In the 1980s phone cards were introduced to consumers so they could skip the need for coins at pay phones and be able to make cheap calls on the go. Later, inthe 1990s when pay phones were being ignored and left to rust in favor of mobile phones, phone card carriers decided to take a different tact.

They needed to find callers who either could not afford traditional phone landlines or who needed the avoid the high rates of a traditional long distance carrier.

BUT many phone card companies saw it as an opportunity to take advantage of this new consumer. They introduced phone cards that caught the consumers' attention with low rates but with all sorts of hidden fees and poor call quality. The consumer was sold a poor quality service with misleading information. For example, a simple direct prepaid card that was supposed to allow you to talk for 200 minutes left you with 50 minutes after the uannounced or "small print" connection fee. In the middle of the conversation (not to mention the poor voice quality), the call is dropped. Call again and you find out that they've taken minutes away per the "disconnection fee".

Well today we have figured out the scams and gimmicks of phone card companies and the consumers demand a service with low rates and excellent call quality - example: cheap calls from USA. With premiere dial around carriers you call anywhere in the United States for less than 3 cents per minute with ease of a local number or national toll free access. And some have great international rates, With today's dial around carriers you get the lowest rate possible at the best quality. Many offer service without any fees, but a simple flat rate. You have the flexibility of using it from any phone - home, office or mobile just like a phone card. However, you don't have to be bothered putting in a 16 digit PIN because of advanced technology that automatically recognizes your number. note: if you are at an unregistered phone, you can still use your service. But you will need use a pin code in these instances for your own protection!  You get superior voice quality similar to a traditional long distance carrier.

However, unlike a long distance carrier, there are NO TAXES and you are not stuck using the service from home.

With the better prepaid services you now get advanced features like online account management where you can control every aspect of your account and view detailed call logs. You also can take advantage of the auto-recharge and speed dialing. One provider has even developed and introduced Smart Plug, a simple plug-in for mobile phones especially designed to make mobile international calls as easy and cheap as US calls.

And finally, quality providers of prepaid calling services will typically have you online and working within one business day!  

So it's clear the days of the former calling card operators are ending and the continued sophistication and innovation of high-quality dial around specialist carriers will keep their growth on track for years to come.

CLICK HERE to visit the best we have found and used ourselves for over 4 years.

Joseph Horton
Founder/Owner  Namada.com