You
can use a calling card at any time; many people have found that the
competition and
price-cutting in calling card rates is so fierce that it pays to use
them exclusively for any long distance calls, including from their
home! (Others opt to pay a little more so not to be bothered with
the long strings of access codes all the time.) On the road,
however, there are times when a calling card is your very best
option. Collect
calls, credit card calls, third-party calls - history. The easiest,
simplest, and (most
importantly) cheapest way to make calls while on the road is by
using a phone card.
When Traveling Internationally a
pass through the guidebooks guide
could answers all your question unanimously. The vagaries of long distance billing
here at home are complicated enough; add to this government
vs. free market issues, language barriers, unfamiliar
currency, extreme variance in communications infrastructure,
and plain old ease of use, and the calling card is almost a
must-have when traveling internationally.
For cards that can be
used internationally, visit card4anywhere.com
or UKPhoneCards.net
When Traveling Domestically
even in the United States, using your credit card at a pay
phone can be risky business. Many long distance resellers
pay for the right to service public phones, then charge
exorbitant surcharges that you might easily know nothing
about at the time you place your cal
Keeping Time
Most reputable card companies will tell you how much you have used
at the beginning and end of each call, and many phones will count
down the remaining time on your card on a digital clock on the phone
itself.
Free Calling Cards
Credit card companies, phone companies, football teams, airlines,
hotels, Web sites, you name it; all have offered free calling cards
to customers at some point. Keep your eyes open for these deals.
Where to Buy Phone Cards
Many phone cards can be found in airport dispensing machines, which
often take only cash, so you may need some local currency first.
Also, convenience stores, newsstands, and small local shops in or
near train stations, airports, or a bank of phones often carry phone
cards. In Spain, for example, you'll find them in tobacco shops; in
Australia, at food stands and in machines; in Russia, at newsstands
(kiosks) and in post offices.
Countless cards are also available on the Web; again, be sure to buy
from reputable vendors with clear price information, including
minimums, service charges, and other hidden restrictions.
Also, we've seen cases where disreputable dealers will sell used
cards, then claim you don't know how to use them and refuse a
refund. This is an unusual circumstance, but again, buyer beware.
Read the Fine Print
A traveler we know learned the hard way about a condition of her
calling card plan with one of the Big Guys. If she dialed
"0" and the number, then put in her calling card code for
payment, she was billed up to $9/minute! Only if she dialed
1-800-225-5288 (you've seen the commercials) did she get the
advertised $0.30/minute rate.
Additional Considerations
Many phone cards allow you to dial several numbers in a single
"session;" listen to the options or read card directions
to determine if this is available. This can save you money in some
cases. For example, if a hotel charges a single, one-time surcharge
for you to call the calling card company's 800 number, and you can
make several calls in that single calling card session, you save
big.
Certain phone cards are also "rechargeable;" that is, you
can buy more minutes when you run out without having to change
access codes, PIN numbers, etc. This can be especially helpful when
using the card for Internet access, as you will not need to type a
new access code into your modem dialing strings.
"Collect Them All!"
One interesting offshoot of the boom in phone cards is their new
status as collectibles. Many calling cards are decorated with
regional, national, event-specific, or other interesting imagery.
This is not our bailiwick, but some folks have a deep interest in
this element of the biz, and we thought it worth mentioning.
There are literally thousands of calling card offers on the
On the Internet. One
that looks interesting, and offers abundant freedom of choice, is
http://www.affordablechoices.com/
The Big Guys, typically, the large telephone corporations (Sprint, AT&T, MCI)
charge similar rates; their prepaid cards usually come in
substantially cheaper than their standard calling card rates.
However, many calling card offers beat the big guys by quite a bit
on price. Shop around!
Here are links to the big guys:
- AT&T prepaid cards
- Sprint
prepaid calling cards
- MCI Worldcom card |
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