When shopping for phone cards, the choice is extensive and it can sometimes present an overwhelming feeling of indecision for the consumer. Basically, remember that a phone card is designed to do one thing; provide you with a low cost alternative to more expensive and traditional means of connecting with friends and family. For overseas calls they are an absolute boon.

In my case, maintaining a long distance relationship with my fiance has been helped no end by the daily use of a phone card. Making long distance calls by traditional means between Australia and the United States can be an expensive past time however, with a phone card, my costs have virtually been reduced to a miniscule proportion of what they would otherwise have been.

Choosing A Phone Card

When selecting my phone card I performed a checklist of requirements before going online to find the most suitable card for my situation. These are some of the requirements I needed:

- What is the per minute cost of calls to my destination of choice? Surprisingly, I didn't choose the cheapest option out there simply because there were too many grey areas present. Sometimes cheapest isn't best and in the end, the choice you make may be a combination of things.

- Will the rates vary or stay constant? Are there any hidden fees? This was important. I preferred to select a card that offered constant rates and the opportunity of earning bonus minutes in relation to how often I used the card. The last thing I needed were unwelcome surprises. Another factor I considered was the charge of connection and maintenance fees. I wanted a straight out rate and this is one area you will need be clear about when choosing your phone card.

- Placing more than one call without re-entering the pin? This wasn't a major factor in my overall decision however, I liked the idea of not going through the entire process of re-dialling lengthy pin numbers if I happened to be disconnected. This could occur by several means but one of the most common is flat phone batteries. This is an option to consider but more a preferred choice.

- Customer service... could I contact my phone card company if a problem arose? In the end, this was the one requirement I placed the most emphasis on. Even though they weren't the cheapest, their level of customer service was fantastic and for the sake of a few cents for every hour I spent on the phone, it was well worth it. I recently put the customer service factor to the test when I required a copy of my phone records for a 12 month period. They reciprocated with a full copy within three days. It was no trouble at all. I couldn't have asked for any more.

Remember, depending on the level of use, a phone card can provide a tremendous saving to your telephone activities. Cheapest is not always best; I consider developing a good relationship with a company more important than saving an extra cent or two an hour and possible problems down the track.