If you have ever gotten into financial deep water because your phone bill was too high, then you know what kind of stress that can cause. Relationships can get mighty strained when one of the partners finds out that the shared cell phone bill is upwards of $500. Divorces and breakups are common results. The sad part is that all of this could have been avoided with the simple use of a pre-paid phone or using a phone calling card. A phone calling card is especially useful for calls outside the U.S. These international calls are the ones that usually break the back of most people on a budget.
Here’s the scenario: one day you are flipping open your cell phone to make a call and the little recording on the other side tells you your phone service has been suspended for lack of payment. You get home, scratching your head and find your partner in the other room, a guilty expression on their face. Instantly you know something is wrong. They have been holding back the truth of the astronomical phone bill from you because they feared your reaction. The rest of this play is all too predictable with insults, slurs, and even threats being hurled back and forth until the neighbors call the cops and you either stop fighting or go to jail.
All of this could be easily avoided by just buying a $5 pre-paid phone calling card. Sure, it is more expensive than your usual rates, but once you are over your minutes each month, it is really the best way of managing your calling expenses. If you know for a fact that you have exceeded your minutes, then immediately go out and buy a phone calling card. For domestic calls the best ones are the ones that are sold at drugstores like Longs or Walgreen’s. You can also recharge these cards by calling an 800 number and using your debit card or credit card.
For California lifeline program , you can just purchase one of several $5 phone calling cards that you can get at any 7-Eleven or corner market. This type of phone calling card is very popular in California among Hispanics and Latinos who need to call Mexico or Central American countries such as Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, or Guatemala. They have names like “Cali” or “Amor Latino”, etc., and will usually provide around 20 minutes of uninterrupted calling time if used in a single call.
The very best way to call internationally is to use the internet program called Skype. You can go to Skype.com and download their free program. If the person on the other side also has Skype then the call is free. It does not matter what country that person is in, if they are on Skype and you are on Skype then the call, no matter how long, is free of charge. You use Skype with a USB headset or a special Skype phone you can buy from their website. It is a lot cheaper and more convenient than using a phone calling card.
