To stay in business, phone card companies come up with all kinds of ways to make their cards look like they cost less. Customers who don't know better often buy phone cards based only on how much they cost per minute.
The companies that sell calling cards know this, so they try to hide the cost of the call in fees other than the call rate. After an average-length call, all of these charges add up to make the cost of the call even.
Some of the most common ways that call costs are hidden are:
- Maintenance or service fees once a week or every day
- Quick expiry
- Billing in large amounts
- Fees for using a credit card
- Disconnections often or at set times
- Surcharges
- Call rates during peak hours
- Recharge itself
Surcharges are different from connection fees and flag-fall fees. A surcharge is usually based on how long your call is and is charged after a set amount of time has passed since you started talking. For example, after 5 or 10 minutes, you may be charged 40c. This is because not everyone's call lasts the average amount of time, and the surcharge fee pays for the cheaper call rate. This fee can be different depending on where you are calling.
If you buy a phone card based on off-peak rates it means it is only really the best card for you during the off-peak period. Most often these off-peak periods are the most inconvenient time of day like 3 am. They are cheaper because the company that sells phone cards can buy minutes when no one wants them for less money. You should always buy your caling card based on comparing the peak call rates. So, you can get the cheapest phone card for the time you will actually use it.
Some calling cards have a daily, weekly, or monthly service fee that uses up your credit even when you're not using the card. With these phone cards, it's better to buy the $5 or $10 cards and use the whole thing in one or two calls.
Phone cards are good for one to twelve months. After that, they are no longer valid, and any remaining credit on the card is lost. On average, a phone card will work for 3 months. You should not buy phone cards that only work for less than a month.
You should make sure that your phone card is a one-time purchase and that it doesn't automatically charge your credit card again when it runs out of minutes to add more.
If your phone calls end after a certain amount of time and always at the same time, it may have a limit on how long they can last. Most of the time, these are set to 1 or 2 hours. If they drop out often and at odd times, it's because the line quality is bad. Not only are short call times annoying, but they can also be very expensive if they come with high connection fees. You keep getting cut off, and every time you try to call back, you have to pay another connection fee.
Most of the time, phone cards are charged by the minute. This means that you will be charged for three minutes if you talk for two and a half minutes. Usually, your landline phone service is billed in 1 or 6 second increments. Some cards charge you every 10 minutes, so to get the most out of the card, you need to talk for 10, 20, or 30 minutes. If you talked for 13 minutes, for example, your call would be rounded up to the next minute, and you would still be charged for 20 minutes.
Make sure you don't have to pay a transaction fee when you use a credit card to buy your card. Sometimes you don't find out until a month later when you get your credit card bill. The merchant processing fees that the bank charges the phone card company for using their processing facilities will usually cost an extra 2 percent.
To choose the right phone card and know about these risks, you need to compare and review all of your phone cards in the same way. This is a free service that Ephonecards offers for the best phone cards in Australia.
You should also be aware that the company will not replace your phone card if you lose it. This is because someone else could find it and use the remaining balance. You should keep the PIN number in a safe place along with the information on the card itself. With online services like www.ephonecards.com.au, your PIN number is kept in your account and sent to you by email. This way, even if you lose your PIN, you can always get it back.
