International Calling Cards Can Be Great - But Watch Out!

By: Rodger Strouden

With all of the different companies offering international calling cards out there, how on earth do you know what to look for? Should you buy the card with the best rate? Should you buy a card with no maintenance fee? What about pin access? Will the quality be the same? Is it okay to go with a company that isn't as well known as AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint?

The bottom line, and most important thing to think about, is how you are going to be using your international calling card. If you're going to be speaking a lot, it may make the most sense to purchase a product with a low price per minute, but no monthly maintenance fee. However, if you're only going to speak now and again it might be better to buy something with a higher rate per minute and no maintenance fee. I hope that the information in this article will help you in choosing how to select your international calling card.

International calling cards and their rates.

Rates on international calling cards can vary greatly. There are many factors that come into play when purchasing international calling cards. The country that you are calling from, and the country that you are calling to are some of the most important things to consider because many times international calling card companies purchase their own time from companies like Verizon and AT&T. You will actually often find their rates on the calling cards are cheaper than long-distance.

Quality varies greatly.

In the past quality used to be a big thing when purchasing any type of international calling cards. Today, however, it is not such a big issue. The reason for this is because international calling card companies are using technologies that are much more advanced today than they were years ago. However, sometimes, in some countries, you will find that the quality of the call is much less than AT&T and Sprint or other companies like that.

Will my card be rechargeable?

It would be a hassle if every time your calling card minutes ran out; you had to go back on the Internet and purchased a whole new card all over again. This is why you want to make sure that you look for rechargeable or refillable international calling cards. This way, you can simply go online and recharge over the phone instantly or do it over the Internet with the click of a mouse.

Connection fees.

Some international calling cards that offer extremely low per minute rates will often have a connection fee associated with calls. It is important that you make sure that you understand this connection fee. Most of the time the connection fee will be around $.15 to $.25, and there will normally be a call minute time that the connection fee will be charged after, should you buy a card with a connection fee. While it all depends on the length of your call, my opinion is not to have the fee.

Fees for maintaining your international calling card.

Once again, many cards that are on the lower per minute side will often have a weekly or monthly maintenance fee. This can be as little as a penny per week, or as much as five dollars per week. if you are going to be talking a lot, it's a good idea to have a maintenance fee because you're getting such a low cost per minute that it makes up for it. However, if you are not going to be talking that much on the phone, it is important to not have a maintenance fee.

Minute rounding can get very technical.

Four cents per minute can sound extremely attractive on many international calling cards, but think about this. One card may round its minutes at five minutes. What that means is that if you are on a phone call for one minute and three seconds the company will actually charge you five minutes for that one minute and 30 seconds. This means that you didn't actually pay four cents per minute; you paid $.20 per minute. Again, don't let this get you down. There are still many other options

Pay phone charges.

Apparently, a lot of people. International calling cards often have a pay phone fee. What this means is that if you need to use a pay phone to make a phone call with your international calling card, you will be charged a fee. The pay phone fees on these calling cards vary greatly. I have seen pay phone fees as much as five dollars per call. I have also seen them as low as $.89 per call. Now keep in mind, pay phone fees are not on every single card. When purchasing your card, just be sure to read the fine print to find out if yours includes one or not.

So, in summary, take a look in your lifestyle and the way that you're going to be using your international calling cards. Then do some research on the Internet and find the one that fits your needs the best. Remember, think about how often the card is going to be used, how long your conversations are going to be, whether or not you are going to be using payphones with your international calling cards and other things. It does seem kind of confusing at first, but after you get the hang of it, there's nothing to it.

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Calling Card Guru Rodger Strouden is available to help you seek international calling cards quickly at no charge by searching his international phone cards on thousands of calling cards.

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