Prepaid calling cards help make your international travel easy and give you more control over account usage.
Subscription-based mobile phone services, while they are very convenient, are not suitable for everybody, or for every situation. Here are some example scenarios when you might not want to subscribe to a mobile phone service plan:
Subscription-based mobile phone services, while they are very convenient, are not suitable for everybody, or for every situation. Here are some example scenarios when you might not want to subscribe to a mobile phone service plan:
- You do not want to share your personal information and credit information with the operator.
- You do not want to be locked into a specific call plan or rate plan for an extended period of time.
- You travel abroad and do not want to pay for international roaming.
- You do not want to be surprised by the over-usage charges that are calculated only at the end of the billing cycle. For instance, you might want to put usage caps on the phones you give to your teenage kids.
Prepaid services are extremely popular in Asia and Europe. They are the best way to obtain mobile services when you travel to those countries. In the U.S., prepaid services are also becoming increasingly popular, as mobile phone services reach out to a broad population. Here is how to use a prepaid phone card to obtain services.
First, you need to purchase a valid SIM card from an operator that provides prepaid services in the area where you will be spending time. Put the SIM card into your unlocked phone and turn it on to register on the network. The SIM card gives you a phone number but no services. The phone can make calls only to the operator or to emergency services at this point. The SIM card is relatively cheap (about $25 in the U.S.), and you can keep it for as long as you want. Using the same SIM card allows you to have a stable phone number.
Prepaid cards in foreign countries also give you a local mobile phone number for the locals to call.
Second, you need to purchase a prepaid card from the operator's retail store. The cards are also available in many local gas stations and grocery stores. The prepaid card has a face value of a number of available minutes. Once you've paid for the card, scratch the back of the card to reveal the secret PIN number.
Then, use the phone to make a call to the recharge number listed on the card. Listen to the instructions and enter the PIN when you are prompted to do so. The network operator will verify the PIN and unlock your SIM card for the number of minutes listed on the card.
Now, you can use the phone to make and receive phone calls until the prepaid minutes run out. At that time, you'll need to buy another prepaid card and repeat the process to recharge your SIM card.
Prepaid services are typically more expensive than subscription-based services in terms of per-minute charges. But if you do not use up all your plan minutes in a subscription plan, you might end up paying less using a prepaid service.
First, you need to purchase a valid SIM card from an operator that provides prepaid services in the area where you will be spending time. Put the SIM card into your unlocked phone and turn it on to register on the network. The SIM card gives you a phone number but no services. The phone can make calls only to the operator or to emergency services at this point. The SIM card is relatively cheap (about $25 in the U.S.), and you can keep it for as long as you want. Using the same SIM card allows you to have a stable phone number.
Prepaid cards in foreign countries also give you a local mobile phone number for the locals to call.
Second, you need to purchase a prepaid card from the operator's retail store. The cards are also available in many local gas stations and grocery stores. The prepaid card has a face value of a number of available minutes. Once you've paid for the card, scratch the back of the card to reveal the secret PIN number.
Then, use the phone to make a call to the recharge number listed on the card. Listen to the instructions and enter the PIN when you are prompted to do so. The network operator will verify the PIN and unlock your SIM card for the number of minutes listed on the card.
Now, you can use the phone to make and receive phone calls until the prepaid minutes run out. At that time, you'll need to buy another prepaid card and repeat the process to recharge your SIM card.
Prepaid services are typically more expensive than subscription-based services in terms of per-minute charges. But if you do not use up all your plan minutes in a subscription plan, you might end up paying less using a prepaid service.
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