Calling Card Vs Direct Dial Service Comparison

"Calling card companies make their money on the time you aren't able to use on the card, the high maintenance fees, the connect minimums, and/or the large (full minute) billing increments."

If you want full details on the discount direct dial international rate plan, or if you want to sign up for service:

Below is a comparison between calling cards and direct dial service:
Comparison

Topic

Calling Card Purchase

Direct Dial Service

Advantages and Benefits

Card expiration
Card usually expires in 60-90 days after you first use the card, sometimes only 30 days
Never expires

You could loose money with a calling card on the time left on the card when it expires before you use it up

Card lost or misplaced
If you loose it, you loose your money. If you misplace it and find it later, it may be expired and you loose again.
Can't loose or misplace it.
You can misplace a card or loose a card and your money is gone

Using the last few minutes on a calling card
How do you use the last minute (or two) on the card? Often, the last minute or two are not used and the card is thrown away -- 60 seconds is too short to make a call
Never a lost minute because there is never a last minute
Calling card has a real disadvantage

Connect fee
Sometimes can be $0.50, sometimes up to $1.35 per call. Occasionally, there is no connect fee. Beware of the card details in fine print.
No connect fee
Direct dial better (some cards, though, do not have a connect fee -- be careful if you use calling cards)

Initial cost to purchase
Requires prepaying for the card -- $10, $20, $50
You receive a bill once a month AFTER you make the call

With calling cards, you need to spend your money before you use them

Billing increments
This is how many seconds (or minutes) that are rounded up when you finally get off the phone at the end of your conversation. For example, if you talk for 10 seconds and hang up (or hang up 10 seconds into the last minute of a longer conversation), with 1 minute billing increments you will pay for the whole 60 seconds -- you pay for 50 seconds that you never talked. Calling cards usually bill in 1 minute increments but sometimes 2 or 3 minute increments and this can really waste your money.
6 second increments (1/10th of a minute)

With 1 minute billing increments, at the end of each call, you're losing (paying for) on average about 1/2 a minute on the calling card that you are not using unless you time your phone conversation using a stop watch to hang up a second or two before the minute increment is up.

Billing minimum
If you talk for 10 seconds and there is an initial 3 minute minimum, you'll get billed for 3 minutes for your 10 second call. Cards sometimes have 3 minute increments, sometimes 1 or 2 minute increments -- varies from card to card.
30 seconds minimum

If you make a call on a calling card and get either a wrong number or an answering machine, you're paying for the whole 1 minute (or up to the 3 minutes) billing minimum.

Conversation limited by time left on card
When your time runs out on a card, you get disconnected. Most calling cards work this way. Calling cards force you to regulate your talking time instead of enjoying your conversation
You virtually never run out of time

With direct dial service, your conversations don't get cut off when you talk, and you don't have to keep a stop watch to keep track of your connected time.

Wrong # or misdialed #'s
You pay for the whole billing minimum (1, 2, or 3 minutes) if you dial the wrong number
You pay for just 30 seconds

$$$'s saved using direct dial

Getting an answering machine when you dial
Same as wrong numbers -- you loose big amounts of money
You pay for just 30 seconds.

$$$'s saved using direct dial

Short calls
You pay in large minute minimums and large (usually whole minute) increments, therefore your last fraction of the minute adds up to lost money. Connect fees also add to the cost.
30 seconds minimum per call, then 6 second increments after that.

$$$'s saved using direct dial

Connection quality
Varies by each card purchased
Guaranteed connection quality that is consistent from call to call.

Sometimes cards are good quality, sometimes not. Direct dial has consistently high quality.

# of numbers to dial to make the call
Calling cards require dialing an 11-digit 800 # first, usually a 7-15 digit PIN number (from the back of the card), then your country code, then the phone number you want to call.
Dial 011 + country code + number

Direct dial saves time and makes connecting your call very much easier using direct dial. Less chance to make a dialing error.

Customer service
Can be good or poor depending on card issuer
Great customer service

If you have a problem, can you depend on the calling card customer service number?

Interstate rates
This is the rate from your phone to the other 47 contiguous states in the USA. Sometimes good (low), often bad (high), but domestic calls are billed in the same (high) billing increments, e.g., 1 minute, and billing minimums, e.g., 1-3 minutes.
3.9 cents/min billed in 6 second increments starting at 6 seconds

Direct dial has the advantage

Intrastate rates
This is the rate from your phone to another phone within your own state. Usually very high. Also, billing increments high. It's sometimes difficult to find out what the intrastate rate is for your state on the calling card
Usually very low. You know in advance what your intrastate rate will be.

Direct dial has the advantage in most every state.

Cost per minute
Sometimes lower, but with all the disadvantages, problems, and "catches" using the card, it often is more expensive. Cards are great if you are going to use them once (use them to make one call per card) and want to end the conversation at the exact end of the number of minutes on the card. Also good if you never get an answering machine on the person's phone that you are calling, if the person you are calling can talk for the long time on the card, or if the conversations are not short.
The plans we offer are some of the lowest (if not the lowest) in the market for direct dialed calls. Great for short to medium calls that you want to make and calls with different amounts of time depending on the person you are talking with.

