Thursday, December 11, 2008

How to Select a Good Prepaid Phone Calling Card for Your Long-distance Calling Need

International phone calling cards and long-distance prepaid phone cards have become more important than beneficial to us. These plastic cards can makes us easy and simple to contact our family and friends, especially if we are very far from them in a different country. One does not need to carry a mobile phone or search for a service provider for the SIM. These prepaid calling cards can be utilized from any standard landline, mobile phone and pay phone, to quickly make calls anytime and anywhere. And there are no anxious moments for hefty or wrong bills. You will know the call charges as soon as you have completed the call.

If you are buying these prepaid cards for the first time, then you need to closely make comparisons on each calling card providers' services by clearly and properly understanding the fine print that is provided along with the calling card, and make decisions on which one are the best ones that suits your needs and requirements.

Compare Each Calling Card's Connection Fees

Prior to buying a calling card, find out if there is a connection fee being charged. These fees are generally charged every time you make a successful call using that calling card. Successful call here also includes connecting to a voice mail, answering machine or pager. These types of fees generally vary between different calling card providers, and if you generally use the calling card to make short-distance calls then you may end up paying more as connection fees rather than the cost of actual call made. For consumers who make only short calls on a regular basis, be sure to check the 'per minute rate' and the connection fee to ensure that these would not be too excessive, as it would be no good paying low per minute rates and higher connection fees for a quick call. There's usually a trade-off between per-call charges (connection fee) and per-minute charges. The higher the per-call charge is, the lower the per-minute charge usually is. If you make a lot of long calls, go with the higher per-call rate. If you make short calls, the higher per-minute cards are probably better for you. Presently, many prepaid phone cards providers have cheaper per minute charges, however have high connection fees.

Learn More About Rechargeable Cards And Expiry Dates

Prepaid phone calling cards do expire after a certain period. Check for the expiry dates provided by the calling cards providers. The usual expiration dates range from 3 to 6 months from the date of purchase or from the initial use of the calling card. If the calling card expires with a considerable amount of time as credit, you will surely lose that out after the expiry date. Some prepaid calling cards are rechargeable, and all you need to do is to simply add more minutes by contacting the calling card provider's toll-free hotline numbers or support numbers.

Gain Valuable Product Info Before Buying One

It is needless to say that considering only the above two points can help you find a good calling card. You need to also clarify if these prepaid calling card communication devices can offer high-quality connections and are easy to of use. Search on internet for the reviews of providers. You can also contact their customer support for questions or concerns regarding the quality of the phone calling card and judge from their response and feedback.
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