Introduction

For most business travelers and military personnel, staying in touch means spending a lot of time on the phone. While pay phones are plentiful, high calling costs may require you to lug around several pounds of change to make your daily calls. A far better alternative is to use a calling card.

There are hundreds of companies that offer calling cards, including most long distance and local carriers. Any card can work from any phone, and most can be used for long distance or local calls.

Although some companies require that you use their long distance service in order to get their calling card, many will supply a card without concurrent long distance service.

How to use a Calling Card

To use a card, you first must dial an access code to connect to the carrier that issued the card. These access codes are usually a toll free number, but some cards (typically those issued by local carriers) allow you to connect just by dialing a zero.

It's worth noting that some payphones may now charge an initial deposit (usually the cost of a local phone call) to use the phone even if you are calling a toll-free number. This new charge is due to deregulation stemming from the Telecom Act of 1996 and started taking effect in late 1997.

Once connected to the system, you then have to take two steps. (The order in which these steps are taken may vary.) One, you enter your account code. This tells the carrier to whom the call should be billed. Two, you dial the telephone number you want to reach.

The bill is later mailed to the card owner.

Billing

Calling card bills include any of three types of charges. At minimum, each call will be billed a standard per-minute rate. Many cards also add a fixed access surcharge for each call that is placed. Finally, a monthly fee may also be charged by some services.

Your expected usage can help determine which type of billing arrangement will be best suited for you. Users who place many short calls will want to look for a card that has no access surcharge, while those who make fewer, but longer, calls will want to look for low per-minute rates.

Also consider the time of day you tend to make calls. If many calls are placed after business hours, look for a company that offers low evening rates.