What's New in Calling Cards?

Calling cards have been around forever, but there are important innovations that consumers should be aware of. The most important are new features that dramatically enhance the calling experience.

The key features to watch for are these:

• Mobile dialing apps: Some prepaid card companies are embracing mobile calling big time, but others are stuck in the past. The most innovative prepaid companies are releasing easy-to-use mobile apps that make dialing a snap.
• PC dialing apps: Another key development are PC dialing apps for making calls from your computer. These are small programs that you install on your computer like any other program.
• Group calling plans: Some companies are making it easier for you to share your calling plan with other people - family, friends, or business associates. These group calling plans can help you keep in touch with other folks a lot more easily.

Not every prepaid company is offering these types of features - in fact, only a few are. Three of the best examples are Pingo, Nobelcom, and Enjoy Prepaid (all 3 are among our top picks).

Why are some companies offering these features, but others aren't? Because only companies that control their own communications network have the equipment necessary to make it happen. We call these kinds of companies 'integrated providers' - they are real phone companies with specialized divisions that sell prepaid calling cards.

Calling card resellers (marketing companies that sell minutes on behalf of a carrier) can't offer these types of services because they don't control the underlying network resources. Without control of the phone network, they can't develop and deliver the necessary software solutions to consumers. In general, we don't recommend buying from resellers and this adds to the list of reasons why.

Bottom line: if you want to take advantage of these new calling features, be sure to buy from one of the select few companies that are offering them.

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