Calling cards can be a blessing in time of need or a nightmare, depending on what type of card you use, the issuer, and how you use it. The first rule of calling card use is NEVER NEVER EVER use a prepaid calling card. You will either pay through the nose or get totally ripped off. Some cards don't even work at all or stop working shortly after purchase. More on these problems later. Even if you have a card that works, the fine print is usually a killer. Almost all prepaid cards have a per call surcharge, an initial activation charge, a monthly charge, a pay phone charge, and sometimes a "second call" (only incurred on the 2nd call off the same card) charge, besides an expiration date beyond which you lose everything. A $20 card which clearly states some great sounding rate like 3 or 4 cents per minute or a number of minutes like 542 per card assumes, at best, that you will make a single 542 minute call from and to whatever areas are the cheapest.

We have actually seen cards (sold in $10 and $20 face values) which had a $2.99 per call surcharge, a setup charge of 99¢, a pay phone charge of 99¢, a monthly charge of 59¢, AND a 2nd call surcharge of 1.99! The 6 month expiration date and even the monthly charge really didn't matter as only two 1 minute calls from a pay phone would exceed the value of a $10 card - a rate of $10 per minute! On a $20 card you would get a maximum of 4 calls total, even if all calls were 1 minute each. This card proudly displayed a rate of 4¢ per minute, which is the rate charged for each minute after the other fees were deducted from the face value. If you used the card to call within the 48 states AND the entire value of the card was used on a single call from a non pay phone (with a little extra for taxes and other fees) you could get about 2 1/2 hours of calling (or approx. 7¢ per minute) on one $10 card. You might as well talk for the entire time because it's the ONLY call you would get.

An extreme example, you might say. While the per call surcharge is higher than most and the SECOND call surcharge is only found on a few, the pattern is the same on most prepaid cards. You may sometimes make one call for a decent rate, but the more calls you make per card, the more exorbitant the rate per minute. There are "no surcharge" prepaids and so called rechargeables out there, but they usually have a higher rate than you can get on the desirable type calling card, and you still have to consider what happens if your card stops working.

What do we mean by the card simply not working? Well, we need to explain how the cards programs are actually put together. A company buys a block of discounted long distance from a carrier. They often get excellent rates by bidding on surplus or unused capacity, and then setup a toll free number to access the network time. They may sell more cards than they have actually paid for up front. As explained earlier, they never really know how many cards will translate into a certain amount of usage, because it depends on how many calls are made on each card. They may be fairly honest but overly optimistic about how many cards they can sell for a given amount of money spent. These quotes are from a company who sold these prepaid cards (from other providers) on the Internet:

We no longer offer the ICE calling card. As of July 22, 1999, we learned that the carrier, WorldLink Communications, has cut off the access number and is no longer honoring the cards we purchased. ICE claims that they paid the carrier, WorldLink, for each card which was activated. WorldLink claims that ICE did not pay their entire bill, and WorldLink therefore had no choice but to shut down the ICE cards.

World Wide Direct Calling Cards have ceased to function during the week of November 6, 1999. After a failure to provide service for more than one week, we will stop taking new orders for this calling card.

As you can see, you can't always count on your card continuing to work. Prepaid cards from the "Big 3" obviously do work, but even in the best case scenario, you WILL pay more than you have to. The best overall plan we have seen is offered by ATT. You can get blocks of time in increments of 100 minutes for less than 5 cents per minute with NO additional fees or hidden charges except a 15¢ pay phone surcharge. All the details of this plan and some unique pre-programmed phone and auto dialer packages bundled with blocks of time can be found here. This may well provide the cheapest method for some people to call in-state or while traveling.

There ARE 4 post paid calling cards with rates between 3.9 and 7.9 cents per minute depending on where you are calling from, and what billing increment you desire. All can be paid for at the end of the month and charges can be made to a credit or debit card. They don't cost anything unless you use them and the additional fees are reasonable. Like the plan mentioned above, they are also useful in some cases for in-state or international calling from your home phone, as they often have lower rates than the best 1+ providers on these calls. To see those you qualify for in your area, check out the Custom Rate Computer.

Some can be registered to phone numbers you specify so you don't even have to enter PIN's for calls from phones you use regularly. By entering the access number into a memory button on your phone, they take the same number of button pushes as 1+ dialing. Some allow you to specify various users on the same account and place limits on the amount each may spend in a month. You could set up a special PIN for a relative or employee and track the usage for each, as well as ensuring no spending above a certain amount without your approval. This can also provide peace of mind knowing that no one is charging hundreds of dollars to your card because your PIN was compromised, OR that your kid away at school is running up a huge bill but still allowing them to call home cheaply from the dorm or from ANY phone in case of emergency.

To order one or both of these cards, or for more information about the block plan or any other calling plans or services simply fill out the form below. We don't ask for any personal information over the Internet so just leave your name, phone number, and the best time to call. You are not signing up for any plan by filling out this form, nor are you obligated to accept anything if we call.

Name:   

E-Mail: 

City:       State: 

Phone:  --

Enter The Time To Call In YOUR Local Time.

Best Time is AM PM On Date 

DON'T Call Earlier Than AM PM

DON'T Call Later Than AM PM

Comments And Questions May Be Entered Below.



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