Phone Cards & Calling Cards :: Calling Card Tips

Guidelines to Avoid Fraud When Buying a Prepaid Calling Card

Filed under: Phone Cards, Calling Card Tips

Indeed, prepaid calling cards can be seen and bought at many stores, retail sites, by mail and by the Internet.

But, it is advisable that before purchasing a international phone cards, there are heaps of important things to be asked by the salesperson. One should ask about the in-sale call rate, the state-to-state, the international rates, if there is connection fees, a maintenance fees, the expiry date of the calling card, and the likes. This should be done especially to those first time prepaid calling card user and to those who are new to the brand type that they are going to purchase.

Most of the time, the necessary information can be found in the wrapper of the prepaid calling cards. But if in case there are no information written to the wrapper of the card, better to contact its customer service and ask all the important questions one should know. But if the customer representative can not answer all the information about the prepaid calling card, better to look for other prepaid calling card company that can give the valuable information about the prepaid calling card.

For someone to test a prepaid calling card that one is not familiar with is by buying a small value prepaid calling card and found out how it works. Take this note; never ever accept a prepaid calling card in which the scratch-off wrapper on the PIN or the Personal Identification Number has been removed. And do not accept a prepaid phone card if is doesn’t provide terms and condition. One more thing, before purchasing a prepaid calling card, it is better to make sure that it has the necessary language, since most of the prepaid calling card tender taped instructions in languages apart from English.

Mainly, prepaid calling cards are disposable, which can be thrown away after its use.

But there is another type, which is relatively popular nowadays; this is frequently sold through the Internet or by mail. This is rechargeable by calling the company.

There are also some prepaid calling cards that are advertised through the newspaper and magazines. One can order the card by phone and can be paid through a credit or debit card. Or it can be ordered by mail and can be paid with check or money order. There are lots of prepaid calling cards that are being sold through the Internet. And the mode of payments is by debit or credit cards. All the prepaid calling cards which are ordered by mail, phone or Internet are subject to shipping and it has about $10 per order of handling charges.

Several companies sell virtual prepaid calling cards though the Internet to customers who have their e-mail addresses. As soon as the order has been processed the customer will received an e-mail which includes the toll-free access number and the PIN that the customer will use in order to make the calls. These virtual cards to not need a shipping and handling charges but it is subject to a processing fee.

There are some prepaid calling card companies who gives useless cards after they have taken the money of the customers. Other companies just tend to fail to let the customers know about the fees, surcharges and any other costs to their customers. Actually, there have been some reports about this kind of unlawful sales practices by prepaid calling cards companies.

For the customers to have been caught by fraud in using prepaid calling card, it is better to talk to the company. Since, the International Prepaid Communications Association (IPCA), an industry association, works a toll-free hotline for the customers who happen to have some problems or questions about prepaid calling cards. But if in case, the company didn’t answer your call, then it is wiser to contact the local district attorney’s consumer fraud unit, to let them know about your problem and for them to make some action.

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Great Prepaid Calling Cards and Ideas on How You Can Save on Calling Card Prepaid Minutes

Filed under: Phone Cards, Long Distance Calls, Calling Card Tips

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.

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Save Your Money by Using Prepaid Phone Cards

Filed under: Phone Cards, Calling Card Tips

Using a prepaid phone card offers many advantages over more traditional calling means with consumers "jumping on board the bandwagon" and making the switch.

Going online has opened up even more avenues for shoppers to save. STi phonecards have been one of the online trendsetters, not just offering a prepaid phone card service but also excellent advice in purchasing cards online. If you are still "a little wet behind the ears" when it comes to using prepaid cards then the following tips will give you plenty of reason to switch from more expensive traditional methods.

Advantages of Prepaid Phone Cards

- You can save a lot of money using phone cards. Phone bills can be cut by up to 50%. Companies such as STi Phone Card suggest the saving can be up to 80%.

- Prepaid phone cards are excellent as a means of saving on long distance and overseas calls. Whether for travellers who find them convenient, especially from hotels or simply calling from home, then costs can be cut significantly.

- People migrating to other countries can now stay in touch with family and friends much more cheaply today than 20 years ago.

- Prepaid phone cards eliminate the need to use money, particularly handy when you don’t have any change and need to make a call urgently.

Are there any disadvantages? Sure, but these are few and far between. With some cards there may be hidden costs associated with phoning from public places such as hotels. Generally, you have a time limit on how long you can use your phone card. In most instances, cards will expire after three months. Balance transfer of minutes left is also usually disallowed.

Finding A Reputable Company

The phone card industry was rife with unscrpulous operators several years ago however, tighter security restrictions have helped clean it up significantly. It’s strongly advised to stick with the major players when you go online. Bigger operators such as STi Phone Cards have strong security controls and stricy privacy policies.

Check a sites recommendations. Scan the web page and look for security seals and recommendations such as from the Better Business Bureau. The more you find the better the signs are the company is on the level.

It’s a big plus if a company has a live customer support base. It’s even better if you can get to them right away and 24 hours a day. Avoid dealing with email only companies and if you do, send them an email and and look for a response within 24 hours.

