Hints and Tips for Using Pre paid Cheap Calling Cards

Want to avoid being ripped off when it comes to international calling cards? There always have been and there always will be people trying to scam you in this market. With the popularity of these calling cards, buyers must be extra cautious. Don’t be fooled by some of the very cheap rates that you see advertised in the posters in shops. Read the fine print on the posters as many of the phone cards charge ongoing admin or maintenance fees even if you don’t use the phone card. Although, this is not strictly illegal as the fees are stated on the posters people don’t bother reading the fine print and get ripped off.Given the intense competition for the international tele-phone card market, we have decided to provide you with some essential hints and tricks to avoid losing money when it comes to buying international calling cards.Tip 1: Do your researchBy simply talking to people who often use these calling cards you can find out which cards are good. If you don’t know anyone that uses calling cards to call overseas you can also check out online forums such as whirlpool or www.phonecardreview.com.au , to get recommendations on a good calling card.Tip 2: Compare DealsOnline Calling card comparison sites such as www.phonecardchoice.com allow you to search by location, by brand and by price for the best phone card for you. If you are unsure which phone card is best for you, you can also call their customer service number on their contact us page and they will be happy to recommend a phone card for the country that you want to call to.When looking for potential calling cards it is also worthwhile to think about:1. Calling Locations: if you only want to call one destination, you can often get a good deal to that country alone. This deal will not be as a good if you call a different country as even though phone cards can be used to call any country like your home phone, phone card companies often offer special phone cards that are targeted at only a few countries. It may be worthwhile buying more than one phone card if you are intending to call more than one country. Sometimes even if you are planning to call a mobile and land line in one country, it may still be worthwhile buying two phone cards as one card may not offer you the absolute best rate for both mobile and landline for that country.2. What are online forums saying about calling particular cards. Try some specific online search queries in Google or MSN for your particular needs, such as“calling Brazil from USA” or “call USA to Argentina cheap” or “calling Papua New Guinea from USA”3. Also try some research for specific calling card brands. You will find that big telecommunication companies such as Telstra has a very poor reputation online, whilst other popular calling cards as Bill Busters have a very good reputation. Use the American telecommunication whirlpool forums.Tip 3: The Fine Print:Read the fine print. Sometimes if you are not careful you might end up buying a calling card that charges hidden admin charges and ongoing maintenance fees. These cards charge you an ongoing weekly or monthly fee even when you don’t use your phone card. If the calling credit on your phone card seem to be going down even when you are not using your phone card this may be the problem.Phone card rates have fallen dramatically over time. Unless you are an extreamly heavy user, your card should last for many months. Accordingly, make sure the expiry date on your phone card lasts you long enough for you to make as many calls as you want. Some cards do not allow you to recover your expired credit even though your recharge your phone card (this is bad). Websites such as www.phonecardchoice.com sell very competitive and ethical calling cards online that last for 6 months from when you start using the phone card. If you do not fully use up your phone card within 6 months, any expired credit is recovered and refreshed when your recharge your calling card with them.