Telecom Blog : Phone Cards | Calling Cards

What Phone Card Should I Use?

2008-04-02T22:16:12Z

This is the question I get asked most often. It is very simple to answer but it is not the same answer for every caller; it depends on a couple of things.

How long will you be calling for? If you are calling for longer than 25 minutes you should get a phone card that has a connection fee. If you are calling for less than 25 minutes get a phone card that has no connection fee. Generally a phone card that has a connection fee has lower call rates and phone cards without a connection fee have higher call rates. So when choosing your phone cards you need to consider the price based on the combined cost of the connection fee and the call rate not just the call rate. Generally the connection fee is equivalent to about a 15-20 minute call in terms of the call rate for the card.

What�s the call rate? Of course the lower the call rates the better but is it a peak or off-peak rate. You see 99.9% of comparisons are based on off-peak rates that are always very late at night, such as 2am. At all other times, when you actually want to use the phone card, the peak rate applies and the peak rate is not used in the comparison. So if the comparison is based on off-peak rates you will definitely buy the wrong phone card.

Do you only make a local call to access the service? To use the phone card you have got to call a local access number to enter your PIN. You need to be sure the phone card has a local access number in your local area or a 1300 number with no surcharge. Otherwise you can make very low cost international calls but the call to the local access number will cost you a fortune. Never use your mobile phone to call the local access number because you are charged by your mobile phone company at their rates which could be 30c/min!

Does the call rate stay the same throughout the call? Some phone cards have a call rate that varies. So after 5 minutes or more the call rate doubles. Make sure the call rate stays the same throughout your call � that it is a flat rate throughout the day and night.

How long will the card last? All phone cards expire of a set time whether you have used the entire card or not. The phone cards generally have a life of 2 to 4 months but some last as long as 12 months. It is often better to buy a small value card, say $10, rather than $50 so that you can use the card up quickly and don�t lose any unused minutes.

Are there any maintenance or service fees? Quite a few cards have service or maintenance fees that are charged daily or once a week. If your phone card minutes disappear without you using the phone card you are most likely being charged a maintenance or service fee! This is another reason you should by smaller denomination phone cards because you will tend to use them in one go.

Is there good customer support when you have problems with the card especially the billing? When is a minute not a minute? When it is a phone card minute! Make sure you can phone and speak to someone at customer service or that they respond to your email quickly. Try ringing their customer support number before you buy their phone card to see if they answer quickly. When something goes wrong with the card it is incredibly frustrating if you can�t get it resolved. Make sure they have good customer service.

Now you know what to look for next time you want to make a long distance international phone call using a cheap phone card.

Phone Card Fees: Rounding Interval

2008-03-10T21:47:57Z

Most people already know that phone cards have hidden fees and they will pay more than the advertised rate when they make calls with phone cards. Experienced phone card shoppers look for cards with low per minute rates, good call quality and minimal added fees. Phone card companies use a wide assortment of added fees in order to increase revenue. These range from connection fees to maintenance fees and taxes or other surcharges for making calls. They use these added fees so they can lure consumers with low per minute advertised rates. Many high quality phone card providers have reduced or eliminated hidden fees over the past few years as consumers have become wiser and often shun phone cards with excessive fees. However, hidden fees associated with a phone cards rounding interval is still widely used because it is difficult to calculate and poorly understood by many consumers.

The rounding interval defines how the length of a call is rounded in order to determine the cost of each call made with a phone card. Rounding intervals are normally 1, 3 or 6 minutes but they can be as high as 12 minutes or more. The length of a call is rounded to the next interval in order to determine the minutes used in calculating the cost of the call. For example, a 1.5 minute call will be rounded to 2 minutes if the rounding interval is 1 minute, it will be rounded to 3 minutes if the rounding interval is 3 minutes and it will be rounded to 12 minutes if the rounding interval is 12 minutes. For phone cards with high rounding intervals, it is easy to see how it can significantly increase the cost of a call so the user almost always pays more than the advertised per minute rate for each call. The rounding interval provides a built in hidden fee that is not well understood by most consumers but the trick goes even further.

What happens if there is no answer or the phone being called is busy? Most phone cards will start timing a call as soon as it is dialed so consumers should expect to pay at least one rounding interval for a dialed call even if the phone being called is busy or not answered. These charges can add up to a significant added cost, especially if the rounding interval is 6 or 12 minutes.

