Choosing A Phone Card
There are two different types of calling cards - Postpaid and Prepaid. A postpaid calling card allows you to make calls by first dialing a toll free access number and then entering your personal PIN. Then you dial the number of the person you wish to call. With a Postpaid calling card, you pay for the calls after you make them, usually by being billed once a month as you would be by a regular long distance provider.
A Prepaid calling card works just like a Postpaid card, only with Prepaid cards you pay for your calls before placing them. Prepaid calling cards can be bought in various dollar or minute increments. Most Prepaid calling cards can be recharged (which means to add more minutes to it) by calling a customer service number and paying for more minutes upfront by charging the amount on your credit card.
Calling cards are generally used by consumers looking for discounted rates for International calling and can be used from any phone, which makes them a popular choice for long distance calling while traveling. Before choosing a calling card to buy, be sure to check for:
Is there a surcharge for each call placed?
A surcharge is a base charge by some calling card companies that you are charged each time you use the card to place a call. For example, if a company charges a 25 cent surcharge per phone call, then you would be charged 25 cents each time you used the card, just for using it, in addition to the charge per minute on the call.
Is there a monthly fee for each month there is use of the card?
Some calling card companies charge a monthly each month that you have the card. Post paid calling cards would add this charge to your monthly bill and pre paid calling cards would deduct the monthly charge from your available minutes on your card.
What are the per minute rates?
A 5 dollar calling card may not be cheaper than a 20 dollar phone card in the long run. Be sure to find out the per minute rate. Post paid calling cards should have rates clearly defined. However, a lot of prepaid cards are sold in minute increments, but do not clearly state the per minute rate. To find out the per minute rate, divide the price by the number of minutes on the card. A lot of prepaid cards have cheaper per minute rates when you buy more minutes at once.
Are the rates affected by the time of day the call is placed?
Find out if the calling card has the same rates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Be sure to ask if Holidays carry special rates as well. Some calling cards carry higher per minute rates on daytime calls.
Does the card expire within a certain amount of time?
Some calling cards carry an expiration date, after which, any unused minutes on the calling card are simply gone and not available for use. Postpaid calling cards usually do not expire, however, it is not uncommon for a prepaid card to have an expiration date. Make sure the expiration date is far enough in the future that you will use all of the minutes on your card by the time the card expires.
We are proud to offer some of the best calling cards on the market with great rates to many international locations.
Use our Best Rates Calculator to see which card will save you the most money based on your needs.
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