calling cards

**cheapsk8** · 05-24-2006, 07:43 AM

I'am new here, this is my first post. This may already be on here somewhere. I'am thinking of dropping the phone down to just the basic package (around $35) and using a calling card. I've seen them as low as 3 cents a minute. Where we live alot of calls are long distance. Has anyone done this, and is it worth the hassle of all the dialing? Thanks

**Darlene** · 05-24-2006, 08:22 AM

To us it's worth it. Love not paying all those long distant taxes & surcharges associated with using long distance carriers.
If you have a programmable phone you can program the numbers in and not have to do much pressing except pressing 1 for english, lol.

**Kimberlina** · 05-24-2006, 09:33 AM

Hi and

(If you get a second, pop on over to the welcome wagon and tell us about yourself.)

I'm with Darlene on this one- she may actually even have the same little phone company I have, and for us, at least, pretty much everyone I want to call is long distance. And we can't do dial-around (like 10-10-xxx.) We've been using phone cards from BJ's almost since the day we moved into the house. We've tried a couple other things, but for various reasons, they don't work for us. (For instance, the cell phone brely works where we live because we are in a big valley, so adding more minutes there isn't an option for us.)

We get the BJ's card for something like 2.7 cents a minute- that is really cheap, IMO. The one we got last (4 or 5 months ago) remembers your pin if you are dialing from a certain phone. So, I just program my #1 spot on my phone to dial the 800 number, and then the 800 number system just remembers my pin number for me, so I don't have to punch it in. It does take slightly longer to dial, but the savings is definitely worth it for me.

HTH.

**Hollyhandi** · 05-25-2006, 06:35 AM

I am getting a tracphone tomorrow.
I will be putting $20.00 a month on it and thats what i'll use for all my calls.
( unless its local )
My sister calls me pretty much every day on the main phone its local for her to call me but long distance for me to call her. ( doesn't make sense )
I am also thinking of buying the long distance cards to call my sil in Fla and my Br in Texas. Worth the extra dialing to me.

**PrairieRose** · 05-25-2006, 07:42 AM

I think it's a great idea. We use our cell phones for 90% of our long distance calling. We have to have em, so try to make good use of what we pay for in em.

**Vannie** · 05-25-2006, 08:09 AM

Hi,

I don't have cards, but I did want to welcome you to the Village. I use a tracphone to budget my cell usage.

**MirandaK** · 05-25-2006, 08:21 AM

We don't have a home phone. Hubby and I each have a cell phone on the same plan (approx $60.00) month. We talk to each other for free and my parents also got Cingular so we talk to them free too. We make all our other long distance calls on the weekends or after 9 pm when it's unlimited. If you can get down to one cell phone you could probably get one with free nights and weekends for around $35 or $40 / month.

Welcome to the village!!!

**peanut** · 05-28-2006, 05:43 PM

We opted to go with a basic land line for $25cdn., plus assorted taxes (another $10). Our long distance is through YAK Communications (10-10-xxx) for 5 cents a minute...which is good where we live. I haven't seen any 3 cent minutes available here. You can get 3.5 cents through YAK, if you sign away your life and give them all kinds of personal information...and let them bill to your credit card every month. I won't do that.

Jean

**Darlene** · 05-28-2006, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by Kimberlina

Hi and

(If you get a second, pop on over to the welcome wagon and tell us about yourself.)

I'm with Darlene on this one- she may actually even have the same little phone company I have, and for us, at least, pretty much everyone I want to call is long distance. And we can't do dial-around (like 10-10-xxx.) We've been using phone cards from BJ's almost since the day we moved into the house. We've tried a couple other things, but for various reasons, they don't work for us. (For instance, the cell phone brely works where we live because we are in a big valley, so adding more minutes there isn't an option for us.)

We get the BJ's card for something like 2.7 cents a minute- that is really cheap, IMO. The one we got last (4 or 5 months ago) remembers your pin if you are dialing from a certain phone. So, I just program my #1 spot on my phone to dial the 800 number, and then the 800 number system just remembers my pin number for me, so I don't have to punch it in. It does take slightly longer to dial, but the savings is definitely worth it for me.

HTH.

Yep BJ's calling card works for us. We have the bare min. on reg phone service, costs about $20 a month. You are so smart Kimberly but no we don't have the phone co you have.

**Libby** · 05-29-2006, 09:00 PM

I use a LD call carrier I guess you'd call it. But its more like a virtual phone card.

How it works is I pick up my phone, dial the 10-10-xxx plus the LD phone # as if I was dialing direct LD. I only get charged for the minutes Im connected. And it shows up on my reg phone bill each month, so long as it was used. Better then a phone card to me b/c I dont have to go out and 'hunt' for one with great rates etc. My rate is $0.04/minute for North America (Canada & USA).

There's also a sister company to this one that lets you call a location around the world for $1 for the first 20 minutes and then charges you each minute over and beyond the initial 20 minutes.

There's even one for your cell if you're calling from your home area it charges $0.09/min plus local cell airtime.

For my household this is worth it to me b/c we barely call long distance and if we do, we dont talk long. Why pay into a monthly plan to not use it up? I cut the phone right down to basic with name and number display. I found an old phone with an answering machine built into it and just plugged it in. So far so good!