I've used phone cards from payphones. Years ago, I found occasionaly payphones that were privately owned that wouldn't let me make 800 calls from them - the owner wouldn't have been paid. I have some hazy recollection that new laws mandate a payment to the owner of the phone, so this may no longer be a problem.

I think all payphones in the US give a dial tone when you pick up the handset - this is so you can dial 911 without having coins. You can dial 800 numbers without coins, assuming the owner of the phone allows it or the law has changed to require it; see the preceding paragraph.

How much does a call cost, where are you calling, how long will you talk? Do you have that many coins? And how long will they last in the post-disaster world (think New Orleans)?

My credit card is linked to ATT, so I have credit calls from phones as long as my credit card works. :-> I travel often to the French West Indies, so I make calls back to the US using ATT's French toll-free number without having the phone I'm calling from billed, although it's not toll-free to me - I pay for the international call. I get an English-speaking operator if I need assistance making the call or getting a number.

I recommend a non-expiring card because you won't always have a pocketful of quarters when disaster strikes. Since I have an ATT-connected credit card, I'm good to go.

An acquaintance of mine lived in Manhattan when they had a major power-outtage years ago. You couldn't get a dial tone on your cell phone. People were using their cell phones to light up the interiors of office buildings as they looked for payphones, which still worked.