There is a lot of information available about pre-paid phone cards. Some people swear that it is the cheapest way to stay in touch.

Others avoid them because of the connection fee and surcharge. Cards from several different companies are available at most

corner stores, newsstands, and online. They can be bought in $5, $10 or $20 denominations. You can use the card from any phone

in the United States to make local, long distance or international calls.

How to make the call?

Once you buy the card, you will have a personal access code. You will also be given a toll free number. After dialing your toll free

number, you will be asked to punch in your personal access code and then given instructions on making your call.

Connection Fee

In general, calling cards have connection fees that are applied every time you make a call. The connection fee may be greater for

dialing internationally and varies depending on the country that you are calling.

Advantages

You do not need your own phone line and can use your card from any phone in the United States.

If your have a high rate on domestic calls, you can use your prepaid phone card instead.

Since you know how much you are paying every time that you buy the card, it is a lot easier to budget your calling.

If you do not call frequently but like to spend a longer time on each call that you make, calling cards are probably cheaper

than international plans from long distance companies (AT&T, Bell Atlantic, MCI, and Sprint).

Disadvantages

During peak-hours, it can be difficult to get through to the number that you are dialing. Trying again after some time will

usually solve the problem although it can lead to lots of frustration.

The card may carry a high connection fee and hidden surcharge.

If you make frequent short calls, a phone card will end up costing you more than signing up on an international plan

because of the connection fee.

Most of the phone cards have expiration dates (these are generally between three to six months from the date that you buy

the card).

In some cases, there may be some scams. There are some companies that open announcing astoundingly low rates and

then fold. You might want to research the company properly before you decide to by the card.