Smart-Phone-Cards Blog

In the world that we live in, everyone wants to know what things cost. This is especially true when looking to purchase a phone card. Now bear in mind that there are at least three different types of phone card: local, long distance and cards for a pre paid phone. The first two are usually interchangeable and the third is specific to pay as you go plans for any number of telephone service providers such as Verizon, T-Mobile and TracFone just to name three providers of pay as you go services.

With that being said, how will you know if you are getting your money’s worth with a pay as you use phone card? This is dependent upon your pay as you use provider. Usual card limits are 15 30 45 60 and 120 dollars for a prepaid phone card. What you need to look at is how much time worth phone calls you can make with these monetary limits. You may also have service charges, such as a per day rate to consider. It is up to you how much time you put on a pay as you go phone.

Now when dealing with the local and long distance cards, you will need to do a bit of comparison shopping in order to get the best deal. You will need to compare the rate per minute, connection charge and time limit for the money paid. You will also need to look at the units that will be used if you are choosing to make an international call. This one factor needs to be checked when looking into long distance, especially if you have travel planned for overseas.

Also comparing providers will also get you a good deal. Sometimes going with a less known provider does have its drawbacks, but sometimes they can out do the major companies for cost effectiveness and minutes. All phone cards must have the rates listed on them. Some cards can charge as little as .01 per minute, while others charge up to 5 cents per minute. Again, this varies with the provider. Something else that you need to look for is where you can use the card. This can be a bit of a sticking point, as some cards are only for use with certain countries or to certain countries. Another point to be noted is that few companies give good discounts on calling going to certain destinations and originating from a certain location.

Here is one last thing to remember when choosing a phone card. They have time limits. Even the rechargeable ones have limits, usually two years from date of first purchase. So bear that in mind when looking for a phone card. This also pertains to pay as you go cards. All phone cards have a certain time limit and certain restrictions will apply. Check the fine print before purchase. With this being said, the above tips are valuable when choosing a phone card, no matter what the usage of that phone card will be.

See Also: Prepaid Phone Cards, India Calling Cards

When dealing with phone cards, there are many different options available for use of these phone cards. Now you would think that rechargeable cards would be on the top of the list, but sometimes they are not. Now there are many different reasons that you would want to go for a rechargeable phone card. These would not be limited to repeated use of the same card, if you are going to be calling a lot and if you want a cost effective way to manage your long distance calling costs for either domestic or international calling.

Rechargeable phone cards are a good way to use the same card multiple times without having to buy a new card each and every time. The only thing that you really will have to watch out for is the time limit. Some rechargeable cards expire after two years, so you would need to keep an eagle eye on the expiration date. At the end of the two years, you would need to buy another card, but you can recharge the new card for up to two years also. Therefore, this is a good way to keep your costs down.

These rechargeable cards are good for those who travel either domestically or internationally. This is another reason to get a rechargeable card. You pay the same price without having to get a new card. Most rechargeable cards have a time limit, such as 1000 to 2000 minutes. They can then be recharged when the time runs out. Most can also be used for overseas calls to most any country. These are a cost effective way to keep phone call costs down. They can also be used in a variety of countries or even specific countries from the United States or Europe.

Therefore, you can see why going for one of these rechargeable cards is a good idea. Most can be recharged at retail outlets that sell these types of cards to the public. Many different cards charge a different rate for connection and cost per minute. However, overall, a rechargeable phone card is usually your best bet when dealing with calling cards. It can be expensive, time consuming and frustrating to have a one-use card. If you are traveling and your card runs out, then you know the aggravation that brings to mind when dealing with a non-rechargeable card.

So if you are traveling constantly, have friends overseas, or just want to keep your costs down, then a rechargeable card may be the best bet for you. The costs are usually low sometimes 25.00 for a 2000 minute card and the fact that they can be recharged is a boost, especially when you are traveling and cannot afford to be out of phone communications. This is also a cost effective way to keep your long distance telephone bills down to a reasonable amount. So now, you know when to spring for a rechargeable phone card for yourself or someone you love.

