How do you find the perfect calling card in an over saturated market? There are so many options when you Google the keywords "prepaid calling card", about 12 million options.
Many people search for the card with the lowest rate without looking at the entire package.
These cards can sometimes be the most expensive to purchase.
There are 3 steps into picking the perfect calling card for your needs.
These steps will save you time and money and assurance you picked the perfect calling card.
1.
Identify your needs It is very important to identify exactly what your needs are.
Destination - Where are you calling to and from? Duration - How long will you be on the phone? 1 hour, 2 hours, or more Frequency - Do you have to make multiple calls or just a few to check in? Connection Quality - Do you need high quality connections or the cheapest? Traveling - Are you traveling outside the country? Use - Business or personal Recharge - Are you looking for a card that can be re-charged? 2.
Options With your needs identified, it is important to understand your options.
Absolutely, read all of the details of the calling card before you purchase it.
There are so many companies that add unforeseen fees in the fine print.
A little bit of time scanning the terms can save you a lot of aggravation and money in the long run.
Companies of prepaid calling cards have designed all kinds of creative fees.
They will have connection fees, maintenance fees, termination fees, disconnection fees, etc.
I think you get the point.
The calling card mentioned earlier with the lowest rate.
You guessed it, with the fee structure it has, this card is the most expensive to use.
The high fees allow the company to offer the low rates.
Do not let yourself get caught in this trap.
Read the fine print.
Not all fees are bad, and they are necessary for the phone companies to expire a card from infrequent use.
Someone that is going on vacation may only need the card to be active for a month, while the business person who travels abroad often will need a card with little or no fees.
The rates may be a little higher for the business person, but in the long run with no fees, it would be a great money saver.
There are convenience features that a lot of calling cards have today.
Determining how easy the card is to use is the major issue.
Some cards seem like they take longer to punch in all the numbers than the actual length of the phone call.
Other cards have PIN-less dialing.
PIN-less dialing allows you to set up your pin number once and never have to enter it again.
Other features that should be considered are speed dial, call back, and international access numbers.
If you plan to purchase a prepaid calling card to make calls while traveling to another country, then you must make sure the calling card you have selected has access numbers in that country.
Detailed calling records and automatic account recharge are two other features that can be useful for the business person.
The automatic recharge feature gives you assurance that your minutes will never run out.
When they get down to a certain level they automatically recharge to the amount you have set in your plan, leaving you with more time to do what you want.
3.
Selection Searching the internet, stores, other users, are all ways to find a suitable calling card.
There are the name brand cards, carriers such as AT&T, MCI, IDT, Verizon, etc.
Just because the card is a name brand does not make it the best choice.
Somebody has to pay for all the advertising they do, don't let it be you, shop the little guys too.
One other thing to consider when making your selection is the carrier of the phone system.
Make sure the carrier has been around for a while to ensure quality and reliability to your phone calls.
The carrier may be great domestically, but how are they internationally? My best advice would be to try a prepaid phone card, if you like it and it works for your situation, stick with it.
If not, move to the next one.
Just remember not to load up your card with an excessive amount of minutes, until you have tried it.
Companies may give you a better rate the more minutes you buy, test the product out first.
Many people search for the card with the lowest rate without looking at the entire package.
These cards can sometimes be the most expensive to purchase.
There are 3 steps into picking the perfect calling card for your needs.
These steps will save you time and money and assurance you picked the perfect calling card.
1.
Identify your needs It is very important to identify exactly what your needs are.
Destination - Where are you calling to and from? Duration - How long will you be on the phone? 1 hour, 2 hours, or more Frequency - Do you have to make multiple calls or just a few to check in? Connection Quality - Do you need high quality connections or the cheapest? Traveling - Are you traveling outside the country? Use - Business or personal Recharge - Are you looking for a card that can be re-charged? 2.
Options With your needs identified, it is important to understand your options.
Absolutely, read all of the details of the calling card before you purchase it.
There are so many companies that add unforeseen fees in the fine print.
A little bit of time scanning the terms can save you a lot of aggravation and money in the long run.
Companies of prepaid calling cards have designed all kinds of creative fees.
They will have connection fees, maintenance fees, termination fees, disconnection fees, etc.
I think you get the point.
The calling card mentioned earlier with the lowest rate.
You guessed it, with the fee structure it has, this card is the most expensive to use.
The high fees allow the company to offer the low rates.
Do not let yourself get caught in this trap.
Read the fine print.
Not all fees are bad, and they are necessary for the phone companies to expire a card from infrequent use.
Someone that is going on vacation may only need the card to be active for a month, while the business person who travels abroad often will need a card with little or no fees.
The rates may be a little higher for the business person, but in the long run with no fees, it would be a great money saver.
There are convenience features that a lot of calling cards have today.
Determining how easy the card is to use is the major issue.
Some cards seem like they take longer to punch in all the numbers than the actual length of the phone call.
Other cards have PIN-less dialing.
PIN-less dialing allows you to set up your pin number once and never have to enter it again.
Other features that should be considered are speed dial, call back, and international access numbers.
If you plan to purchase a prepaid calling card to make calls while traveling to another country, then you must make sure the calling card you have selected has access numbers in that country.
Detailed calling records and automatic account recharge are two other features that can be useful for the business person.
The automatic recharge feature gives you assurance that your minutes will never run out.
When they get down to a certain level they automatically recharge to the amount you have set in your plan, leaving you with more time to do what you want.
3.
Selection Searching the internet, stores, other users, are all ways to find a suitable calling card.
There are the name brand cards, carriers such as AT&T, MCI, IDT, Verizon, etc.
Just because the card is a name brand does not make it the best choice.
Somebody has to pay for all the advertising they do, don't let it be you, shop the little guys too.
One other thing to consider when making your selection is the carrier of the phone system.
Make sure the carrier has been around for a while to ensure quality and reliability to your phone calls.
The carrier may be great domestically, but how are they internationally? My best advice would be to try a prepaid phone card, if you like it and it works for your situation, stick with it.
If not, move to the next one.
Just remember not to load up your card with an excessive amount of minutes, until you have tried it.
Companies may give you a better rate the more minutes you buy, test the product out first.
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