Whether you have friends and relatives in foreign lands, your company works with people from overseas, or you’re traveling abroad, you will have to have some kind of international calling plan – and the cheaper, the better. So many different kinds of calling plans exist – not to mention constantly change – that you will have to do some research on your own in order to find the best plan that fits your calling patterns. Often, a plan that looks good in advertising will end up having hidden charges or other high costs, so make sure you understand all the terms of a plan before signing on.
Phone companies offer many different types of calling plans for international countries, including African, Asian and European calling plans. For rate-based plans, not every continent – or even every country – will have the same rates, though. If you’re looking at a calling plan that charges per minute or per call, then you will pay a different price, for example, when calling England or Germany than you would to call somewhere in Russia. When comparing different calling plans, consider which country or countries you will probably call the most. Look at your past phone bills to review your calling patterns and predict your future calling frequency. Also, when looking at international rates in advertisements, keep in mind that those rates may not extend to your area because rates vary among different locations.
In addition to plans based on rates, you also have the option of getting plans that provide unlimited long distance so that you don’t have to keep track of your minutes. It’s difficult to make a general assessment of whether a rate plan or an unlimited plan will save you more money because it depends on how much you call and where you call.
Not only does the price and structure of European calling plans depend on the amount and timing of your calls to Europe, but your in-state and state-to-state minutes, as well as the number of phone lines you have, will also influence your monthly bill. You should also take into account the days and times you will call the most because European calling plans and other international calling plans have different charges for different times. Because businesses usually have to call during weekdays, these times cost the most. If you can, you will usually save money by making most of your calls on evenings and weekends. Otherwise, look for a plan with competitive daytime rates.
You can find calculators online that can match your calling patterns with the cheapest calling plan for you. You can also calculate for yourself the types of calls you make on a monthly basis, and how your current phone bill registers the charges from those calls. When talking with phone companies about the plans they offer, hesitate to sign up for a plan the first time you hear about it. Often, you will forget to ask questions that you will think of later, such as questions concerning additional charges and other types of calls. Sometimes long distance carriers will offer very low international rates, but then to compensate they will stick you with high state-to-state charges.
While calling cards and cell phones offer alternatives to landlines, these types of calls almost always cost more. A new calling technology called Internet telephony technology, however, can provide much lower rates if the service accommodates your needs. You have to have a personal computer and Internet connection, but you pay much less than with traditional phone lines, and can receive some additional incentives, as well. Make sure you check on a wide variety of options for getting European calling plans and other long distance phone plans.
By Lisa Zyga