| There are plans which offer you one phone and | | | | cards, when you find that you have run out of |
| one number, which you can use in the United | | | | the whole credit by making only one short |
| States and abroad, keeping in touch with the | | | | international call. Therefore, you need to be |
| world where-ever you go, making and receiving | | | | careful when you opt for using a calling card. |
| calls. International calling plans provides you with | | | | In using a calling card, you would be required to |
| the facility to be always available where ever you | | | | dial out a long access number and when you are |
| might be and provides you with seamless | | | | prompted, you will need to punch in your Personal |
| connectivity. With one phone and one number, | | | | Identification Number (PIN) after which you are |
| you, as an international traveller, can stay | | | | through to dial your destination. It is rather a long |
| connected virtually anywhere. | | | | process. |
| If you are not a frequent traveller, international | | | | Most of the landline and wireless service providers' |
| calling plans still remain the best economical way, | | | | offer lower-priced plans to call internationally, |
| taking advantage of the cheap rates and rental | | | | through different calling plans. A typical standard |
| plans, making it convenient for you with its | | | | plan would be where subscribers do not pay any |
| affordability and short term international wireless | | | | monthly fee, but the charges of calls are |
| services. International calling plans offer you | | | | comparatively high. There are discount plans |
| affordable cheap service to over 200 countries in | | | | where subscribers would perhaps pay $4 a month |
| the world, with voice, whether you are calling | | | | to access to a far less expensive per-minute rate. |
| abroad from the United States or from abroad. | | | | This boils down to, that even if you make few |
| If you are travelling to a specific country, you | | | | international calls every month, the monthly fee |
| may save as much as 80% of your call charges | | | | that you pay automatically pays for it. In this |
| when you opt for a pre-paid SIM card for that | | | | existing plan, if you choose to pay $3.99 extra on |
| country. You get a local number and you pay as | | | | the monthly fees, you get cheaper per minute |
| the locals do for all your call charges. On top of | | | | rate to access more than 100 countries in the |
| that you are not charged for incoming calls, no | | | | world. A call to London under this plan would cost |
| matter where it generates from. Since you | | | | you 20 cents per minute, when, without such a |
| pre-pay for your calls, you do not receive any bills | | | | plan it would cost $1.49 a minute. Another |
| at the end of the month and you do not have to | | | | company, under the same sort of plan, charges a |
| enter into any contracts. For this you will need a | | | | monthly fee of $4. Under this plan, a call to the |
| compatible GSM handset and even if you have | | | | United Kingdom would cost 6 cents a minute, |
| one, it is most unlikely that it would work in the | | | | while it would cost 49 cents without such a |
| country where you are going. | | | | monthly fee. A number of smaller companies are |
| The Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card is of | | | | offering much lower rates on international calls |
| the size of a postage stamp and when inserted in | | | | with no monthly feels. Others are offering call |
| your handset, renders it intelligent and you may | | | | rates to the United Kingdom at 6 cents a minute |
| then make and receive calls in your phone. SIM is | | | | on cellular and landline. |
| essentially a printed circuit board, which has a | | | | It has observed seen that in most cases landline |
| microprocessor with memories, and holds all your | | | | offers you cheap rates in international calling under |
| relevant information to identify you with the | | | | discount plans. It is a good way to pick your right |
| network. All the information stored by the SIM is | | | | plan by looking at your landline statements to find |
| unique to your phone and connection plan and as | | | | out which countries you mostly call and how |
| you switch on your phone, this data is | | | | often. This will give you the first knowledge as to |
| automatically sent by your SIM to the network, | | | | how you should go about choosing an international |
| which, after verifications, logs you in. The SIM | | | | calling plan, relevant to the countries you call often. |
| card also has an address book where you can | | | | In this regard you must be aware that if you look |
| store the telephone numbers that you frequently | | | | at international calling plans of specific countries, |
| call and also logs the calls received and made by | | | | without having a broader look at the plans, you |
| you by date and time. The SIM card allows you | | | | shall find that single-country plans are not always |
| to secure your handset misuse by accepting your | | | | cheaper. |
| Personal Identification Number (PIN) to be punched | | | | The international calling charges are falling and the |
| into the SIM card through the handset keyboard. | | | | cell phone rates for such calls are following the |
| You have the calling card options, offering you low | | | | landline slide. These rates have been coming down |
| rates to your international destinations. It is | | | | for sometime now. In the year 2003, the average |
| important that you stop and choose the right | | | | landline international call rate was 20 cents per |
| card which can possibly give you the cheapest | | | | minute, down from 50 cents in 2000. This is |
| international calls. At the same time, it should be | | | | according to the recent data from Federal |
| noted that the quality of voice transmission are | | | | communications Commission. |
| not always at par with the choice of the cheapest | | | | Landline companies offer discount rates like the |
| rate and therefore it is a balance that you need | | | | cell phone companies, which offer assorted |
| to strike when choosing a card. Never-the-less the | | | | discount plans. As an example, one such company |
| actual experience in choosing such a balanced card | | | | charges $4 a month in addition to a regular phone |
| comes from experience. A calling card may give | | | | subscription, and offers discounted rates to more |
| you a cheaper rate, but if you consider all the | | | | than 250 countries. The same company offers |
| add-on, like the factoring in all charges, billing | | | | single-country international calling plans providing |
| increments and other stipulations of calling cards, | | | | unlimited calling plan to the United Kingdom at |
| you may find that it is worth considering a far | | | | $34.95 a month. It offers the same kind of plan |
| better service of a switched long distance service. | | | | to South Korea, Italy, France, Germany and Japan |
| Further, fraud has been detected in those calling | | | | for $44.95 a month for each plan. |