How To Choose An Online Phone Card

Choosing an online phone card can be a confusing experience for a new time user. There are so many choices to make but making the right choice involves a process of due diligence and elimination.

The reason you'll shop for an online phone card is to take advantage of the cheaper call rates and for those with friends and family overseas, phone cards provide a great opportunity to spend more time chatting to the people most important in your lives.

Selecting An Online Phone Card

When I select an online phone card, I perform a checklist of requirements before deciding on the right card for my situation. Here are some questions you'll need to ask yourself:

- What is the per minute cost of calls to my destination of choice? Surprisingly, I didn't choose the cheapest option out there simply because there were too many grey areas present. Sometimes cheapest isn't best and in the end, the choice you make may be a combination of things.
- Will the rates vary or stay constant? Are there any hidden fees? This was important. I preferred to select a card that offered constant rates and the opportunity of earning bonus minutes in relation to how often I used the card. The last thing I needed were unwelcome surprises. Another factor I considered was the charge of connection and maintenance fees. I wanted a straight out rate and this is one area you will need be clear about when choosing your online phone card.
- Placing more than one call without re-entering the pin? This wasn't a major factor in my overall decision however, I liked the idea of not going through the entire process of re-dialling lengthy pin numbers if I happened to be disconnected. This could occur by several means but one of the most common is flat phone batteries. This is an option to consider but more a preferred choice.
- Customer service... could I contact my phone card company if a problem arose? In the end, this was the one requirement I placed the most emphasis on. Even though they weren't the cheapest, their level of customer service was fantastic and for the sake of a few cents for every hour I spent on the phone, it was well worth it. I recently put the customer service factor to the test when I required a copy of my phone records for a 12 month period. They reciprocated with a full copy within three days. It was no trouble at all. I couldn't have asked for any more.

As a money saver on phone calls, an online phone card is just the ticket. One thing I found was that the cheapest phone card on the market wasn't necessarily the best option. In fact, my card was a little more expensive than most but what I had was a reliable provider who I have developed a good relationship with. They are no "fly by nighters" which has been a problem in this industry and if I "struck a hurdle" I was always satisfied in the knowledge I could pick up the phone and speak to a customer service representative and have my issue resolved quick smart. To me, that's worth the extra I pay for my online phone card.

International Phone Card