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Calling Cards: Essential Items |
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Many of us don't bother with calling cards. We have plenty of ways to make a phone call; they're everywhere.
Then your car breaks down and you can't get a signal. You're snowed in at the airport; the payphones only take cards, which you can buy, but for a huge markup. You're on that foreign holiday, your cell phone is useless and you can walk miles looking for a payphone that takes coins.
We used to think calling cards weren't for us, and now we wouldn't be caught without one. Get the best calling card for you by doing what we do:
List all the countries you will be calling, and all the countries in which you will use the card. This is vital. You can call to and from almost any country in the world, but there is no card that you can use everywhere. And some cards will allow you to call, say Germany from the US, but not the US from Germany. If there is no one card that will take care of you, buy two or more lower-value cards to get complete coverage.
Having narrowed your choices, look at all charges, not just the per minute call cost. A higher per minute rate can be a good deal if other costs are low or waived altogether.
1: If at all possible, avoid cards that have monthly fees. These are charged whether you use the card or not. You can easily find yourself in a tight spot with a card that has sucked dry by monthly fees.
2: Find one with no or low "connect charges." These upfront minimums will be deducted as soon as the call goes through, no matter how long it lasts.
3: Almost every card has a payphone surcharge. Try to get a low one, but, better yet, avoid using a payphone. Many business will take pity on you in an emergency and let you use their phone if you show them your card.
4: The best cards round to the nearest minute, while others round in blocks of 3 or 5 minutes. If you go 30 seconds into the next minute, you could wind up paying for 2-1/2 or 4-1/2 minutes you didn't use.
Rate each potential card on these factors, and pick the one that gets the best score in the most areas. That's the way to cut straight to the best deal.
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