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The summer travel season is fast approaching and many Americans will be heading to Europe for vacation despite the weak economy. If fact, there are some good deals to be had on air travel, hotels and rental cars because of the weak economy in most locations around the world. We were recently in Moscow and paid ½ the rate we paid 6 months ago for the same hotel room.

Most people will want to call home a few times during a trip abroad so it is a good idea to carry a phone card. We suggest purchasing a phone card before you leave home because you have more time to shop (on-line) and choose the right phone card for your trip. You will likely find a better quality card at a better price than if you wait and purchase one abroad at a hotel, airport or other location frequented by tourists. Most on-line international phone card merchants provide customers with an on-line account. This is a handy feature for travelers because they can access their account via the internet from any location in the world to find a local access number, add funds or make other changes to their account. Many on-line phone cards also include other handy features like Speed Dial, PIN free dialing and call history that make international calling much easier.

We have a couple of phone card recommendations for people who want to make cheap calls to the USA or other locations from Europe. The first phone card we would recommend is a new card called Solaris. It has high user ratings for quality and has a wide range of local and toll free access numbers in every European country. It can be used to make cheap international calls from over 100 countries so it has very wide coverage and is ideal for people who plan to visit several countries during a trip. It also has no maintenance or connection fee and some of the lowest rates on international calls. Another high quality phone card is Continental. It can be used to make cheap calls from over 60 countries. The continental card comes with several features like speed dial, call history and PIN free dialing which makes it very convenient to use. Smart Global Call Phone Cards International sells these and other high quality calling cards.

People who want to make cheap calls to Europe have a wider range of options. Rates are generally cheaper on international calls from the USA or Canada to Europe than they are from Europe to the USA or Canada. Therefore, it is cheaper to make calls that originate in North America if possible. This is not always possible so a high quality phone card is the next best option.

People new to Phone Cards often find it difficult and confusing to shop for them. Even veteran phone card users often get confused because calling card carriers have been very creative in devising hidden fees and other tricks so they can advertise extremely low per-minute rates and still make a profit. We have tried to list, define and explain the technical terms here so a calling card shopper can at least make an informed purchase and have a basic understanding of the market.

First, we would suggest purchasing calling cards from websites where all of the fees are fully disclosed in an easy to read format and where calling cards are rated by users. These sites do exist because there are still honest calling card vendors, carriers and marketers (web sites like Smart Global Call Phone Cards International display customer ratings for all of the phone cards they sell). The following are some other items to consider when choosing a phone card.

• Check the rate (usually cents/min) to the destination you want to call. Remember that the rates listed or advertised are normally to house phones (land lines). Calls made to cell phones often have higher rates. Also, the advertised rates do not include calling card fees or taxes that can significantly increase the cost of a call.

• Look for added fees, taxes and hidden costs. These should be listed in an easy to read format but can also be buried in the fine print. Remember you will likely pay more than the advertised rate when using a calling card so the trick is to minimize the added fees. Added fees will be called things like connection fee, disconnection fee, taxes, maintenance fee, pay phone fee and long call fee. These fees will vary between calling cards. Some calling cards will have all or most of these added fees and others will not have any of them.

• Calling cards will also have different rounding or billing increments. These are often in 1, 3 or 6 minute increments. The billing increment can have a significant impact on the calling cost depending on how the calling card is used. A calling card with a one minute billing increment will charge a customer 4 minutes for a 3.5 minute call while a calling card with a 3 minute billing increment will charge a customer 6 minutes for the same call. The cost of a call is rounded up to the next billing increment so; in general, a lower billing increment is better.

• Calling card fees are typically minimized if calling cards are purchased in smaller denominations and used for one call or over a short period of time. In general, calling card fees do not start until the calling card is used the first time. Many companies offer calling cards in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50 and even $100. We recommend trying a small denomination card ($5 to $10) before making a large purchase. Also, it is generally better to buy several small denomination cards than to purchase one with a big denomination.

• Calling card call quality depends on the international carrier used and is not always equal between vendors to a given location. There are many international telecom carriers and call quality will vary between carriers. There are generally three levels of call quality (referred to as Tier 1, 2 and 3) with regard to telecom carriers. Tier 1 carriers offer the best quality but they also charge the highest rates. Therefore, in general, calling cards with the lowest advertised rates also tend to have the lowest call quality because they use lower Tier carriers.

• Check for local access number availability. Many cheap calling cards have low per minute rates but have few local access numbers and charge 1 or 2 cents per minute for using a toll free access number.

• All calling cards carry an FCC imposed fee for using a pay phone. However, the rate will vary between calling cards (it ranges from around $0.49 to $1) so check this rate if you plan to use a pay phone.

• Calling cards typically have an expiration date so be sure and use the card before it expires.

