When to Use Phone Cards

Does a phone card make sense?

There are a wide variety of situations where it makes a great deal of sense to use a phone card or calling card to make telephone calls. It might be to save money or simply to guarantee access to telephone service when you don’t have loose change or you find yourself needing to make an unexpected call. Because of their low denominations, small physical size, and extreme flexibility, phone cards can also be kept as a last-resort option to get you out of trouble or put you in touch with family or loved ones in the event of an emergency while on foreign soil.

Whether vacationing overseas, hoping for a phone call from a son or daughter attending school away from homeor away on business, if you need a card to cover long distance, the right one is out there. But unless you somehow find a limitless supply of Promotional Phone Cards or some other free source of long distance service, you’ll want to be sure that you understand how you’re being charged - that way you can find a card that lets you talk as long as you need, while still saving as much money as possible.

Beyond finding the right card, the questions becomes how and when to use the card to your greatest advantage. This is your chance to learn how to cheat the fee structures, by knowing exactly what you’re paying per minute with a phone card and avoiding over-paying for long distance by choosing the right card. You could just buy a card, pick up the phone, dial the access number, enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN), and start making calls. But if you want to get the most from your phone cards, you need to understand a little bit more about how they function so you can use them to your best advantage. Once you understand the differences between no fee, low fee, and connection fee systems, you’ll be that much closer to using them to save money on long distance and local calls.