Selecting the Best Prepaid Phone Card

Prepaid phone cards are used to pay for phone calls in advance. For each card you purchase, it will have a denomination of calling minutes for you to use. The denomination of minutes will depend on the amount you pay for the phone card. You can continue using calling minutes that will be deducted from the card until they run out completely. Most cards are refillable, meaning you can buy more minutes on the same card. Most cards come in denominations of $5, $10, $25 per card or in minutes including 30, 60, and 90 minutes. Some cards will also be broken down into units, with one unit equally one minute of talk time with in the continental United States. International calls may cost more units per minute.

Saving Money

A prepaid phone card is useful for saving you money on long distance and international phone calls. You can place calls from any home line, from a hotel phone, or any pay phones. They can be useful in an emergency when a cell phone does not work or when there is no long distance calling allowed on landlines. Prepaid phone cars have a toll-free phone number you use to access your calling ability and personal identification number, or PIN, is also used to determine authenticity of the card. The PIN number is typically hidden by a scratch-off coating which can be removed after purchase. Be aware that there are con artists who will scratch off the covering and write down the PIN numbers on the card without purchase, essentially leaving you with a non-working card as the thief will be using the minutes you are paying for when you buy a card. Placing a call is as easy as dialing the toll-free number and following the instructions provided over the phone. You will enter your PIN number and the recording will remind you how much of an available balance in minutes or units you have on the card.

Where To Buy Prepaid Phone Cards

You can find prepaid phone cards at many retail locations or online. They are abundant but differ in cost and terms for each card. There are different surcharges and fees depending on the card your purchase. Most cards charge service fees for using the card. Some charge these fees on a daily, weekly, monthly, or per-call basis. They can range from pennies to a few dollars. The amount of the fees will be automatically deducted from your calling card account. Some companies will also charge a “connection fee” on every call you make. There are also government fees and taxes that can apply to using your prepaid phone card. Other cards have an added charge when the phone card is used from a pay phone. These fees are used to pay the owner of the pay phone for allowing toll-free calls. The fees can be as high as 75 cents and the federal government requires that at least 24 cents be paid to the payphone owners for each call.

Do Your Homework

It is really important these days to research and compare the costs and terms of several prepaid phone card providers. While there are cards available that are as low as 1 cent per minute, it is important that consumers compare the per minute rates with the other fees and surcharges. While the per-minute rate may be low, the fees can eat up the balance of your card in just a few days. Consider what kind of calls you are most likely to make. If you are comparing online reviews of other cards, find ones that match your needs. If the best card for you turns out to be one from a supplier that is unrecognizable to you, buy one in the smallest denomination and do a test run to see if it will ultimately work for you. There are a lot of marketing pushes for different prepaid calling cards being advertised everywhere. It is not in your best interest to pick up just any card without first doing comparison shopping. Also keep in mind that many prepaid calling cards will have an expiration date that will eliminate your minutes on a certain date whether you have used them or not. Not every card will be the right one for your situation so shop by your needs and then find the best price to match.