• It is a good idea to purchase calling cards from vendors that have 24/7 customer service. If nothing else you may have a question.

So, how to use this information? There are a few things to consider. First, try to compare calling cards on the same basis. When calling card rates are adjusted for the above mentioned fees, taxes and billing tricks, many calling cards with very cheap advertised rates actually cost as much or more to use than a moderately priced card with higher call quality. Remember, a calling card that cannot be used or has extremely poor quality is worthless to the user. Any money spent on a purchase is lost.

There are a few hybrid phone cards or prepaid long distance carriers like Tel3Advantage. These are popular with frequent international callers since they offer low rates, high call quality and convenience. The Tel3Advantage Flex Plan also comes with all the bells and whistles at no additional cost. The Tel3 plan is also one of the most honest plans we reviewed. They feature a one-minute rounding interval and have no hidden fees or taxes. They also have a wide network of local access numbers in North America. They also have a toll free access number but charge an extra 1-cent per-minute for using toll free access.

Consumers have become wise to many of the hidden fees and tricks discussed above and, as a result, there are several newer calling cards on the market that have high call quality at reasonable rates. They also tend to have minimal added fees so the advertised rate per minute is closer to the actual rate charged when the card is used. Many of these are hybrid calling cards that are really a virtual calling plan with features like PIN-less dialing, online call history, speed dial and a large network of local access numbers. They are also re-chargeable for customer convenience but also because calling card vendors are trying to build brand loyalty. By offering low cost, quality and convenience they hope to retain customers. It seems that some calling card carriers have rightly concluded that it is better to make a little money off a large number of satisfied users over the long haul than to make some quick money ripping off a few customers one time. Alas, the free market even works with respect to calling cards.

International calls are significantly more expense in many international locations than they are in the USA, Canada or many European locations.  Some companies have capitalized on this by offer a long distance phone service often referred to as “international call back”.  Using international callback phone service, a caller can make a low cost international call from a “high cost” location by routing the call through a “low cost” country.  All the caller needs to do is open an international callback account and deposit some funds since callback phone service is typically prepaid.  International callback is simple to use and can save international callers in high cost countries a significant amount of money on international phone calls. 

International callback saves callers money by initiating calls from countries where international calling is relatively cheap, like the USA.  International callback calls can be triggered using different means depending on the product but the results are basically the same, the caller receives an international phone call from a low cost third country. After answering the call the caller can either place a low cost call through the callback service provider’s network by dialing a phone number or, using some products, can be automatically connected to the destination phone number.  In either case, they save money since the call is initiated and routed through a low cost third country.  

Web Call is an international callback product that is included with the Continental Phone Card.  The Continental Card can be used to make cheap international calls from over 60 countries by calling an access number and placing a call like any other phone card.  However, the Continental Card is not just a typical phone card, it can also be used as an international callback phone card to make low cost international phone calls from any country in the world.  Using Web Call, cheap international calls are initiated by sending a pre-formatted e-mail.  The Continental Card is a very versatile phone card that can also be used to make low cost conference calls, set up a personal toll free phone number or for just about any telecom related product imaginable.  The Continental Phone Card is a handy product that just about any international traveler would find useful.  Since all of its features are listed and accessible in a virtual account, it can be accessed via the INTERNET from any location in the world so a physical card does not need to be carried.   

A good thing to keep in mind when shopping for a phone card or other prepaid calling product is to think about how you plan to use it. Many phone cards have a limited number of local access numbers and charge extra when using a toll free access number. The extra charge for using toll free access can be 1 cent per minute or more. This may not sound like much money, but if you are calling a location that only costs 2 or 3 cents per minute to call, it is a significant additional charge. In order to avoid additional charges, shop for a phone card that has a local access number in the area where you plan to use the card. This may be from your home or it may be in cities you plan to visit while you are traveling. It is very important to check for access numbers if you are planning to use the phone card while traveling overseas since, in general, phone cards only have access numbers in specific countries. For international phone cards it is easy to use a search tool to find cards that have access numbers in all of the countries you plan to visit. Just visit an on-line phone card website and use the search tool to find a phone card that has access numbers in the countries you plan to visit. You will likely be able to find a phone card that will work from all of the locations you plan to visit.

In the USA it is not so easy since many phone cards only have local access numbers in large cities or they may be concentrated in specific regions of the country. One of the great features of Tel3Advantage is that it has a very wide network of local access numbers in the USA and Canada. They have local access that can be used from most small towns or suburbs which makes it a great product to use for making low cost domestic or international long distance calls while traveling in the USA or Canada. There are phone cards that have a similarly wide network of access numbers or do not charge for toll free access but these are less common.

Be sure and check for phone card access before making a purchase. This simple tip may save you a hassle and will likely save you money.