Convenience Store Phone Cards

Long distance convenience at the corner of Main Street

Many convenience store chains choose to align themselves with specific vendors, to the exclusion of all others, as a way of negotiating lower pricing. Thus, you will typically find only a selected handful of cards from a small group of manufacturers at any given chain of convenience stores.Unfortunately, convenience store staff are not typically well-versed in the features and benefits of the different phone cards, and therefore typically take the blame when customers purchase the wrong card for their needs.

If you are unconcerned with the features in a phone card or the price you are paying for local service or long distance, purchasing a phone card in a convenience store will not be a problem. Since this is generally not the case however, it is recommended that only informed consumers purchase phone cards from convenience stores. This does not mean that you need to have bought dozens of phone cards in the past - simply insist on reading the packaging associated with each card, and be critical of the claims of each card. If you’ve read the Guide 2 Phone Cards, then you know enough to distinguish between no fee and low fee cards, and to ensure that you are purchasing the best card for your particular situation. It is important that you not rely on staff (at convenience store or elsewhere), unless they are genuinely familiar with the ins and outs of phone card usage, and are providing valid and useful information to aid in your purchase. Beware those simply suggesting a card to make the sale or move on to the next customer.

The other issue to keep in mind is that the inventory at convenience stores sometimes cycles frequently. Thus, even if you have bought one before, you may not be able to purchase a brand of phone card that you have come to enjoy using. If you find that your local convenience store, major retailer, or other bricks and mortar business has stopped carrying your favorite phone card, buying phone cards online for greater selection and potentially lower prices may be the best alternative.