How Prepaid Phone Cards Work

Prepaid phone cards allow you to make long distance calls without subscribing to a long distance service. These cards look like credit cards, with a magnetic strip on the back and an account number on the front. Prepaid phone cards can be used at almost any telephone. The phone needs to be a touch-tone phone, but those phones are found everywhere. A touch-tone phone is one which produces a tone or beep when a number is pressed. The older pulse-tone phones, which produce a number of clicks equal to the number that was pressed, are no longer made.

You can purchase prepaid phone cards at many different locations. They can be purchased directly from your existing long distance supplier. However, it is often much easier to buy prepaid phone cards from grocery stores, department stores, and even some convenience stores. Each card comes with a predefined number of long distance minutes on it. Once the cards are purchased, the owners can use the card for 60 minutes of long distance if the prepaid phone cards had a duration of 60 minutes.

Prepaid phone cards are especially helpful when only a pay phone is available, and you don't have enough change to make a long distance call. Some newer pay phones have a magnetic slot reader for using credit cards or phone cards. If a slot is available on the phone, simply swipe the prepaid phone cards, and the amount of long distance used will be deducted from the card. If the pay phone does not have a magnetic slot, consumers must first dial the access number listed on their prepaid phone cards. Then the consumers will be required to enter the card number from the front of the card. This procedure is longer than using the magnetic slot, but certainly more convenient than having no long distance access at all.

Some prepaid phone cards can be refilled online or by your phone company. Other phone cards require the consumer to simply purchase a new card. If prepaid phone cards are lost or stolen, the finder can use the remaining balance on the card. Purchasers of prepaid phone cards should take care to keep track of their cards, especially if they have purchased expensive prepaid phone cards. Furthermore, users of prepaid phone cards should carefully shield the numbers they enter into the pay phone, especially in airports and public places. Thieves of prepaid phone cards roam such places, ready to memorize the numbers typed by the user. In those cases, the thief can use the prepaid phone cards without actually having the card in his physical possession.

Prepaid phone cards are convenient and easy to use. Keep track of the minutes remaining on the card, and use them carefully in public places. Keep some emergency prepaid phone cards handy in case you run out of money or your cell phone cannot get reception.

Copyright 2007 James D. Sterling - All Rights Reserved

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