Prepaid calling cards are easy and highly convenient to use. There are a few things to keep in mind about these cards while buying them. One of the most important things is the hidden costs associated with them. These include costs such as connection fees, maintenance fees, payphone surcharges etc.

How Calling Card Companies Make a Fool out of you

Even though it is illegal for calling card companies to hide their actual costs, what they do is to write the cost in extremely fine print. Some companies even write these costs on a part of the packaging that is normally torn and thrown away by the consumer. By doing this, these companies comply with the law and at the same time, their business does not get affected, as most customers do not bother to look at what is written on this part of the packaging.

Other Drawbacks

Besides the hidden costs, the other drawback of prepaid calling cards is that you are charged for a call even if no one receives the phone. Also, prepaid calling cards expire within in a certain given period of time and thus the remaining money or talk time goes waste. It is also not easy to get through to the customer service help lines, as they are either busy or just not available most of the time.

How to Avoid these Pitfalls ?

So, how do you avoid all the pitfalls associated with prepaid calling cards ? The best answer to this question is, firstly to read the fine print before you buy any card. Always ask questions about the costs associated with every call to the seller. If he/she does not have the right answers, then you can call up the company itself to get information. But if you find that the company spokesperson is evasive and does not answer your questions properly, then it is probably a company whose prepaid card you should not buy. It is always better to go in for a well-known company, even though you might be charged slightly higher rates.

Choose the Best calling card for yourself

All calling cards have some ‘trick’ up their sleeve. There is nothing like the cheapest calling card. But the costing system of a particular card might be cheaper for you depending upon your usability. So you should think about your usage pattern- such as where do you call the most, what is the average duration of every call that you make, do you normally call from a pay phone or a landline or a cell phone etc. these will help you to choose the best option available for yourself. But if you are still not sure, then you should buy a low value card so that you can change it if it becomes too expensive for you.