A calling card is a type of “credit” or prepaid card that can be bought and used as a way to redeem telephone and cellular phone minutes. This works by buying the time first, before using the service, as opposed to normal “post-paid” services wherein you use the service first, then the company sends you a bill after a pre-determined time, usually every month.

There are two basic types of calling cards that are offered by phone companies: Cellular phone calling cards, and long distance landline calling cards.

Types of Calling Cards:

A cellular phone calling card, also known as a “pay as you go plan,” requires users to purchase a calling card and to register the serial number to the cellular phone carrier in order to use the service. Different value cards will add different numbers of minute-credits. After all the credited minutes have been used up, one can just purchase and register a new calling card instead of paying a monthly bill. This type of plan is very useful to those who do not have credit cards – such as students, or people who don’t use their mobile phones as often as others.

A long distance landline calling card is, as the name suggests, a type of prepaid calling card for landlines. To use, the user calls an 800 number, registers the serial number of the card, sets up an account, and obtains a PIN or personal identification number before being able to use the paid credits. The access number and PIN is normally entered before dialling the desired phone number. Every call made is then electronically tracked by the carrier to automatically adjust the remaining credits left on the calling card.

Some cards can be “reloaded” by registering more credits into the account. This type of prepaid calling card is ideal for international travellers, or those who do not call long distance often.

Using Calling Cards:

Using prepaid calling cards is a very good way to budget your spending. Prepaid cards allow students and parents of students to track and limit the cost for cellular phone or long-distance usage.

On the other hand, some calling cards are not prepaid; instead, they accumulate monthly charges for every call made. Even though this type of card has no way of controlling spending, it is useful for businesses.

Calling cards come in plastic card form, or an access number and a PIN purchasable online. It is best to buy calling cards from reputable companies. If a carrier goes out of business, clients may be left with useless pre-purchased minutes, so look for services that ensure a credit refund if something like that happens.