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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 way you're going to be using your international calling cards is extremely important to think about. There are many products with a low price per minute, but many of those products often will have monthly or weekly maintenance fees. If speaking internationally doesn't fit into your lifestyle on a regular basis, it may be better to purchase a calling card with a higher rate per minute with out the maintenance fee. My goal in putting this information together is to help you select an international calling card that will fit your lifestyle the best.

Rates are important.

There are more factors than I can reasonably mention regarding rates and how they have to do with international calling cards. Things like the country that you are going to be calling, the country that you are making your calls from and other factors come into play. When you're choosing which calling card to purchase make sure that rate is not the only thing you take a look at. Once again, international calling cards with lower rates will often have maintenance fees, sometimes be lower quality and other things. However, don't let this discourage you. International calling cards are still usually cheaper than regular long-distance calling rates.

Is quality important to you?

VOIP and other technologies have drastically changed the quality of international calling cards. Most of the time the lines that you are calling through are the normal data lines that companies like AT&T and Sprint are using for their international calling as well. AT&T and other companies sell their lines at wholesale rates to international calling card companies. You will often find international calling cards at lower rates than the major companies like AT&T and Sprint, but for rates that are even less.

The ease of recharging or refilling my card.

If you are going to be using your card often, and purchasing a lower dollar amount, you want to make sure that you are purchasing a card that is easy to recharge. Some cards don't allow you the ability to recharge them quickly. In these cases, you actually have to go online and purchase a brand-new card, get a brand-new pin, and have a whole new card number. My personal recommendation is to look for international calling cards that are easy to recharge. These cards can be charged by simply logging on to the Internet or calling a certain phone number. Quickly, efficiently, and easily.

Connection fees.

Often overlooked, connection fees can really add up with international calling cards. The way that connection fees work is this. Once you make your call, if your card has a connection fee, you will be charged the fee upon hitting a certain number of minutes in the call. In other words, if you are connection fee is one dollar, and it comes into play after three minutes into your conversation your card will be deducted one dollar after three minutes of your call. Not all international calling cards have connection fees. Typically, it's the ones that have extremely low rates per minute.

Regular maintenance fees.

I'm not really sure what "maintaining" your international calling card account entails. However, many international calling card companies do charge such a fee. Now, keep in mind, that cards with extremely low rates will often include a regular maintenance fee. These maintenance fees can be either weekly or monthly, and it all depends on the card. If you are going to be speaking often, getting a card with a maintenance fee isn't always a bad idea. Your savings will be made in the cost per minute, so the maintenance fee will wash itself out. When selecting your card, you just have to be realistic and think about how you're going to be using the card.

"But I didn't talk that many minutes!"

One of the most important things to look for is when the minutes round. In other words, some international calling cards, round up by a three-minute intervals. So if you speak on the phone for one minute and 10 seconds, you will still be charged for three minutes. This may not be important if you are only going to use the card once in a great while. However, if you're going to be using the card often, I would recommend going with an international calling card, where the minutes round at a smaller interval like one minute.

Pay phone charges.

While payphones are not that popular anymore, international calling card companies understand that they are still a part of life. One of the things to look at in the fine print is whether or not the international calling cards you're looking in to have a payphone fee. This fee, while often hidden, will actually charge your card as much as a dollar every single time you use a pay phone with your international calling cards.

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.

Article Source: Main Articles

Industry expert Rodger Strouden can help you to find international calling cards quickly at no charge by searching his international phone cards.

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