Buy Calling Cards Online

Why Use a Prepaid Calling Card?

A prepaid calling card is a "stored value" card that looks much like a credit or gift card. You deposit money with the long-distance calling card provider and use it up as needed to make calls. When you need to add money to your account you can do so with a phone call, online, by paying over the counter at a retail outlet.

The magnetic stripe on the calling card contains information about your account; when swiped through a card reader on a phone equipped with one, the information is read automatically and transmitted to the long-distance service provider for billing purposes. If the phone used has no card reader you have to enter the card's number and, typically, a secret PIN number via touchtone keypad. Then you get to dial the phone number you wish to call.

Calling card rates are lower than the rates charged by most regular phone service plans for two reasons. First, the risk of non-payment is totally eliminated; you're spending money you've already paid. Second, there's no cost of monthly billing statements.

Of course, if you have a mobile phone plan that includes unlimited long-distance calling to the places you usually call, there is no benefit to buying a calling card. But there are circumstances under which calling cards can save you big bucks. If you're making international calls on a mobile phone, it could be much cheaper to use a calling card, than pay your mobile provider's exorbitant overseas rates. Also, calling cards can enable long-distance calling from landline phones that block long-distance calling. Such blocked phones are often found in local businesses that provide local calling as a courtesy because it's free to them, but don't want to be stuck with your hour-long call to Kenya.

Calling Cards in Hotels and International Calls

Hotels are notorious for sticking it to guests when it comes to long-distance calls. A hotel may charge you a couple of dollars for just the first minute, and 50 cents per additional minute is not unusual. But hotels don't charge for calls placed to toll-free phone numbers, and that's where a calling card service provider can save you money.

Just call the calling card's toll-free number; enter your card and PIN numbers; dial the number you want to reach and bypass those exorbitant hotel rates! This technique also works on phones that have toll long-distance calling blocked, so you can make long-distance call from them too.

International long-distance calling is another application in which prepaid calling cards can save you big money. You'll pay the calling card service provider's lower rate instead of the steep international tariff rates of traditional telephone companies. Typically, the calling card service provider uses VoIP (Voice over IP) calling similar to Skype or Vonage, so it's costs are very low and the savings are passed on to customers.

Many sites such as CallingCards.com offer calling cards from multiple service providers. PennyTalk.com offers calling cards that let you call within the US and Canada for 1 cent per minute, and as low as 2 cents per minute to other countries.

You can shop for a calling card that fits your needs and preferences. There are even PIN-less calling cards that reduce the number of buttons you have to push when calling.

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