When making international calls, it can often get very
expensive when you try to go through your regular landline or cell phoneservice. They will often charge quite a bit per minute or hour, which can add
up extremely quickly if you’re the talkative type. Phone service providers are
getting a little better at this with flat monthly rates that get you
international calls as well, but if you don’t call internationally very often,
it may not be worth it to pay the extra monthly price. A good way to fix this
is to use prepaid cards to make your international calls. They offer a number
of benefits over a regular monthly plan.
Cheaper Prices
The biggest advantage of prepaid cards is the fact that
they’re significantly cheaper. Prepaid cards can go for rates as cheap as 0.8
cents a minute. That’s right; a fraction of a cent every minute! If you only
make international calls every now and then, to connect with relatives in
another country for example, then you can save a lot of money simply by using
prepaid cards. Additionally, you typically only have to pay for exactly what it
states on the card; there are no hidden fees or charges.
Only Pay for What You Want
As touched upon, besides the fact that prepaid cards are
cheaper, there’s the fact that you only need to pay for exactly as much service
as you need. Typically a card will allot you a specific number of minutes at a
specific rate, both of which will be clearly stated on the card. This means
that you can pick and choose the amount of minutes and service that you need,
allowing you to save even more money over traditional monthly plans.
Convenient
Of course, you can’t mention prepaid cards without
mentioning the convenience factor. You will often find these prepaid cards
hanging from retail shelves, where you can easily pick them up and purchase.
Many of these cards can also be purchased online.
Prepaid cards also happen to be pretty versatile, whether
they’re physical cards or virtual cards. Most of them offer a way to add
international minutes to nearly any kind of mobile device that you may have.
For example, the PennyTalk service offers an app for Android, iOS, and
Blackberry, ensuring that you can use their rates wherever you go.
Other Thoughts
As mentioned, the rate of prepaid cards can go as low as
a fraction of a cent, depending on where you decide to call. More typical rates
are closer to 1 or 2 cents a minute. This can often be a much better solution
to international calling than paying an extra $10 or more per month on top of
your regular phone service.
All of this said, if it so happens that you call
internationally very often, it may be more convenient to go with a monthly
plan. Most people, however, don’t need to call overseas so often, making
prepaid cards the best solution for saving money on these types of calls. Your
pocketbook will certainly thank you!
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