With the advancement of technology, the way of making calls from one country to another has gone through a huge change. Now people can use calling cards in order to reap benefits of flat call rates while making long-distance calls. As the name suggests, a prepaid phone card is a card which a consumer purchases for a flat fee and uses it to make long distance calls. These cards allow the users to speak for a specified number of minutes for a fee of several dollars, for instance $5 for 1000 minutes to a person residing in Guatemala. When you use the card, you have to start by calling an access number which can either be a toll-free number or a local telephone number. Then you will be prompted to dial the phone number of the person you intend to call.

Vital things to watch out for

Before you purchase a prepaid phone calling card, you should be aware of the fact that the FCC and the other federal and state agencies have taken actions against some providers and distributors of such cads. Due to promotion of information that is not true, they have been fined a total of $30 million. There are companies which advertised that for just a few dollars, the buyers can make hundreds and thousands minutes calls whereas in an ideal situation, such is not the case. In reality, a consumer using a card can only make calls worth a fraction of those advertised minutes due to the addition of multiple charges and surcharge fees. Consumers need to be especially careful to make sure that they entirely understand the terms and conditions that are associated with prepaid card before they buy them.

Points to look for before buying such cards

Before you purchase a calling card, here are some must-dos to consider:

§ Ensure that you understand the instructions that are written about how you should use the card.

§ Don't forget to read the fine print which is there on the packaging or at the back of the card so that you may understand the limitations and conditions on the process of using the card.

§ You should clearly understand the rates for your specific phone card, for instance if you wish to call Liberia, you need to check their respective dates.

§ Check whether the advertised minutes on the card apply on a single call or whether it applies over the course of many calls together.

§ Check the expiration date of the card so that you don't lose any unused minutes.

§ Ask your friends and family to recommend some cards which they've used and share their positive experience with you.

Therefore, if you're thinking of using calling cards for calling people to different countries, you may consider NobelCom Calling Cards as they offer you some of the best rates for calling. However, make sure you keep the above things in mind in order to get best results from your calling card.