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[P294]Phone Cards International Calls

by Bernard Pragides, Ber

There was a time, before phone cards, when long distance and international calls ? even to friends and relatives - required a good amount of preparations. Everyone making international calls had to back-calculate:

? How much money do I want to spend on this international call?
? How many minutes does it give me?
? And what do I need to talk for this many minutes?

Sound funny?

Yes it does in today's world, where phone cards are making long distance and international calls cheaper day by day. Phone cards were first introduced to make long distance calling easy and convenient. One could make long distance and international calls from any phone using these cards. Then came the price war between the long distance operators and the cost of calling using phone cards started coming down significantly compared to post-paid phone connections.

Phone cards offered today come with different facilities and operating modes:

? Some need a PIN to activate.
? Some need a call to be placed from pre-registered numbers.
? Some need a call to be placed on a toll-free number first to dial long distance, or
? A combination of two of more of the above.

Modes of payment also differ from operator to operator:

? Some cards can be used only as pre-paid ones. Once the minutes allocated for the value of the card are over, the card is of no use.
? Some cards come with the facility of ?filling in minutes? by paying an additional amount once the allocated minutes are consumed.
? Payments are generally accepted over the Internet or in collections centers in cash or via credit cards.

Phone cards have, no doubt, made international calls more accessible and cheaper. But still, differences in service and rates offered by various operators exist. Hence, it is advisable to shop around a little before buying a phone card. Some of the factors one needs to consider are:

? Reliability of the operator: Many fly-by-night operators also came in to the phone card business looking at the response rate and the market size. Avoid them.
? Service quality of the operator: Check if the calls can be connected at any time and if the line and voice quality is really clear.
? Rates: Rates offered by operators differ from state to state and country to country. They may also depend on the time when you call ? higher at the time of peak traffic. Hence, check out where you are likely to call most and then decide on your operator.

Types of phone cards

There are several types of phone cards that are available in the market.

- Rechargeable phone cards – these provide excellent deals because the additional minutes you purchase are basically cheaper than the original cost of the card. You can refill the cards anytime by visiting the website of the phone company. You have to receive a PIN number that becomes the permanent number and every time you refill your card, your PIN number gets activated.

- Non-refillable online phone cards – this card does not allow you to make phone calls after the balance on this card becomes equal to zero. These have a validity period of 3 to 4 months.

- IDPhoneCard – this is a rechargeable prepaid international phone card that can be accessible from at least 50 countries all over the world. It has no maintenance charges, no expiry charges, no contracts or hidden charges, and no connection fees. They can be used from any phone lines like office phones, home phones, pay phones, hotel room phones and cell phones.

It is easy to understand the working of the phone cards. You simply have to pay for calling time in advance and reduce the prepaid balance as you continue to make the phone calls. To make a call you have to dial Toll Free Access Number or Local Access Number. After a voice delivers its welcoming speech, you have to enter the card's PIN number and then dial the Destination number.

Advantages of using phone cards

For those who hang onto the use of phone cards, there are some real advantages.

Savings

The online, domestic and international rates are much more cheaper than the services provided by the phone companies. Not only do they help you to bring your phone expenses within budget but also offer calls that are cheaper than collect calls and operator assisted calls.

Mobility

Phone cards provide solutions to all type of people like travelers, truck drivers, students and international visitors. They can call anytime from their home, office, cell phones, pay phones and foreign countries.

Convenience

You can get a wide array of phone cards ranging from the lowest to the highest prices. The Internet helps you to get access to PIN number and Access number instantly at any place and at anytime. There are no hassles of phone bills and extra payments.

Article Source : Pg. 3

About Author

Both Bernard Pragides & Sharon Albright are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Bernard Pragides has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Pearls and Credit Cards. owner Bernard Pragides has been in the telecommunication business since 1997. Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries on p. Bernard Pragides's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.

Sharon Albright has sinced written about articles on various topics from The Internet, Wedding Bells and Diabetes Treatment. Sharon Albright is the owner of Site. Read more articles on Phone Cards and visit her recommended resources.. Sharon Albright's top article generates over 201000 views. to your Favourites.