Choosing Prepaid Phone Cards Wisely
What to look for to avoid surprises
There are hundreds of
prepaid phone cards available today. Some work great and represent fantastic values and
convenience. Unfortunately, many others are not so great.
Common prepaid phone card
complaints
 |
Hidden fees, exorbitant connection
charges, taxes, surcharges and monthly fees that you didn't know about beforehand. |
|
Bad connections. |
|
Actual rates higher than the
advertised rates. |
|
Access numbers and PIN codes that
don't work. |
|
Customer service numbers that
don't work or are always busy. |
|
High billing increments, in which
the length of the call is rounded up to the next 3, 5, or 10 minute increment. |
|
Charges for calls that weren't
answered. |
How to Avoid Problem Prepaid Cards
Read the small print
carefully as you shop for a prepaid phone card. Look for:
|
Connection fees. Some low
rate phone cards add on high connection fees. Some phone cards charge this fee even if the
call is never answered. |
|
Service charges. Monthly
service charges can deplete your phone card balance if you are not careful. |
|
Quick expirations. Some
phone cards expire soon after purchase or first use. Check expiration dates. |
|
Billing increments. Make
sure you understand how the phone card charges used time. |
|
Pay phone fee. The FCC has
made sure you will be charged a fee if you make a call from a pay phone. This fee goes to
the owner of the pay phone. Fees higher than 30 cents are excessive
and the phone card company is pocketing the extra money at your expense. |
|
Surcharges and taxes. Watch
out for additional surcharges, taxes and fees. |
|
Minimum call length. Make
sure your minimum is not over 1 minute. |
|
The carrier. Make sure you
have Customer Service information before you purchase in case you have a problem. |
After you buy a prepaid phone
card
Pay close attention as
you use your prepaid phone card to make sure you are getting what you paid for.
|
