I remember not long ago the trouble I would get into at home if I was even caught looking at the telephone. What I would have give for a prepaid phone card back then. My old man had this theory that despite local call charges being fixed, there was some hidden conspiracy where hidden fees were some how being factored into the equation. Got to love him! Imagine my surprise recently when I visited my parents and found dad on an overseas call to Europe. Yes, he was using a prepaid phone card. He reckons he's finally put one over the major phone companies! The Advantages Of a Prepaid Phone Card The benefits are numerous and it doesn't make sense to use traditional calling services today given the advantages of a prepaid calling card. Here are some of them: - low rates, in fact, just cents on the dollar for international prepaid
and long distance Okay, the advantages are great especially in the cost saving department. But what's the point in shopping around for the lowest and least expensive prepaid phone card when you haven't taken the time to explore any hidden charges which may be lurking in the background. The four main hidden fees to watch out for are maintenance fees, connection fees, minute rounding and surcharges from public phones. Believe me, these can chomp away at your talk time in a hurry and leave you wondering where the heck did my value go! It's easy to get caught up in the advertising hype surrounding low rates. First thing you should always do is go straight to the fine print and see how much a "you beaut" deal is really going to cost in hidden charges. On going maintenance fees should be avoided. Connection fees in some instances may not be avoidable while be careful when purchasing a prepaid calling card and using it from a public phone. The surcharge could be excessive. The biggest bug bear with many consumers is the multiple minute rounding. Whether it's three or five minutes or whatever, it really can destroy your talk time. For example, making a 7 minute and 20 second call and then getting it rounded off to 10 minutes. That is pretty rude in a lot of people's books so always ask about this. It should be avoided. If the cost per minute is great and there are no other hidden factors, then maybe you could tolerate a call rounded off to the next minute but no more than that! A few other pitfalls to look out for include poor or non existent customer service, expiry deadlines where you may not even use your card and find out there was a short term deadline which has been reached. The result? You lose your talk time. Long distance confusion... low rates within a state but different rates apply outside it. Read The Fine Print! One of the things recommended is heading straight for the fine print section before deciding whether a deal is going to be a good one. No fees should mean no fees but for your own peace of mind, make sure of it. Prepaid phone cards have come under a lot of scrutiny in recent years but despite the unscrupulous operators who have come and gone, the phone card has been a tremendous ally to people wanting to stay in touch with long distance family and friends. |
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