For most business travelers, staying in touch means spending a lot of time on the phone. While pay phones are plentiful, high calling costs may require you to lug around several pounds of change to make your daily calls. A far better alternative is to use a calling card.

There are hundreds of companies that offer calling cards, including most long distance and local carriers. Any card can work from any phone, and most can be used for long distance or local calls.

Although some companies require that you use their long distance service in order to get their calling card, many will supply a card without concurrent long distance service.

This buying guide is designed to give you the facts you need to select the right calling card for your firm. You can choose to read this guide from beginning to end, or jump directly to a section of interest by clicking on the links above.

How to use a Calling Card

To use a card, you first must dial an access code to connect to the carrier that issued the card. These access codes are usually a toll free number, but some cards (typically those issued by local carriers) allow you to connect just by dialing a zero.

It's worth noting that some payphones may now charge an initial deposit (usually the cost of a local phone call) to use the phone even if you are calling a toll-free number. This new charge is due to deregulation stemming from the Telecom Act of 1996 and started taking effect in late 1997.

Once connected to the system, you then have to take two steps. (The order in which these steps are taken may vary.) One, you enter your account code. This tells the carrier to whom the call should be billed. Two, you dial the telephone number you want to reach.

The bill is later mailed to the card owner.

Features

Calling cards can be equipped with many features that make them easier to use. One basic feature to look for is speed dialing. With this feature, the card user can store a set of commonly called phone numbers for easy retrieval.

Travelers finding themselves frequently redialing a busy number will find messenger services quite helpful. They can record a message for delivery at a later time. Usually, the service will dial a designated phone number every 15-30 minutes until the call is answered and the message is relayed.

For billing purposes, account codes help allocate costs to different departments, clients or projects. Account codes can also help limit the use of corporate calling cards for personal calls.

Billing

Calling card bills include any of three types of charges. At minimum, each call will be billed a standard per-minute rate. Many cards also add a fixed access surcharge for each call that is placed. Finally, a monthly fee may also be charged by some services.

Your expected usage can help determine which type of billing arrangement will be best suited for you. Users who place many short calls will want to look for a card that has no access surcharge, while those who make fewer, but longer, calls will want to look for low per-minute rates.

Also consider the time of day you tend to make calls. If many calls are placed after business hours, look for a company that offers low evening rates.

Preventing Fraud

Calling card fraud results in millions of dollars of illegal charges each year. Although users are generally not liable for fraudulent calls, it can be very frustrating to argue about charges with the carrier.

In many cases, only the account number is stolen. Vandals "shoulder surf," memorizing the numbers they see punched in by a user. To avoid this kind of theft, try to block the phone when entering your account number.

In addition, make sure to disconnect from the carrier before leaving the phone. Otherwise, the next user can continue to charge calls to your card.

Toll restriction allows a company to block calls to certain area codes or dialing exchanges. This minimizes your exposure to theft by denying thieves the ability to reach 900 numbers or overseas locations.

Pricing

Calling cards cost more to administer than standard long distance service, and thus cost more. However, many cards are radically overpriced.

Cards with an access charge typically bill 20¢ to 35¢ per minute, plus an access surcharge of 35¢ to 65¢. Cards without an access charge typically bill 30¢ to 40¢ per minute.

Calls also vary in cost depending on the time of day and the call rounding used with the card. Most cards bill a minimum 30 seconds per call and round calls to the nearest full minute. Cards that round calls to the nearest six-second increment can reduce bills by 10%-20%, on average.

Buying Tips

Expand your range of choices
Using a calling card issued by your long distance carrier is not always the cheapest option. Even when you factor in volume discounts, cards from other carriers are often much less expensive.

Local cards
Travelers who make most calls within one area code should consider a calling card offered by the local telephone company. These carriers usually provide better rates for calls placed in the local region. A secondary benefit is typically shorter access codes.

Multiple call feature
Some calling cards waive the access surcharge for subsequent calls when multiple calls are placed at a time. Inquire about the availability of this feature.

Handling multiple cards
If you issue calling cards to employees, do not share cards or a single account code. Issuing unique accounts to each person will make it much easier to activate and deactivate cards as individuals leave the firm.