Phone Cards & Calling Cards

What is International call? It is a call between nations, or in other words when you call from your country to a neighbor country (from Poland to Germany, or from US to Canada for instance) or to far-away country (from Australia to China for instance).

International calls can be long distant and short distant, but when we call other party; we usually don’t notice that unless the connection is noisy or creaking.

Standard phone services provide us with the means of calling any place in the world – but it can be quite expensive. Actually it depends on how much time one spends per call, and the quantity of international calls per month.

You may use standard call services, but besides them, there is an alternate of calling: using prepaid phone cards.

When you purchase such card, the card is pre-charged with a value of call credit which is usually the same as that of the card value. (Sometimes cards may give extra value such as a $25 for $20).

Callers can then use the card to call from almost any touch tone telephone to call either domestic (local) or International.

Because cards are pre-paid, phone card producers are able to purchase ‘minutes’ in bulk from line carriers such as Deutche Telecom, WorldCom, Verizon and so on. Purchasing in bulk means savings, and these savings are passed onto the phone card user.

Normally, callers can save over 80% over a standard dialing service on international calls and in some cases over 90%.

Money saving is one the attractive features of prepaid phone card – thus making them very popular for making international calls for cheap.

International calling can get pretty expensive. Luckily there are international phone cards that can help you keep their international calling expenses under control. Phone cards are a great solution for international calling so knowing how to choose the best one is important.

Using a phone card will help you in a few different ways. A phone card allows you to spend a set, prepaid amount on your international calling. This prevents over spending and allows you to budget your spending. Calling cards are also very convenient. Many people, especially those with teenage children, block international calling on their home phone. This is to prevent accidental calls being made. Having a phone card ensures that only intended international calls are made.

When choosing an international phone card there are many things to consider. The goal should be to get the most out of the card for the least amount of money. You can get a great deal if you shop around and compare different cards – try a price search engine. The following list explains some of the things you should look at and compare between cards before making your choice.

- The per minute rate. You should always make sure you understand how much you will be charged per minute for each international call. Phone cards that are made specifically for international calling will most likely offer the best rates. It is also important not to confuse domestic and international rates.

- Any rate fluctuations. This means that you should ensure the same rate will apply 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some cards may charge different rates at different times of days or depending on if it is the weekend or a weekday. This also includes any other fluctuation in rates, like the first minute costing more than the other minutes.

- Fees. There are many fees which can come up when using a phone card. If you are not careful your money could be eaten up by fees. You should find out if you will be charged for calls that are not completed, meaning you did not receive an answer or the line was busy. Connection or surcharge fees are another concern. Sometimes there is a charge every time a call is connected. Maintenance fees are sometimes charged on a reoccurring basis simply for using the card. Knowing fees is important because fees take money away that could be used for call time.

- How the card works. You should make sure you completely understand how the card works. You should know what local access number to call, how to enter your pin and the basics of using the card, like if you can make more than one call without having to hang up and enter the card information again. You should also find out if you will be warned when your calling time gets low. This is a helpful feature that prevents being disconnected in the middle of a call. Another important thing for you to know is when the card expires so you use your time before the card is no good.

- Customer Service. You should find out what number to call for customer service issues and the times customer service is available.

These points are all things that you should consider about each phone card. They should also be compared between different cards to find the best phone card. International phone cards can save you a lot of money if the best one is chosen.