There’s no question that prepaid calling cards offer convenience. But sometimes, the cards don’t work as promised. Some people who have bought and used these cards have registered complaints about:

• cards that don’t deliver the number of calling minutes they advertise
• cards that debit minutes or units even when you don’t connect with the number you’re calling
  hidden connection charges, taxes, and surcharges that increase the rate-per-minute
• bad connections
• access numbers or PINs that don’t work
• customer service numbers that are busy or simply don’t work
• toll-free access numbers that are constantly busy, preventing you from using the card
• issuers who go out of business and leave card-holders with a useless card

 Got friends and family overseas, whom you barely keep in touch with? I’m pretty sure that’s not a nice feeling. And I bet you would stay in touch more, if it was not so expensive to call home.

But have you ever tried using a phone card? Sure, it implies that you dial a few extra digits, before your destination number, but you soon notice that you save a substantial amount of money.

Here’s how this works: you get a calling cards (wither a physical one, or one which you order over the internet). Choose the card with the correct destination country. For both physical and online-purchased cards, you receive a PIN number, and an access number. You will need these to make your phone calls. You can call from any phone, dialing that access number and PIN code, and the call will be charged from the amount you charged on your phone card.

This gives you mobility and control over the money you spend. You normal phone bill will not normally be charged anything, ad you do not need to change/notify your phone provider you are using a calling card.

So, wait no more! Search for international phone cards and calling cards now, and start making cheaper international calls. Stay in touch with your loved ones at really affordable (and fair) prices.

Many people ignore calling cards, preferring to use Skype or other online voice chat to make long distance calls, often for free. Truth be told, with products that allow you to talk for free, why would you still need a calling card? Well, let’s see:

1. Although we don’t think about it too often, the truth is not everyone has access to the right computer equipment and a good enough internet connection.
That shouldn't be too hard to believe. For example, think of your parents (or grandparents) - do you think they know that they can plug a microphone into the computer, let alone where? Some applications have tried to address this by letting you use your computer to call out to a regular phone; but guess what - that's NOT free! And calling cards offer significantly lower rates than what those outbound computer-to-phone calls will charge you.

2. Online chat isn't always that appropriate.
"Hello, prospective international employer. I will be on Skype from 4-8 GMT. Please meet me there." Yeah, right! What about calling a hotel in Italy to make honeymoon reservations? Do you really think you can Skype them? If voice chat is appropriate for some industries, for others it is simple a no-no. Some things just require a plain old phone.

There's also the problem of quality that should be addressed here: the delay that can come with networks (that weird-sounding thing that happens when syllables get blurred together or whole words get lost) might be ok when calling friends, but what about for business?

3. How about when you're travelling.
Have you ever tried to track down a reliable internet connection while you're on the road? Or let’s say… in a foreign country? Internet cafes are pretty common in most places you’re likely to travel; but not many have equipment for voice chat (and many are so loud that it wouldn't matter if they DO have the equipment). And on top of all that, calling cards or phone cards are cheaper! It costs an average 15 eurocents/minute to use a computer in Europe, and cruise ship internet connections average about 70-90 cents per minute; a phone card would give you a rate of about 7 cents USD. Imagine that!

4. Scheduling online meetings is almost ALWAYS a pain.
Yeah; then add in time differences and network outages, equipment failures, and you've left everyone with their headsets on, staring at their monitors, while they wait for you to arrive to the chat… Is this takes too long, someone will probably call the delayed party to figure out what's going on; so why not save the hassle and just do the whole meeting over the phone?

Even if you’re all for new technology, sometimes there's a good reason to hang onto the old stuff, too. Calling cards will definitely save you time, money, and a lot of trouble in some situations.

And look, check out my previous post on how to make money with calling cards and you got yourself a pretty good deal!

Phone cards are now even easier to use, as some of the providers have introduced a new feature to these cards: pinless dialing.

What is Pinless Dialing?

If your calling card has this feature, it means that on purchase, or after, you can register a few phone numbers (usually around 5), and you can use those phones to call with your calling card – without having to dial the PIN.

This new feature makes it even easier to use phone cards – and this is just another benefit added to the list, along with:

1. saving money on your domestic and international calls;

2. gaining greater mobility – with phone cards, you’re able to call from any phone(landline, mobile, payphone), using credit from your account;

3. being able to buy/recharge your calling cards online;

4. having the option to activate auto-recharge (and make sure you never run out of credit);

So, there you go! Five big fat advantages for you to start using calling cards! I say get a calling card, pick up the phone, and stat calling the word! Place your international calls at low rates and enjoy yhe benefits! 

Yes, you heard that right. On top of saving money with phone cards, you can actually MAKE money. Here’s how this works – just x simple steps:

1. Build up a site, a blog page or anything of that sort.
2. Create an affiliate account on a calling cards and phone cards site.
3. Pick a advertising method: banners, texts, links, search boxes, or any combination of these, and the place them on your site.
4. Make sure you drive people to your site; once they’re there, they will see the ads you placed for the calling cards, and if they are interested, they will click and buy some.
5. You will get a commission for every visitor that purchases a calling card.

The advantages of joining such and affiliate program?

First of all, obviously - you make money very easily. People are already interested in getting these cards, since it gives them the opportunity to pay less for their international (and domestic calls).

Secondly, the revenue from affiliate sales will most probably be transferred directly to your account, making this business easy and fast.

You also get to feel good about yourself, knowing that you shared with people the benefits that you’ve already discovered in using calling cards. You did a good thing. Now they too can save money!

There’s also a possibility that more and more people will start coming to your site, and hence get more visitors. At that point, you might also consider joining other affiliate programs, and make even MORE money. For more tips on how to promote your business, stay tuned: I will soon reveal some tips on the benefits to present to your customers: like pinless dialing (explained in another post on my blog) and many, many more.

Calling cards have made living in our world so much easier. They are now the easiest and most affordable solution to make phone calls all around the globe. The market is brimming with so many prepaid calling cards, each one with different features, that any customer is bound to find one that suites him of her perfectly.

To place a call using your calling card has never been easier. You can make your calls from a land line phone, a mobile phone or any pay-phone in the world, at very low rates. All you need to do is buy a calling card and then follow the instructions given to start making your calls. To see how simple it is, here’s an example: for starters, you will need to enter an access number, then your card’s pin number and finally the destination number, for the person you want to call.

The beauty of these calling cards is that they are issued with such a variety of billing schemes and rates, that it is virtually impossible not to find one convenient for you. Just to do some research in order to find the one that best suites you.

But let’s talk about some other advantages of calling cards, apart from saving money on your phone calls:

-          You can keep track of how much you are paying for your calls. This means, you are able to keep an eye on your phone bill.

-          Calling cards also allow you to track the phone calls you are making.

-          You can activate Auto Recharge on your calling card, to make sure you do not run out of credit in the middle of a conversation.

Prepaid calling cards are by far the best way of making low-cost international calls. Make the best out of this advance of technology and stay connected with friends and family all across the globe at very low rates!