this
17 responses
@LeaPea2417 (36684)
• Toccoa, Georgia
18 May
No pay phones exist anymore in my town.
4 people like this
@LeaPea2417 (36684)
• Toccoa, Georgia
19 May
@MarieCoyle yes, my parents still use their landline phone.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
20 May
@LeaPea2417
I do not miss the landline phone at all. So, so many spam calls.
2 people like this
@popciclecold (35973)
• United States
18 May
I haven't seen a phone booth in years.
4 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
18 May
I think the last pay phone I recall seeing was in an airport, close to some restrooms.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (171971)
• United States
18 May
There was one in town at the Hardee's, but not sure that is even there anymore. That is the only one I knew of. It has been years since I have seen a phone booth. I bet there might be 5 in the whole country.
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (171971)
• United States
18 May
@MarieCoyle Likely..but some may hang around like dinosaurs for a good long time. They just recently closed the last Blockbuster video.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
18 May
The small town I used to live close to, had one at the corner by the McDonald’s parking lot. The University of Illinois is a huge college.They have no pay phones at all on the list I saw. I don’t know the last time I saw an actual phone booth.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
@snowy22315
Oh wow...Blockbuster! Ours have all been closed for years now. I guess I thought they were all gone, never thought about it.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (160797)
• Boise, Idaho
19 May
For quite some time we had one last pay phone down by the library. Now they have even taken it out. It is pretty much obsolete. No more of them around here at all now. Oh, yes the phonebooth squeeze. Funny!
3 people like this
@celticeagle (160797)
• Boise, Idaho
20 May
@MarieCoyle ......I never did either but loved the stories told about it.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
20 May
@celticeagle
Oh, yes, and the guys would show up on Monday at school to brag about how many of them got in a phone booth over the weekend. They were easily entertained!
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
That phone booth squeeze was a huge deal for years...I never did it, I don't like being squished!
2 people like this
@kaylachan (59718)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 May
Before George's stroke, there was a place we'd drive by that had a pay phone in it. I am not sure the phone was connected to anything, or a shell of what once was. But, you're right. Many have them have been removed. Or, if standing, aren't connected to service so you're literally throwing money away.
3 people like this
@kaylachan (59718)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 May
@MarieCoyle I agree. It's to costly to just tear them down, so they just sit, with no service, and rusting.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
@kaylachan
Maybe Superman came and picked most of them up? Maybe he is saving them for his young Superman children to use for changing? Hey, that would be pretty cool! 
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
I have noticed that in a very few spots, a telephone booth has been revived and moved and turned in to one of those ''little free libraries'' which is a neat idea. The ones I have seen were all redone, and nicely placed, etc. But I think most of them have just been junked out here in the US.
3 people like this
@RasmaSandra (74599)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 May
Personally, it was good that there were pay phones and also bad, I was born and raised in NYC and I always had the horrors of making a call on a pay phone because of all the germs that could be on that receiver, I only made calls if absolutely necessary,
3 people like this
@RasmaSandra (74599)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 May
@MarieCoyle then if I was there now I would be carrying around Clorox wet wipes if I need to use one
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
18 May
@RasmaSandra
Well, probably so, but we know how Covid spread and how fast we can get sick, so we are all more careful now.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
18 May
I stumbled on an article that said NYC still had many pay phones.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
Other than our airport, and a few other airports, I haven't noticed any either.
2 people like this
@Juliaacv (49088)
• Canada
18 May
I cannot think of a place where there is a pay phone in our city.
I would imagine that there is one at the Via train station, perhaps at the university and the college, and most likely at the airport. But when I did a search it only brought up cell phone plans. 
It was good and right of you to be a good neighbour and et him use your phone.
It was good and right of you to be a good neighbour and et him use your phone.3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
18 May
Oh, he is a nice guy. A good neighbor, not a problem.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
There really are not hardly any left anywhere, Anna.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (461843)
• Switzerland
20 May
@MarieCoyle There are no more from several years.
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (97280)
• Marion, Ohio
18 May
I don't know of any near us. There might be but I haven't seen them
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
18 May
I just hadn’t realized that there are basically none left to speak of.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
I think it must be that way pretty much all over the world, pay phones will soon be obsolete.
3 people like this
@thelme55 (76635)
• Germany
23 May
@MarieCoyle I think it’s the same here in Germany too in this regard.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
It does seem that a lot of the UK is the same as the US in this regard.
2 people like this
@pitsipeahie (4503)
•
19 May
I see them no more, at least in my place they've vanished from sight. They're pretty obsolete now, and you can count the remaining ones on your fingers. With today's technology and nearly everyone owning smartphones, payphones just aren't needed anymore.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
I realized when he asked me where a pay phone would be, that there is none that I can recall, not anywhere close to my home. They just aren't a necessity like they once were, since cell phones are everywhere now.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
21 May
Just not very many left, even in the places that still have a few.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129980)
• Israel
19 May
@MarieCoyle
You are right that they are dying out. I do not see many here.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129980)
• Israel
20 May
@MarieCoyle
The ones I have seen are in the open.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
20 May
@Hannihar
Even the ones I’ve seen occasionally in airports seem tucked away in a corner.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (30175)
•
19 May
I think if you do have any at all, they are probably somewhat hidden.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (160234)
• United States
19 May
I don't know of a pay phone anywhere around us. Have a good day.
2 people like this