The growing business needs demand businesspersons to travel to various countries. If you are a frequent traveler, you might have already experienced huge phone bills after calling your overseas friends. Hundred dollar bills for a few minutes of overseas calling are not something new if you are using the same local card in another country. International phone cards help you to call any country at low prices. Rather than paying one dollar or more for a minute, you will be charged two or three cents a minute using international phone cards.

Need for international phone cards

The common SIM card you use in your GSM has a microchip, enabling connection between the caller and the called person. The geographic locations and the call duration are tracked by this card, and it is sent to the mobile service provider. If you call an overseas number, you will be charged heavily per minute. If you take this mobile to another country, you are entitled to pay heavy roaming fees and the call rate is also high. Some people may advise you to buy a SIM card from the local country. This is unsuitable for a person who travels frequently to various countries. You cannot hold different SIM cards for different countries. International phone cards provide a solution to these problems with the single card for all countries.

Advantages of buying international phone cards

International phone cards mimic the same technology used in your local card, but they are available as prepaid cards. This means that you will not get annoying bills at the end of the month. You know how much credit you want, buy the credit, and use it whenever you want. The prepaid cards can be topped up at any time from any place using the online top up feature. You have to login into your account and use the credit card to make the payment. Instantly, you will receive an e-mail indicating your purchase and the credits will be added to the phone card.

You can use international phone cards in any country provided the telecom company provides service in that country. This eliminates the need to buy separate SIM cards for different countries without compromising the low price advantage. You will always have a single SIM in your mobile, and you can use it on the go. Before visiting any country, check with the service provider if service is provided in that country.

The contact number remains the same irrespective of the country. The call rate is also low in comparison to the normal local cards you use. Your contacts don’t have to be confused with the number to contact you. With the same number, you can travel to almost all the countries in the world.

There is no hassle if you want to buy an international phone card. Many telecom companies sell international cards at affordable prices. The card will be made available to you and the PIN will be sent instantly to your mailbox. Buying and recharging international phone cards can be done online making the job much simple.

Phone cards date back to the mid 1970s, when they were used in Italy for the first time. Two broad types of phone cards exist: prepaid phone cards and credit phone cards. A prepaid system is the most popular phone card system in use today, which does away with the need of billing after a phone call, as users can make phone calls within the stipulated value that the phone card carries until the balance amount is exhausted. These phone cards are disposable, and the user simply discards such a card after use. Reusable or rechargeable phone cards allow users to add value to their original phone card after successive exhaustion of the balance amount, so you can reuse such a card even after you have made calls worth of the initial prepaid amount.

Today phone cards offer the user a world of discounted rates when it comes to international calls as well as domestic long distance calls. Apart from this, there are a wealth of schemes that the user chooses from, which ensures a further reduction of calling rates. International prepaid phone cards are very useful for frequent travelers, who need not bother about carrier rates of the country they are traveling to, and use a phone card of a selected carrier. Prepaid phone cards are found at stores around the world, so you can just about pick one that suits your requirements best quite easily.

Most phone cards use a multiple step initiation of the call, which includes keying in the access codes, and destination number. There are variations in this, with some international phone cards requiring a sequence of numbers to be keyed in before the user actually gets through the call. Although this is supposedly a confusing process, you have to keep in mind the following when buying and using a phone card:

1. Always buy a phone card that you will find useful; there is no point paying for features that you will not use, or you might not be a frequent user of the same.
2. Obtain your PIN number and access codes either physically from the card, or via email.
3. Dial the Local Access Number or equivalent
4. Listen to the instructions
5. Enter your PIN number
6. Listen carefully for the balance and available call time information
7. Enter the number you wish to call

International phone cards tend to be continent or country specific. So, if you buy a UK calling card, then you can make calls to UK numbers alone, and cannot use it to call telephones in say France. Country specific phone cards allow for heavily discounted rates, and often bypass local telecommunications carriers to use their designated pre specified carrier. This is advantageous for people who want to avail of cheap rates and not the usual rates offered by the operators in that country, when calling from the same to another country. Students, travelers as well as local residents alike can take advantage of such a convenient phone card system.