Telecom Information Guide
Buy Calling Cards
Reliable Sites:
SpeedyPin
CallingCards.Com
NobelCom
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Tips on selecting calling
cards and using instructions
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Tip on the hidden Charges |
If
you see 'For maximum minutes, this card must be fully used for one call' or
'Minute information is based on entire card is used in one single call' or
any similar message in the calling card websites, it means that there might
be some hidden charge on the card which is not disclosed to you.
Click
Here to review Calling Cards Before You Buy! |
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 Things to know about a calling card (Phone Card)!
Better options to save time in dialing the numbers!
Things you should know about
buying a prepaid phone card!
Things to know when using the prepaid phone
card!
Things to know about
a calling card/Phone Card:
Phone cards that are prepaid by the purchaser, offer the consumer the convenience of making long distance calls,
domestically or internationally without using cash or telephone credit cards.
The cards provide long distance minutes based upon the specific rates set by
the carrier. As calls are made, the usable minutes are automatically deducted
from the card balance.
Once the customer dials the local or toll free access number, the VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) gateway
sends the call over the internet to the carrier that was configured in the
system for that destination. The carrier routes the call to the destination via
the internet and then routed to the local phone connection.
Consumer will not be able to notice how the call was routed, but sometimes call
quality may help you in finding the card type.
Surcharge/ Processing Fee:
There may be a processing fee that is charged for processing an order or handling a phone
call. This will be added to your total amount at the time of checkout. So when you buy calling cards, you may want to
calculate the per minute based on the total purchase amount, not based on the total minutes
mentioned on the card.
A basic measurement to record the length of a phone call. If you made a two
minute phone call on a phone card with three minute rounding, your call would be
billed for a full three minutes.
Very few cards may never expire, but majority of the cards will have an expiration date. Any unused minutes
on a phone card will be forfeited at the point of expiration. Also the rates may
change without the prior notice. That's why buy in smaller denominations and
try to use it with in a limited period of time.
Taxes per call and/ or on the order:
Some calling cards also have a tax and a maintenance
fee. The tax is deducted from each call that you make. This can be the cause
of the card providing fewer minutes because the total number of minutes
advertised on the website are based upon the complete usage of the card on
one call.
A fee that is charged when a telephone call is connected to
the recipient.
Your calling card will be charged as soon as the recipients phone rings
regardless of the usage of the minutes. Even though when there is no connection fee, you have to check to see if any
additional fees, taxes and hidden charges may be applied on the calls.
A fee that is charged typically per week/ by-weekly / monthly / by-monthly.
Sometimes the charges will be deducted from the total balance as soon as you start talking. The charge has the effect of reducing the
available minutes on the phone card. For example, if you have purchased a $5.00
prepaid phone card with a 50’ Weekly Maintenance Fee and did not use all of your
minutes on the first call, 50’ would be deducted from the card. An additional maintenance fee
will be deducted thereafter until the balance reaches to zero.
A Personal
Identification
Number is the unique tracking code associated with an
individual prepaid phone card. When you are purchasing the calling card from a
store, make sure the card comes in a sealed envelope or has a sticker covering
the PIN. If you purchase online and doesn't have the full card amount or the
minutes per card displayed in the website, you can always contact the site
admin and ask for the refund or a new card. Since this number can be used by
anyone who can get access to it, note the number in a safe place.
The phone number you will dial first before entering your PIN and making a
phone call.
A company that creates and sells telecommunications products such as
prepaid calling cards. Now a days, there are lots of new companies offering calling cards using
VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology, might be cheaper, but quality may be poor compared to fiber optic cable lines
and satellite communication.
Make sure that the calling card you are buying does have Customer Service contact Toll Free phone number and/or email address with the calling card.
Try calling the number before you purchase the card. A busy signal on the customer service
line could be a tip off of problems to come.
You may need the customer service phone number in case if you loose minutes without connecting.
Most of the calling cards received electronically by email are non-refundable.
However In case of incorrect pin or if the pin stops working in the middle, you can contact the customer service.
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1). Use 'Memory Dial' calling feature to redial.
Tired of dialing calling card access
numbers, pin numbers and the destination numbers?
If your telephone have the
Memory Dial feature for storing phone numbers, it
will be easy to dial the same calling card again and again.
The simple steps:
Your phone might have the programming or store memory options. Use these
features to store the toll-free number or the access number in memory 1 on your
phone keypad and calling card number in an other memory 2, then the
destination number on memory 3.
In this following example Numbers 1, 4, 7 used for calling U.K. friends number
and 2, 5, 8 used to call an other number in USA and 3, 6, 9 are used to call
Canada.
Ex: On a Vtech cordless phone Press Prog + 1 + 1800Number
+ Mem buttons
to store the toll-free or connecting number. Then Press Prog + 1 +
Destination number + Memory button.
When ready to call someone, just dial Mem + 1 and so on. Follow similar steps to store other numbers. This
procedure may vary from phone to phone.
When you have to dial the same calling card number or
phone number again and again, it will be easy to dial this way.
2). Buy Pin less Dial or Rechargeable Calling cards.
In recent days, the calling card companies are selling pin less calling
cards that recognizes your phone number when you dial one of
their the toll free or local access numbers. You can also buy rechargeable
calling cards. Rechargeable option makes it easy to remember one pin number to reuse
it again and again.
- Read about all the charges: Before you purchase the card,
be sure to read the fine print about all the charges. These charges often
include activation fees, access fees, weekly or monthly service fees, Taxes and
additional charges for calling from a pay phone. Avoid buying prepaid phone
cards that make no disclosures.
- Always Calculate the final cost of per minute or per call:
After you have read all the fine print, do the math to figure out what you will
actually be charged. The actual costs may be significantly higher than the
advertised rate per minute.
- Expiration date of the card: Some
cards may never expire, but many cards will expire with in a time frame listed with the card. You need to
be sure that you will be using all amount on the card before it expires. Otherwise you will loose that balance.
- Make sure the phone card is new and never used: If you are buying from a retailer/store,
check to see the cover seal and pin should not be exposed. Anyone who copies the PIN can use the phone time
youve already paid for. If you buy from a website and received by email, check
the total available minutes to match the advertised total minutes on your first
call.
- Ask Your Friends. You may have friends or relatives who have used
the card. Some of the questions you might consider:
- Were they charged for a call when there was no answer or when the line was
busy?
- Was there a minimum charge for each call? For example, were charges based on
a minimum of three minutes even though the call lasted only 30 seconds?
- Was the access number not available because of a constant busy signal?
- Buy multiple cards for various destinations:
- Buy a small denomination: If the carrier is a company
youve never heard of, or you dont know someone who can vouch for the card, buy
a small denomination card first and see if you like the service.
Note the calls made using that card:
You can write down the number called and minutes used per each call so that you
can use these details to contact customer service in case if you have lost minutes
due to the poor connection.
The service provider might have a call log in
central computer through which the phone calls are routed.
When Lost Minutes or card is not working:
- You may have used all the time remaining on your card or the card may have
expired. Verify this first.
- Call the customer service number printed on the card or
received by email and explain your
problem to the representative immediately.
- If not satisfied, return your phone card to the place where you purchased it
and ask for a refund.
Most of the calling card retailers want you to shop at their website with
confidence and be totally satisfied with your purchase. In the unusual event
of defect or failure of phone cards sold, you may get a prompt replacement of the card(s)
or lost minutes will be made.
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