When traveling in the past you had to wait until you arrived at your destination or place a collect call from a pay phone if you needed to call home. With the advent of prepaid phone cards those days are gone. You can use these cards from any phone to keep in touch when you are traveling. They are also useful if you have family or friends who live outside your local calling area as a cheap alternative to traditional phone service.

You might be surprised to know that the first phone card was introduced in 1976 in Italy due to a shortage of coins available for pay phones. Cards had a magnetic strip that was inserted into the pay phone and calls were places. After thirty years advancements in cards includes the use of smart chips instead of the magnetic strips. By 1992 most phone companies offered phone cards of their own and by 2000 phone cards became available almost anywhere. You can purchase phone cards at gas stations, groceries, and post offices and on the internet.
Pay as you go is the cheapest way to go if you don’t use it too much. Services can be provided for local and international calling with different rates and plans available. When purchasing a plan you need to be sure it suits your needs.
Phone cards are offered through many providers from AT&T to a multitude of online companies. All have different charges and fees and you need to be sure that there are not hidden surprises in charges in service, maintenance or connection fees. Most cards charge a rate per minute or a per call fee.
When looking at the different cards and plans and review all the charges prior to making your purchase. Some cards have low surcharges but high call rates. Comparing all the fees and knowing how you are going to use the calls or minutes will help you in making a good choice.

You have the use of phone cards around the clock for any phone you have access to use. They are slim and handy to carry in your wallet. They are just like cash and you need to treat them as such. It is easy to misplace these cards due to their small size.

Look out for scams and fraud associated with phone cards. Do not give out your card information out and look out for companies who charge more or have hidden fees.

There are many choices available that allow you to use your phone card for long distance and international calling. There are many different rates that apply to international calls and all phone cards make clear what their rates are for the different countries or regions. You can find cards that offer better rates if you know you are only going to call one specific country or geographic location.

When choosing a phone card you should determine if using it will save you money and allow you the access to call where you need to call. Be sure to check for expiration dates and some cards allow you to add funds to continue to use the same numbers and pins.

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