Why Do People Buy Pre-paid Phone Cards?
The main reason why people buy phone cards because they offer really great overseas calling thy are easy-to-use and most importantly reliable because they work on the copper-based telephone line system that we all use when using mobile phones.
The benefits of using copper telephone lines in massive because it gives you an amazing level of accessibility meaning that you can reach any country on the planet since most countries have a telephone line set up.
So if you’re calling to less developed countries are you going to be able to easily connect have your conversation and at very low rates.
Accessibility is one of the key factors because of your using calling apps you’ll find it they work fantastically to first world countries like the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia. New Zealand, South Africa, China, Japan, Singapore, etc. can be incredibly frustrating to use in underdeveloped countries.
Don’t get me wrong I still use calling apps because it gives me the ability to not only do voice chat but also video or just super handy when calling family and friends so there is always a place for calling apps when I’m travelling around.
“When your calling app isn’t working international calling cards provide the perfect backup since most countries have no or unreliable internet, but they still have phone lines.” JT, phonecardchoice.com
How Do I Use a Pre-paid Phone Card?
One of the other benefits to using a coin card is its ease of use and Simplicity is no hardware to install or software to upload it’s really just a simple three-step process that you can use on your landline or mobile.
- The first step is to call your local access number. Access numbers are typically spread throughout the country and the cost of calling them the same as calling a local landline.
- The second step is to enter your PIN number. Each calling card has a unique in them this PIN number is connected to balance on your phone.
- And finally dialing the international number.
Who Makes Your Phone Card Work?
Carriers are responsible for the telephone lines that carry calls.
Calling card companies buy telephone minutes from the carriers and then set the prices for the calls as well as provide a toll free customer service number and the access numbers.
What are the most common complaints customers have about calling cards?
Calling card technology is quite complex with a lot of moving parts and with each of those parts, there is the potential for problems to arise.
The most common among these are:
- Local access numbers not working i.e. no dial tone, or giving a busy signal.
- PIN numbers not being accepted i.e hearing a message saying ‘incorrect PIN’
- The calling card is no longer working i.e. the calling card service provider has gone out of business.
- Calls draining more money than advertised i.e. rates changed without notice, hidden or special charges, calling card being billed even if the call is not connected.
- Issues with international calls i.e. poor audio quality, call not being connected, cross-line, call being routed to a different country, no connection at all, call drops.
- Calling cards expiring without notice
As you can see there are a lot of problems that can come up which is why it is so important that you choose not only a reputable calling card company (notice that I didn’t say newsagent or supermarket) but one that has a responsive customer support team.
How Can I Avoid the Problems Associated with Pre-paid Phone Cards?
A lot of the problems that you hear about with calling cards can be avoided by making sure that you do a couple of things in terms of doing your due diligence.
The most common mistake is that people think that calling cards are simple, you buy a phone card and then you make a call, easy. This is not true, as I said international calling cards are incredibly complex and you are dealing with businesses who are using lower cost carrier lines.
Firstly avoid buying international calling cards from newsagents or supermarkets the reason for this is that calling cards are so complex there is no way that they are going to be able to answer specific questions like “how long does it take to resolve a technical issue?” or even “are there any hidden charges on these cards?”
Instead, seek our specialist retailers who only sell international calling cards.
This means that you can ask them questions like:
- How long does it take to resolve a technical issue?
- Which is the best card for calling X country mobile?
- What are the hidden rates?
- What is your refund policy?
Just know that you are going to run into a tech issue at some point but your best insurance is making sure that you are working with an international calling card company that can resolve those issues quickly.
What Should I Do if My Pre-paid Phone Card Doesn’t Work?
This is easy, call up the international calling card service and let them know that you need help and most importantly be very specific about the type of problem you are experiencing.
For example, saying that “your calling card isn’t working” is far too general and will add to the amount of time it takes for you to resolve this issue if you are communicating via email or chat for example.
What specifically isn’t working?
- Is it the local access number?
- The PIN
- The international call itself? If so what is happening once your dial the international number? Is it not connecting at all? Are you being re-directed to a different country? Is the call dropping out, what is the specific issue?
When working with customer service teams the more detail you can give them the faster they can help you resolve it and the faster you can get back to talking to your family and friends overseas and enjoying your international calling card.
