Trip down memory lane: the memories of youth stored in phone cards

2023-03-22

Today we take a trip down memory lane, with a look at an item that’s now in decline: the phone card. Our older viewers will remember the days when paying for a call at a phone box with a phone card was a normal event. Younger viewers may never have laid eyes on one! But for many people, fond memories of youth are inextricably linked with phone cards – whether calling family while on military service, or sneaking out of the house to call a sweetheart.

Stamp collector Hsu Yao-fang brings out a pile of his phone card albums. Flipping through the pages of the packed albums, memories come flooding up.

Hsu Yao-fang
Stamp-collecting club owner
In the old days, if they released cards related to the Twelve Animals of the Zodiac or the National Palace Museum, people would be lining up on the street to buy it, the day it came out. Back when lots of people were collecting, there must have been hundreds of thousands of collectors.

Phone cards like these used to ignite buying frenzies. They once came in all kinds of designs to cater to different tastes. For collectors, they’re an instant reminder of their youth.

Member of public
I used to call my sweetheart with it.

Member of public
It was convenient during military service. If you had NT$100 you could just use this card to make phone calls until it was used up.

Member of public
I used this phone card for long-distance calls.

Messaging technology is constantly evolving – from beepers to flip phones to smartphones. These days, public telephones and phone cards are on their last legs. Almost nobody uses them. But they still have a special place in the heart of some users.

Member of public
Cell phones are more expensive. If I want to have a long phone call, the phone card is more convenient.

Member of public
Nobody I know uses them.

In this age of ubiquitous internet, the public phone booth is in terminal decline. But cards like this still ignite passionate memories for many former users.

那些年的公共電話卡蒐藏冊掀起回憶殺

2023-03-22

人手一機的時代，公共電話從溝通要角，轉型為緊急救災的公共建設，也讓電話卡像是待退老兵一般，成為蒐藏冊裡的回憶，不過有精打細算的民眾表示，打市話和長途時，還是會想到公共電話。

捧著一本本蒐藏冊，不僅看起來份量十足，翻開看看藏什麼寶藏，回憶呼之欲出。

[[集郵社老闆許耀方]]
“以前如果發行生肖或故宮的東西，大家發行當天就會排隊去買。以前收藏人數多的時候，可能有幾十萬人在收藏。”

曾經引發搶購潮的電話卡，造型多樣，除了滿足收藏家喜好，更令人念念不忘的是，那段使用電話卡的青春時光。

[[民眾]]
“(以前會)打給老情人。”

[[民眾]]
“(當兵的時候用)很方便。有100元就用這打電話打到完。”

[[民眾]]
“打長途就用這個電話卡。”

從嗶嗶叩、按鍵式電話到智慧型手機，通訊科技日新月異，公共電話與電話卡像是待退老兵一般，越來越少人使用，不過還是有民眾有特殊偏好。

[[民眾]]
“手機打比較貴，如果要講比較長時間，電話卡是比較方便。”

[[民眾]]
“我認識的人可能沒在用了。”

網路無遠弗屆的時代，公共電話式微，但這一張張電話卡，也讓不少民眾立刻回憶起青春年少。