Phone calling cards are a form of pre-paid phone service. No matter what kind of phone card it is, the user has paid for a certain number of minutes of phone service. This phone service may be domestic or international. It may be cellular based or land-line based. Once the number of minutes on the phone card is used up, the user has to purchase another phone card or have minutes added to his existing phone card in order to use the service. There is no pre-paid phone service without pre-paying the minutes.

When considering purchasing a phone card one of the things to consider is the total cost per minute. Are there any other fees in addition to the rate per minute quoted? If there are, what are they and how much are they adding to the usage rate? Unusually low per minute rates are usually offset in some way by other charges. You want to be aware of this.

There may be times when people want to buy a phone card for just a few weeks usage. They may be going on an overseas vacation or a cruise where the convenience of a phone card is desired. They will be able to find a phone card for this purpose. Shop around for the best rates and overall deals. They can check with their own carrier or they can look on the internet at all of the different companies and plans. People can also buy a pre-paid cellular phone for use when they travel. The phone only works with the pre-paid phone card. The units on the phone card begin at thirty minutes and go up, depending on the number you want to buy. When the number of minutes is expired, the phone stops working. If the user wants to keep using the cellular phone, he has to purchase another phone card or more minutes for the existing phone card. The pre-paid cellular phone will not function without pre-paid minutes.

Phone cards make both domestic and international calls easier for people when they cannot use their own phone. They don't have to pay other people for the use of their private phones because they aren't incurring charges on them. They dial the phone card number, give their pin number and the phone number they want to call, whether it is domestic or international. The phone call is already paid for.