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Collect
calls, credit card calls,
third-party calls - history.
The easiest, simplest, and
most importantly cheapest
way to make calls while on
the road is by using a phone
card.
Why?
- No more pumping unfamiliar
coins into a machine - Eliminate
or reduce exorbitant hotel
surcharges - No more collect,
operator-assisted, and third-party
hassles and surcharges
- Less expensive
- You know what you're paying
- often just picking up a
receiver can patch you to
a price gouging reseller
When?
You can use a calling card
at any time; many people have
found that the competition
and price-cutting in calling
card rates is so fierce that
it pays to use them exclusively
for any long distance calls,
including from their home!
(Others opt to pay a little
more so not to be bothered
with the long strings of access
codes all the time.) On the
road, however, there are times
when a calling card is your
very best option.
During Hotel Stays
In Costa Rica, for example,
a local call from a payphone
or using a phone card could
cost you up to 20 times more
from your resort hotel. A
recent visitor to Orlando
made three brief calls to
her home in New Jersey from
her hotel room without using
a calling card. Cost: $65!
Most hotels apply exorbitant
surcharges to both local and
toll calls. In the case of
local calls, they usually
charge a flat fee for each
call; for toll calls, they
often charge a percentage
of the cost of the call.
When Traveling Internationally
A pass through the guidebooks
answers this question unanimously:
always. The vagaries of long
distance billing here at home
are complicated enough; add
to this government vs. free
market issues, language barriers,
unfamiliar currency, extreme
variance in communications
infrastructure, and plain
old ease of use, and the calling
card is almost a must-have
when traveling internationally.
A pass through the better
guidebooks can offer considerable
assistance in this area. You
can find quite a bit of information
in the Basics section for
many countries at roughguides.com.
When Traveling Domestically
Even in the United States,
using your credit card at
a pay phone can be risky business.
Many long distance resellers
pay for the right to service
public phones, then charge
exorbitant surcharges that
you might easily know nothing
about at the time you place
your call.
Which Type Card?
There are numerous card types:
Prepaid cards are usually
for a set amount or number
of minutes: $20 worth of calls,
or 100 minutes. In these cases,
you either swipe the card,
or punch in an access code,
and the card is valid until
your money or time runs out.
In some locations, you'll
find multiple card types -
one that can be swiped, and
others with dialing codes.
Standard, or non-prepaid cards
are billed to a credit card
or your calling card account,
and require a PIN number.
There can be slightly greater
risk when using these cards,
as if someone swipes your
PIN number, they can use your
card at will without limit,
at least until you discover
the number has been stolen.
Standard cards are usually
available from your telephone
company, your company, or
come with your long distance
service.
Swipe cards
The upside of using these
cards is time saved; no need
to enter a string of dozens
of numbers every time you
make a call. The downside
is that they often can't be
used on all phones, but only
on those phones serviced by
a specific phone company.
If you are going to be in
one place for a while, or
using a specific phone, these
work well, and save you time.
Dialing Codes
In almost all cases, I buy
only dial-code cards; they
are more versatile, and I
don't have to go scrounging
around for a telephone that
accepts my swipe card.
Which Card to Buy?
Especially stateside, this
issue is complicated by the
sheer abundance of calling
card companies. Our advice:
buy from a reputable, well-known
company or outlet, or from
a vendor you trust. Additionally,
you can choose from prepaid
or standard (non-prepaid)
calling cards.
It's worth some investigation:
take a look at Compare-Phone-Rates.com
or http://longdist.net/
for a neat comparison application.
(Note that these folks are
in the business of selling
phone cards, so let the buyer
beware.)
Overseas, you may find your
choices are limited. If you
understand the rate system,
and it looks reasonable, you're
likely okay. In many places,
it's worth doing a little
comparison shopping.
In Russia, for example, you'll
want to use phones and buy
cards that are run by the
city phone network, some private
companies charge much more
than the government does for
using their phones and phone
systems.
On the Internet
There are literally thousands
of calling card offers on
the Web. One that looks interesting,
and offers abundant freedom
of choice, is http://www.affordablechoices.com/
The Big Guys
Typically, the large telcos
(Sprint, AT&T, MCI) charge
similar rates; their prepaid
cards usually come in substantially
cheaper than their standard
calling card rates. However,
many calling card offers beat
the big guys by quite a bit
on price. Shop around!
Here are links to the big
guys:
- AT&T prepaid cards
- Sprint prepaid calling cards
- MCI Worldcom card
Keeping Time
Most reputable card companies
will tell you how much you
have used at the beginning
and end of each call, and
many phones will count down
the remaining time on your
card on a digital clock on
the phone itself.
Free Calling Cards
Credit card companies, phone
companies, football teams,
airlines, hotels, Web sites,
you name it; all have offered
free calling cards to customers
at some point. Keep your eyes
open for these deals.
Where to Buy Phone Cards
Many phone cards can be found
in airport dispensing machines,
which often take only cash,
so you may need some local
currency first.
Also, convenience stores,
newsstands, and small local
shops in or near train stations,
airports, or a bank of phones
often carry phone cards. In
Spain, for example, you'll
find them in tobacco shops;
in Australia, at food stands
and in machines; in Russia,
at newsstands (kiosks) and
in post offices.
Countless cards are also available
on the Web; again, be sure
to buy from reputable vendors
with clear price information,
including minimums, service
charges, and other hidden
restrictions.
Also, we've seen cases where
disreputable dealers will
sell used cards, then claim
you don't know how to use
them and refuse a refund.
This is an unusual circumstance,
but again, buyer beware.
Read the Fine Print
A traveler we know learned
the hard way about a condition
of her calling card plan with
one of the Big Guys. If she
dialed "0" and the
number, then put in her calling
card code for payment, she
was billed up to $9/minute!
Only if she dialed 1-800-225-5288
(you've seen the commercials)
did she get the advertised
$0.30/minute rate.
Additional Considerations
Many phone cards allow you
to dial several numbers in
a single "session;"
listen to the options or read
card directions to determine
if this is available. This
can save you money in some
cases. For example, if a hotel
charges a single, one-time
surcharge for you to call
the calling card company's
800 number, and you can make
several calls in that single
calling card session, you
save big.
Certain phone cards are also
"rechargeable;"
that is, you can buy more
minutes when you run out without
having to change access codes,
PIN numbers, etc. This can
be especially helpful when
using the card for Internet
access, as you will not need
to type a new access code
into your modem dialing strings.
"Collect Them All!"
One interesting offshoot of
the boom in phone cards is
their new status as collectibles.
Many calling cards are decorated
with regional, national, event-specific,
or other interesting imagery.
This is not our bailiwick,
but some folks have a deep
interest in this element of
the biz, and we thought it
worth mentioning.
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