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Phone Card Terms

In order to be able to make the right calling card selection, you need to know about the terms that is frequently used in prepaid phone cards. Below are the most common calling cards terms:

1. Toll-Free Number
A toll-free number, usually starts with 1-800, 1-888, 1-866, or 1-877, is universal access number to connect to the phone card provider's computer system. You will not be charged by your home phone company when dialing the toll-free number from your home.

2. Local Access Number
A local number in your city that has been reserved by the phone card company to give access to the calling cards database. Usually, using local access number over toll-free number gives you more minutes with your prepaid phone card.

3. Control Number
A unique number that identify your phone card. When calling the phone card's customer support regarding any problem with the calling card, they will ask for the control number of the phone card.

4. Billing Increments
Also known as minute rounding, this is the rounded time you spend on a call. For example, if you have 2-minute rounding, 60 seconds of call time is rounded up to 2 minutes. One-minute rounding cardwill save you most amount of money; however, cards with higher minute rounding will provide low rates per minute.

5. Calling Card Rate
The per-minute rate applied to your phone card when calling to a certain destination. Every destination has its own set of rates, and may vary from city to city within the same country. The rate at which you are charged for a phone call can be determined by: minutes talked * rate per minute = bill for call.

6. Connection fee
A charge applied to whenever a call that is made.

7. Initial Fee
Some calling cards have initial fee, which is a one time charge on the first use of the card.

8. Maintenance Fee
A charge applied to some calling cards on a weekly or monthly basis.

9. Service Fee
Service fees are only applicable on some phone cards, and usually calculated as a percentage of the cost of the total phone call.

10. Payphone Fee
An extra charge applied every time a calling card is used from a pay phone.

11. Mobile/Cellular Rates
The charge for calling a mobile phone in another country.

Once you are familiar with phone card terms, you can understand calling cards' Terms and Conditions better, and you can decide which calling card fits your needs best. Please read our Choosing the Right Phone Cards article for further help on selecting phone card.

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