Usually, direct dial calls are the best versus calling cards for almost all calling situations. Calling card companies make their money on the time you aren't able to use on the card and/or with higher fees and connect minimums and large billing increments.

**Comparison**
Topic	Calling Card Purchase	Direct Dial Service	Advantages and Benefits
Card expiration	Card usually expires in 60-90 days after you first use the card, sometimes only 30 days	Never expires	You could loose money with a calling card on the time left on the card when it expires before you use it up
Card lost or misplaced	If you loose it, you loose your money. If you misplace it and find it later, it may be expired and you loose again.	Can't loose or misplace it.	You can misplace a card or loose a card and your money is gone
Using the last few minutes on a calling card	How do you use the last minute (or two) on the card? Often, the last minute or two are not used and the card is thrown away -- 60 seconds is too short to make a call	Never a lost minute because there is never a last minute	Calling card has a real disadvantage
Connect fee	Sometimes can be $0.50, sometimes up to $1.35 per call. Occasionally, there is no connect fee. Beware of the card details in fine print.	No connect fee	Direct dial better (some cards, though, do not have a connect fee -- be careful if you use calling cards)
Initial cost to purchase	Requires prepaying for the card -- $10, $20, $50	You receive a bill once a month AFTER you make the call	With calling cards, you need to spend your money before you use them
Billing increments	This is how many seconds (or minutes) that are rounded up when you finally get off the phone at the end of your conversation. For example, if you talk for 10 seconds and hang up (or hang up 10 seconds into the last minute of a longer conversation), with 1 minute billing increments you will pay for the whole 60 seconds -- you pay for 50 seconds that you never talked. Calling cards usually bill in 1 minute increments but sometimes 2 or 3 minute increments and this can really waste your money.	6 second increments (1/10th of a minute)	With 1 minute billing increments, at the end of each call, you're losing (paying for) on average about 1/2 a minute on the calling card that you are not using unless you time your phone conversation using a stop watch to hang up a second or two before the minute increment is up.
Billing minimum	If you talk for 10 seconds and there is an initial 3 minute minimum, you'll get billed for 3 minutes for your 10 second call. Cards sometimes have 3 minute increments, sometimes 1 or 2 minute increments -- varies from card to card.	30 seconds minimum	If you make a call on a calling card and get either a wrong number or an answering machine, you're paying for the whole 1 minute (or up to the 3 minutes) billing minimum.
Conversation limited by time left on card	When your time runs out on a card, you get disconnected. Most calling cards work this way. Calling cards force you to regulate your talking time instead of enjoying your conversation	You virtually never run out of time	With direct dial service, your conversations don't get cut off when you talk, and you don't have to keep a stop watch to keep track of your connected time.
Wrong # or misdialed #'s	You pay for the whole billing minimum (1, 2, or 3 minutes) if you dial the wrong number	You pay for just 30 seconds	$$$'s saved using direct dial
Getting an answering machine when you dial	Same as wrong numbers -- you loose big amounts of money	You pay for just 30 seconds.	$$$'s saved using direct dial
Short calls	You pay in large minute minimums and large (usually whole minute) increments, therefore your last fraction of the minute adds up to lost money. Connect fees also add to the cost.	30 seconds minimum per call, then 6 second increments after that.	$$$'s saved using direct dial
Connection quality	Varies by each card purchased	Guaranteed connection quality that is consistent from call to call.	Sometimes cards are good quality, sometimes not. Direct dial has consistently high quality.
# of numbers to dial to make the call	Calling cards require dialing an 11-digit 800 # first, usually a 7-15 digit PIN number (from the back of the card), then your country code, then the phone number you want to call.	Dial 011 + country code + number	Direct dial saves time and makes connecting your call very much easier using direct dial. Less chance to make a dialing error.
Customer service	Can be good or poor depending on card issuer	Great customer service	If you have a problem, can you depend on the calling card customer service number?
Interstate rates	This is the rate from your phone to the other 47 contiguous states in the USA. Sometimes good (low), often bad (high), but domestic calls are billed in the same (high) billing increments, e.g., 1 minute, and billing minimums, e.g., 1-3 minutes.	3.9 cents/min billed in 6 second increments starting at 6 seconds	Direct dial has the advantage
Intrastate rates	This is the rate from your phone to another phone within your own state. Usually very high. Also, billing increments high. It's sometimes difficult to find out what the intrastate rate is for your state on the calling card	Usually very low. You know in advance what your intrastate rate will be.	Direct dial has the advantage in most every state.
Cost per minute	Sometimes lower, but with all the disadvantages, problems, and "catches" using the card, it often is more expensive. Cards are great if you are going to use them once (use them to make one call per card) and want to end the conversation at the exact end of the number of minutes on the card. Also good if you never get an answering machine on the person's phone that you are calling, if the person you are calling can talk for the long time on the card, or if the conversations are not short.	The plans we offer are some of the lowest (if not the lowest) in the market for direct dialed calls. Great for short to medium calls that you want to make and calls with different amounts of time depending on the person you are talking with.	Usually, direct dial calls are the best versus calling cards for almost all calling situations. Calling card companies make their money on the time you aren't able to use on the card and/or with higher fees and connect minimums and large billing increments.

For full details on the discount direct dial international rate plan,

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