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The French claim to have devised the calling card in the 17th century. The calling card became an important part of the upper class ritual of ‘paying calls' by the 1850s. These calls involved the elevation or depression in the social position. Therefore, even if they were meant for paying visits to the friends, the reason might not have been so trivial.
By the 1870s and 1880s, one could put across simple communication by folding down the corners of a calling card. The different parts of the calling card could be folded to convey different reasons of the visit. For instance, the entire left side of the card could be folded to say that s/he had come to visit the woman of the family. However, these were the inception of the calling cards and we are dealing with the cards that help us to establish communication over long distances in this age of the telecommunication boom.
Now, there are prepaid calling cards that help you connect with your relatives, family and colleagues almost hassle-free. The idea of the prepaid calling card is primarily based on you not having to pay exorbitant prices for your calls. The prepaid calling card is a one-stop option to make many calls at affordable rates. If you need immediate credit to make calls to a particular country for a short period, then a calling card is the right option. Nowadays, free call cards are also offered to attract the customers. One of the prime advantages of the calling card is that you know about your spending and the place you are spending that amount.
The calling cards are cheaper as the call card providers purchase the call credits in large amount from major companies that provide telecommunication services, getting huge discounts, and passing on the profits to the end users. The call cards provide a minimum call credit of 5 pounds also. The call cards are considered very convenient for making international calls for good verbal and aural communication over the IP network or the broadband connection.
The calling cards are based on the operation of the VoIP technology of packet switching over the Internet. This is what makes these cards so cost effective and convenient to operate. These call cards are conveniently designed and can be easily carried by the user, as they are small rectangular shaped plastic cards that can slip in just about anywhere. The call cards are also available in different denominations, ranging from 5 pounds to as much as 100 pounds.
If we compare these cards with traditional patterns of communication, the Public Switch Telephony Network or PSTN charges are slashed. There is reduction in the ‘per minute' charges and the surcharge amount is also reduced. The calling cards offer attractive features like voice mail, ID caller and three–way conferencing. Operating these cards is also very easy and the user just has to manage the PIN numbers in order to make a call. The calling cards offer the facility of talking for longer periods without the hassles of bills worrying you to no end.