Selecting the Right Calling Card

Selecting the Right Calling Card

An easy quick guide to choosing the right prepaid calling card.
Figuring out how to select the right prepaid phone card in an over saturated market can be a daunting task. It seems like there are so many options. Google the keywords "prepaid phone cards" and it will bring you more than 12,000,000 different responses. Many people simply search for the card that will provide them the lowest rates. However, they often don't realize that these cards are actually the most expensive to use.
In three easy steps learn how to pick the right calling card for your needs. This will save you money and put you on the right track:

Identify your needs.
Understand your options.
Make a Selection.

Identifying Your Needs
With so many different cards to choose from its important to identify exactly what your needs are. This will assist when trying to decipher between cards.
Important things to consider when identifying your needs:

Destination - Where are you calling?
Duration - How long do you think your calls will be? Under 30 minutes or over an hour?
Frequency - Is it a onetime thing where you need to make an international call, or do you frequently make international calls?
Connection Quality - do you need high connection quality, or are you simply looking for the cheapest way to place a call?
Traveling - Do you need a calling card for when you travel, or is it for use in the United States?
Business Use - Do you plan to use the card for business or personal use?
Recharge - Are you looking for a phone card that can be recharged?

Understanding Your Options
Now that you have identified your needs, it is important to understand your options. Make sure you read all of the details of the calling card before you purchase it. Many companies are very sneaky and add in hidden fees.
Fees
Many prepaid phone cards have hidden fees. Companies have designed all sorts of creative fees such as connection fees, maintenance fees, termination fees, disconnection fees, etc. Almost all wholesale rates to major destinations are the same universally. Calling cards displaying low rates tend to have extra fees associated with them as a way to make up for below-market rates.
Depending on your needs, some fees might not necessarily be bad. If you have identified yourself as someone who infrequently uses a calling card then you should be solely motivated by rates. This is true especially for people who only plan to use the calling card once or twice, and then throw it away. For example, purchasing a phone card with a biweekly maintenance fee is beneficial because in two weeks the user will no longer need the card. However, if you are someone who frequently makes international calls and regularly uses a phone card, then selecting a card with no fees will provide much greater benefit and a lower overall cost. While the call rates may be slightly higher, you won't have to pay a connection fee or maintenance fees.
Minute Rounding
Minute rounding is another tactic calling card companies have designed to seek the most amount of money from their customers. Most calling cards use 1 minute rounding. However, there is a large selection of cards that use 2, 3 and 4-minute rounding. Minute rounding is how your calls are charged. For example a call lasting 40 seconds will charge minutes like this:
Minute Rounding 1 2 3 4
Duration, 40 seconds 1 2 3 4
Duration 3:40 4 4 6 4
Duration 4:40 5 6 6 8
Clearly, 1-minute rounding will save you the most amount of money, however cards with higher minute rounding will provide lower rates per minute.
Access Numbers
Almost all calling cards intended for use from the United States provide toll free access numbers. Many calling cards also provide local access numbers that will supply lower rates per minute. Generally, if there is a local access number it will be the cheapest way of making your call. Even if the number is not local to you, many people have nationwide calling plans on their cell phones meaning it won't cost anything extra to call a local access number in a different area code.
If you plan to purchase a prepaid calling card to make calls while traveling, then you must make sure that the calling card you have selected has access numbers in the country you are traveling to. In addition, you should check to see if it is a toll fre¬e or local access number in that country. As in the United States, a local access number in a country will provide lower rates then the toll free number.
Recharges
Generally, dial around long distance calling cards can be recharged; however, most traditional calling cards do not offer this option. Recharges are great for people frequently using their card. It eliminates the hassle of having to purchase a new card. Turn the auto account recharge feature on for your card and never have to bother with adding funds to your account.
Making the Selection
Searching on the Internet or even in stores, you will find there is wide variety of cards to choose from. There are "name brand" cards from carriers like AT&T, MCI, IDT, Verizon, etc. These are often not the best options. Often name brand cards offer more expensive rates per minute because you pay a premium for the name. Calling cards offered from smaller carriers are often better alternatives to name brand cards. Large companies like AT&T have huge expenses and as a result pass along more expensive rates to their customers. Selecting the right calling card for your needs should be a low stress decision, but a decision that will require some thought to make sure you are getting the best product.