Prepaid Long Distance Phone Cards

A popular choice

These cards are far and away the most popular variety of prepaid phone cards, with only the (vastly different) prepaid wireless cards coming even close in terms of usage. These cards allow the user to make a telephone call anywhere within a given country, or in some cases anywhere in the world. However, it is worthwhile to look at the intended usage area of these cards, as in many cases the domestic rate is extremely favorable while the international rate is what some might call “gouging”. If you have a need for a phone card, always bear in mind that many of these cards are designed for very specific niche uses - if you plan to make many different kinds of calls to many different areas, you may need to get a variety of cards in order to maximize savings. If this sounds too inconvenient or too complex, you might be interested in a simple-but-costly credit-based phone card, which allows you to call now and pay later.

Prepaid long distance cards can be of the low fee, no fee, or connection fee variety, depending on their intended usage, and the nature of the company who produces them. Although low fee cards can be useful, in many cases they are too complex to be helpful to consumers, and result in user frustration. For all-around usage, anywhere, anytime, a no fee card will offer the highest prices but the lowest aggravation. Some of these cards are usable in card reader phones (Canada’s Bell QuickChange cards and Italy’s early magnetic strip based phone cards are both notable examples) and actually carry a value. Account information is stored either within the card itself or with the card serving as an “access key” to your account with the telephone service provider.

It’s important to remember that there are optimal times and places to use each of these cards - if you want to get the greatest possible value from them, be sure you understand how and when to use each card, and if possible, keep several different types of phone cards with you.