This hidden fee can be minimized by choosing a phone card with a short rounding interval. In general, phone cards with rounding intervals higher than 3 minutes should be avoided unless it is a small denomination card that is going to be used to make one phone call. Tel3Advantage is another way to avoid this and other hidden fees charged by most phone cards. They use a one minute rounding interval and do not charge for unanswered calls.

Phone Card Fees: Connection Fees

2008-02-11T02:33:30Z

Most people understand that they use phone cards by dialing an access number which by-passes their high cost carrier in order to make low cost domestic or international long distance calls. Phone card users also know that they will usually pay a higher rate than the per-minute rate advertised because of so called hidden fees and taxes. What a lot of people don't realize is that these hidden fees vary significantly between phone card suppliers, can take on different forms and, in some cases, they can be hard to spot when making a purchase and be just plain "tricky". We don't like these marketing practices and feel that hidden fees should be fully disclosed by phone card marketer's in an understandable manner so a consumer will truely understand what it will cost to make a call. Therefore, we try to uncover and explain these "tricks" when we find them so consumers can spot them when making a purchase. A case in point is a "connection fee".

As the name implies, a connection fee is a fee charged when a call is connected. Most phone card companies do not charge a connection fee these days but we found one major marketer that still charges a connection fee. When using these cards a caller will be charged a per-minute rate plus a connection fee for each call.�The company�advertises that international calls cost as little as 2 cents per minute but they also charge a $0.49 connection fee for each call and a 99 cent monthly service charge for each account. The connection fee may not sound very high but consider the following. If a 25 minute call is made from the USA to Germany the cost will be 50 cents (2 cents per minute) plus a 49 cent connection fee so the total cost will be 99 cents or almost 4 cents per minute. This is not cheap for a call from the USA to Germany these days. The same call made with a high quality phone card will cost between 2 and 2.5 cents per-minute (including all fees and taxes) and Tel3Advantage (prepaid long distance) only charges 2.5 to 3 cents per minute. So, in this case, the advertised 2 cent per-minute rate is one-half the actual charge and is deceptive. To be fair, PennyTalk includes a toll free access number at no additional charge but the other providers have a wide network of local access numbers that are also free.

Another problem with a connection fee is that it is charged for each call connected. It is fairly common for international calls to be disconnected during a long conversation and the connection fee will be charged everytime the number is redialed and connected. It will also be charged if the wrong number is dialed and connected or if the party being called is not available and the phone is answered. In other words, a seemingly small connection fee can add significant cost to the calls actually completed with a prepaid calling product. For this reason, we suggest consumers should not purchase a prepaid calling product that charges a connection fee.

Phone Card Fees: Maintenance Fees

2008-01-12T02:19:18Z

Most people know that phone cards add fees to the advertised rate per-minute so they shop for phone cards with minimal added fees. In most cases this is a good practice but there are some exceptions. Phone card maintenance fees offer a good example. Many phone card companies charge a maintenance fee so they can advertise a low per-minute rate on calls and still earn an acceptable margin. Customers who hold a phone card for a defined period of time will be charged a maintenance fee in addition to the charges paid for each call.

Many consumers feel these cards should be avoided but they can actually offer good value. The key here is that a maintenance fee is assessed after a defined period of time. The clock normally starts ticking when the card is first used and the maintenance fee is charged after a period of time that is typically one week, two weeks or one month. The trick is to not hold the card for the period of time required to trigger a maintenance fee charge. If the card is fully used before the maintenance fee period ends, there is no added charge. Many phone cards that charge a maintenance fee also have relatively low per-minute rates. Therefore, a consumer can purchase such a card in a small denomination, use it before the maintenance fee period ends and get a good deal.

A good example is the Golden Lotus phone card. It charges a weekly maintenance fee of $0.99. However, it also has some of the best rates to many locations and is rated very high for quality by customers. It also comes with features like PIN Free dialing, on-line call history and speed dial that are not standard with most phone cards. Consumers can call India from the USA with the Golden Lotus card for as little as 4.3 cents-per-minute. People who call India know this is a very cheap rate for a prepaid calling product that offers high call quality.

