In 1920 long distance calls were charged by the minute, and by the distance. The operator would write down when she connected your line on the switchboard, then note down the time when she unhooked it.
In 1920:
>a call from New York to Indianapolis, Indiana would cost $4.15 for the first three minutes and $1.35 for each additional minute
>a call from New York to Los Angeles, California would cost a lot more - $15.65 for the first three minutes and $5.20 for each additional minute.
In Germany during WWII (according to Richard von Rosen's memoir) you had to wait a few hours for your long-distance call to connect. You could pay double to get connected faster and ten times the price to connect faster still.
In 1920:
>a call from New York to Indianapolis, Indiana would cost $4.15 for the first three minutes and $1.35 for each additional minute
>a call from New York to Los Angeles, California would cost a lot more - $15.65 for the first three minutes and $5.20 for each additional minute.
https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/35135/how-much-d...