Hidden Costs

Watch out for hidden costs. This is the biggest issue with prepaid phone cards and one where many people have difficulty with. Always ask and always get it in writing. I know reading terms and conditions is mundane and boring but they are there for a reason and usually, any extra costs with a card were clearly listed in the terms and conditions.

Prepaid phone cards will save you money in the long run but perform a little due diligence initially and you’ll have a happy experience using them.

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January 24, 2008

International Callback Phone Service

Filed under: Phone Cards, Long Distance Calls, Calling Card Tips

International callback is a relatively popular method of making low cost international phone calls from countries where telecommunication services are very expensive. The phone service in many of these countries is controlled by a monopoly phone company so the cost of making international calls using the local service provider or even phone cards can be exorbitant. International callback phone service is far cheaper since it essentially by-passes the high cost local service provider and routes calls through a lower cost third country. This can be done using different techniques but the results are the same……international callers can save a lot of money on their calls by using international callback.

What we refer to as traditional callback phone service is used by dialing a special phone number in another country that has cheap telecommunication services. This is often in North America or Europe. The caller lets the phone ring one time than hangs up the phone. The special phone number is actually a computer that recognizes the caller from their phone number (Caller ID) and places a call back to the caller. The caller than answers the phone and finds a dial tone. The caller can then place a cheap international call to any location in the world. The call is routed over the lower cost phone system that may be located in a third country. The cost of the call is actually broken into two "legs". One leg is the cost of a phone call from the third country to their location and another leg is the cost of a call from the third country to the destination they are calling. However, even with two legs, the cost of making an international call using international callback is generally far cheaper than making the same call using a high cost, monopoly service provider. The cost of an international call from Kazakhstan to the USA is a good example. A call from Kazakhstan to the USA will cost anywhere from $0.50 to over $1 per-minute using phone cards or the Kazakhstan phone system. Using international callback the same call can be made for less than $0.10 per-minute…..a very substantial savings.

International callback is normally a prepaid service and there are several service providers and different types of products. One potential problem is that traditional callback is often blocked by high cost countries in order to protect their monopoly phone companies. It can be blocked fairly easily since a call is triggered by placing a phone call to a computer located in another country. The computer recognizes the caller using Caller ID technology so all a country needs to do is block Caller ID and they have blocked traditional callback. However, there are other callback services that are much more difficult or impossible to block. Two of these are often referred to as Web Call or SMS Call. Using Web Call a callback call is triggered using a specially formatted e-mail message while a simple text message from a cell phone is used to trigger a callback call using SMS Call. Both of these products are gaining popularity since they offer a convenient and cheap means of making international calls from high cost countries.

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December 10, 2007

How to Maximize Your Phone Card Shopping

Filed under: Phone Cards, Calling Card Tips

Prepaid calling cards have been a growing business for the past decade. By judging from its very early beginnings, the services offered by call cards was marred with lots of technical glitches and delays, however the industry has improved today and the quality of services has widened.

At present, consumers can find a lot of prepaid call card suppliers that offer relatively similar rates. As the technology progresses in the coming years, it is expected that this will play a major role in the global telecommunications business

Why Call Cards Offer Lower Rates.
The main reason why call cards offer distinctively low rates for international or domestic calls is because of the different technology used. Most call card providers sell cards using a combination of VoIP (Voice over IP) and regular lines, to achieve a good balance between call quality and low prices. In Addition, since the call cards are pre-paid, which means you pay in advance for the amount you think you’ll use, some other costs are cut, like the ones for collections or debt retrieval.

Some Terms You Need To Know When Using Prepaid Call Cards
As mentioned earlier, the mode and quality of service varies with each call card operator. Some providers may charge different sorts of fees, depending on whenever you easily spot them. Some fees may be shown upfront, while others could be hidden.

On of these charges is the Maintenance Fee. This fee is an amount deducted from the calling card’s daily, weekly or monthly balance, with the effect of reducing your minutes. Another fee is the Connection Fee, which is an amount deducted from the calling card’s balance once a call is connected. The other fee is called Rounding. This refers to the multiple of minutes you’ll be charged when making a call.

An example would be: 4 minutes rounding means that you’ll be charged in 4 minutes increments, like from 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and so on. A call for 9 minutes and 30 seconds will be charged 12 minutes. It is important for consumers to verify the charging and connection mechanisms of each call card provider, to enable them to choose the ones that offer the most affordable rates.

Callers Should Get A Card That Suits Their Needs
To make sure that a user gets the most suitable phone cards, make a comparison of different providers to ensure that you get the one that fits your calling needs.

A card doesn’t need to have to have the lowest rate, or the highest, to be the best. If you generally make long calls or if you make calls very often, you can get a card with a maintenance fee or even one with a connection fee, as these call card types offer the lowest rates.

Even if you have a maintenance fee, and given that you’d make a lot of long calls and eat up the balance quickly, the maintenance fee will be only deducted once or maybe twice, but you get a huge amount of minutes to talk. If a user makes short or seldom calls, a calling card with 1 second rounding and no maintenance fee would be the most suitable choice.

Users then won’t have to worry about their balance being deducted if they don’t use the card. The notion is to use it whenever you need it, and the money would still be there even in 1 year or more.

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