Consumers should not automatically shun phone cards with added fees. They should understand and analyze the fee structure so they can make an informed choice. They should, however, avoid phone card marketers who do not fully disclose all fees in an understandable manner.

Phone Card Fees: Access Numbers

2007-12-20T04:55:33Z

Most consumers know that they use a phone card by dialing an access number which by-passes the local phone company so they can place their call over a low cost network. What many people do not know is there are both local and toll free access numbers. Access numbers vary between phone cards. Some phone cards will have a wide network of local and toll free access numbers and others offer relatively few local access numbers. Most phone card service providers will charge extra for using a toll free access number. The charge for using a toll free access number also varies between phone card service providers so consumers should note this when shopping for a phone card. In some cases, using a toll free access number is free or it only adds a fraction of a cent per-minute to the cost of a call but in other cases it can add 1, 2 or more cents per-minute to the cost of each call so it can be a significant additional cost. It is used by many merchants as a form of revenue or a hidden cost.

The added fee for using a toll free access number is not charged if the caller uses a local access number. Therefore, consumers who plan to make calls from landlines should shop for phone cards with local access numbers in the areas they plan to call from or use cards that charge a very small fee for using the toll free access number. Some callers should avoid using toll free access numbers unless there is no added charge for using them. For example, people using a phone card to make international calls from cell phones should only use local access numbers since they do not pay extra for making long distance calls and can use a local access number in another city or state if none are available in their local area.

The main thing is for consumers to be aware that all phone cards are not created equal and access number cost and availability is an important feature to consider when shopping for a phone card or other prepaid calling product.

Prepaid Call Cards' Advantage Over Post Paid Lines

2007-12-20T04:48:11Z

Prepaid Call cards have been a rapidly-growing business, as well as an alternative mode for calling locally or overseas, for the past 10 years. In the early years, prepaid call cards were marked with lots of problems, until things got stable today, and the choices have widened.

At present, the consumer can find a lot of suppliers of prepaid calling cards, which have relatively similar rates. As the technology gets even better in the coming years, it is expected that the prepaid call card sector will play a major role in the global telecommunications business.

As early as ten years ago, few people had easy access to phone cards. Today, everyone can buy them at gas stations, supermarkets, discount stores, post offices, airports, and on the Internet. Collectors have magazines, newsletters, auctions, and on-line sites such as the Phone Card Market Report.

Prepaid Call Cards Offer Low Rates

The significant reason why prepaid calling cards offer very low rates to call internationally or domestic is because the technology they employ is different; firms selling phone cards use a combination of VoIP (Voice over IP) and regular lines to maintain a balance between call quality and low costs. And to add, since the calling cards are pre-paid, which means you pay in advance for the amount of talk time you'll be having, there are some other costs reduced, like the ones for collections or debt retrieval.

Regular phone firms use a different technology, which is far more expensive and therefore they charge higher fees, which generally reflect in your monthly bill. However, that doesn't mean that they couldn't lower their costs, but since the money is coming in, this is not an option for them in the meantime.

Prepaid Cards Offer More Than Just Low Costs

And if the low call costs and quality are not good enough for people, here's another good reason for using prepaid call cards: You have control over how much you pay. With calling cards, you put a certain amount, and usually you can find Cheap Calling Cards for around $5, $10, $20, $50, and other denominations, on your calling card.

You could use the talk time at your convenience, as well as you can check at any time the balance on the pin and if you decide to get some more, just repeat the process. The ease of use is the main factor consumers gobble up prepaid call cards. No bills and no hassles. Customers can enjoy their calls without having a huge bill on their doorsteps every month, while having low rates and good connectivity.

Choosing which prepaid call card to purchase can be a headache sometimes. New issuers and firms continually enter the market, pricing is so competitive, and consumer protection is sometimes spotty. Consumers need to ask themselves several questions and find answers that can help them make a safe and informed prepaid card purchasing decision.

For long conversations, however, a calling card may be a better option. First, the longer the call, the less the surcharge affects the overall bill. Second, depending on your phone carrier, you might be able to take advantage of special weekend or nighttime discounts. And third, you need not worry about running out of time. Prepaid call cards do provide a security advantage: When a card is lost or stolen, you lose only the balance on your card.

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2007-12-20T04:46:17Z

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