International Phone Cards

Updated on Monday 1 April 2013

International phone cards are nothing new and have been around for many years, offer students a great option to call abroad at low rates. They have however evolved over the last few years, and now many cards offer many "extra benefits" for their users rather than just international calling. Traditionally students have had to be wary of calling cards and phone cards as many started to hide charges in the card, charges that the user was not aware of. This section should provide you with information on how to look for the best card, what to look out for in a card and much more...

Providers

There are many many international calling card providers around the world that offer services that are all very similar and so we will not provide a list of various options here. Instead we recommend InternationalCallingCard as a good provider of international communications as they offer products for the USA, UK and a global calling card. All products are clean of hidden charges and they provide a reliable phone card service.

Phone Card Guide

InternationalCallingCard has produced this short 3 minute video which provides some good tips on what to look out for when searching for an international phone card:

Advantage of Phone Cards

1. Portability/ Access - Phone cards provide you with great access wherever you are
2. Low rates - Though not as low as VOIP, they still provide some fantastic low rates
3. Monitor - Most cards will provide you with an online account where you can monitor your call usage and billing

Disadvantages of Phone Cards

1. Hidden Charges - as highlighted in the video, some cards have hidden charges that you need to be wary of
2. Balance - if you run out of your balance, most cards will just cut you off mid conversation

Verdict

Overal international phone cards are the preferred option if you want a mobile and easy calling service. If you have a mobile phone, they will also allow you to call from your mobile phone and still get the same low rate - this makes calling cards easy to use and highly portable. If you want a great calling plan, you should be using an international phone card for most calls, but also back this up with a VOIP plan so that when you are near your computer or home you can take advantage of even lower rates.