Phone Cards Information

Even with the growing use of the Internet and email, talking by phone still remains a popular way to communicate. At the very least, this method requires buying a cell phone and signing up with a service provider. It can also involve the expense and time of hardware installation for land lines. A phone card gets around these requirements. These rates are accurate as of July, 2009.

Description

You buy a phone card so you can have a bank of minutes to use when you make phone calls. You do not have to worry about scrambling for change or owning a credit card. Because the minutes are prepaid, you do not even have to own a device. You can access your card using any phone, such as a payphone or one that you borrow from a friend.

Use

To use a phone card, dial its access number, which is usually toll-free. Follow the voice prompts and enter the PIN code that is tied to your specific card. Then, dial the number you need to call. You can talk for the number of minutes that are available. Some companies even let you add minutes to the same card.

Types

Local cards charge one minute of time for every minute used on calls placed within a specified area. Calls outside the area are charged as long-distance, using up more minutes. This is a popular option for those without phone service. Country cards offer a low per-minute-rate to a particular country and are useful with travelers. Finally, prepaid cell cards are tied to a particular cell phone and provider. Rather than dialing an access number and pin, you enter a code into the cell phone, so that minutes are added to the device itself. The card becomes useless after that.

Costs

Costs vary widely depending on the call and the type of card. For example, an AT&T phone card costs $7 for 100 minutes that never expire and for calls to anywhere within the United States. (See Reference 1.) A $19.99 Tracfone card allows 60 minutes of service for only 90 days and can only be used with phones tied to Tracfone service. (See Reference 2.) A Call Indian Now card costs $5 and charges from 1.1 to 1.3 cents per minute for calls to India but as much as 17.7 cents per minute for calls to other countries. (See Reference 3.)

Warning

The University of Georgia Research Magazine warns that phone cards often contain hidden charges, which you can find only by reading their terms of service, contacting their customer service or by browsing their websites. They discovered that an expected call rate of 15 cents per minute, for example, could end up costing 28 cents per minute. In addition, some cards measured a call's duration in greater than one-minute intervals. In one case, minutes were rounded at eight-minute intervals even if calls lasted only a few seconds.

References

• AT&T phone card cost
• Tracfone
• Call India