Over the past 20 years, international long distance calls made from the United States have risen uncontrollably from only $200 million to $6.2 billion a year. The increase in the demand for globalization, international marketing, and the desire to travel have all contributed to this skyrocket surge. Those who regularly make international calls end up paying hundreds of dollars (to even thousands) for call rates and corresponding taxes.
In the recent years however, many travelers, businessmen and individuals, in their desire to get more communication freedom and savings, have ceased to exclusively rely on analogue, post-paid and mobile phone services, especially those who need to do long distance calls regularly. Many of them have tried to use the convenience of international mobile roaming while on travel, only to get surprised when they receive their astronomical bills at the end of the month. It may be convenient, but they end up paying a lot more for making international calls, for incoming calls as well as voicemail charges.
Among the most popular alternative phone services sought instead include: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Broadband services, PC-based Internet phone, or a Prepaid Calling Card.
There are three major factors to consider when choosing the best alternative phone service: Freedom of access, cost of communication, and Freedom of communication. Of course, VoIP and Internet phones presuppose the fact that you have a computer system or a laptop with you to make any calls possible. Internet phones usually claim to be free, but these free services only apply to calls to other PC users, while calls to international numbers are relatively expensive. Broadband VoIP phone services, on the other hands, usually charge you a fixed monthly cost for unlimited use, which just might exceed the benefits.
Prepaid calling cards, on the other hand, can offer you increased freedom of access and communication. You do not need a PC or a laptop or an Internet connection to get in touch with the people you need to call internationally. Plus, you do not need to pay for humungous monthly bills!
Why should I go for a phone card?
With the convenience and practicality of phone cards, it is not a wonder how they have been increasingly popular in the recent years. What advantages do prepaid phone cards have over post-paid plans and other communication alternatives?
You can save up to 80% on international calling.
There are no monthly bills to wait and pay for.
There are no connection charges, maintenance fees nor taxes to pay for on top of the call charges.
You can make calls from any phone, even cell phones and phones that are not enabled for international calls.
Is great for those who are constantly on the move: tourists, students, vacationers, travelers, and immigrants.
Convenience and reliability in emergency situations.
What makes a phone card different from the other?
Well I believe that the rate is the number one factor that differentiates one card from the other. Then, all the fees included in the phone card: connection fees, maintenance fees, long call fees, weekly fees, etc…I found a very interesting phone card the other day that has no fees; it gives you the exact amount of minutes you paid for with no hidden fees. This phone card not only has no fees whatsoever, but it also allows you to accumulate points for every dollar you spend. As you accumulate points, you will be able to exchange them for rewards from their listed partners: Barnes & Noble, Circuit City, Netflix, and Free Phone Cards. This is a very neat product that I recommend to everyone. The link is www.callfreak.com.
This website will be useful for everyone because when you buy from then you will be 100% sure that you are getting the lowest rate in the market. How is it work? If you find a cheaper rate than the one Callfreak has listed, you call CallFreak’s customer service at 1800-496-6320 and give them the rate the website where you found that rate. When CallFreak verifies that they don’t have the lowest rate because the rate you provided to them is, in fact, the lowest rate in the market, they will lower their rate it in order to be the company with the lowest rate in the market.
Truly, this is the best deal to make the most out of the dollars you spend on calling your loved ones, colleagues and friends. Communication should never be too high of a price to pay for, right?
Using Phone Cards to Call Japan
Did you know?
The United States Immigration estimates about 4.4 million tourists, businessmen, workers, students and travelers from Japan come to the United States yearly. These individuals pay an average of 10-15 cents a minute for calling home.
Get the best rates to call Japan
Unlike post-paid plans or phone cards which can charge up to 15 cents per minute, CallFreak rates for calling Japan are as follows:
| |
Cents/min |
$10 Card |
$20 Card |
$50 Card |
| Japan |
0.80 |
1333min |
2666min |
6665min |
| Japan Cellular |
6.1 |
163min |
326min |
815min |
This week I Googled 10 keywords and looked up the rates for Japan from the top three companies ranked. I found one company called Nobel whose rate was lower than the one I saw on CallFreak, so, I called Callfreak’s customer service with this information and the next day I log into CallFreak and the rate was changed to the one I provided. I even received a call from them to alert me that the rate was change for me.
Service Fees and Rounding
While other phone card companies can charge you connection fees and maintenance fees of up to a dollar per call, CallFreak only charges a minimal service fee depending on the type of card you purchase, with absolutely no hidden charges on top of that. They also offer you 3-minute to up to 1-minute rounding, depending on the card type. So, in short, CallFreak has 3 different card types: Mega, Medium, & Clear; the only difference between the cards is: minute rounding, service fee, and the rate. I’ve used the Clear CallFreak phone card many times and I recommended it because you get the exact amount of minutes you paid for; there are no hidden fees or anything that will make the rate per minute higher than what is shown. The other two phone cards I only recommend them for long phone calls. To show that these are trustworthy phone cards, following are the cards’ fee details:
| |
Mega |
Medium |
Clear |
| Service Fee |
69 cents |
49 cents |
NONE! |
| Rounding |
3 minutes |
2 minutes |
1 minute! |
You get all these deals without having to worry about contract obligations and monthly bills. And you can load up and get immediate activation online as easy as 1-2-3!
How to call to Japan
- Before calling to Japan, determine exactly what time it is in their part of the world. The time in Japan is nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT); 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the United States.
- If you have established that it is a good time to call, start dialing the international code for the US, which is 011.
- Dial 81, which is the country code of Japan.
- After the country code, dial the area code of the city you wish to call. Here are some area codes of major cities in Japan:
- Hiroshima 82
- Kobe 78
- Kyoto 75
- Nagoya 52
- Osaka (Osaka) 66
- Tokyo 3
- Yokohama 45
- Finally, dial the rest of the phone number.
Great Bon Voyage Gift
CallFreak phone cards can also make a great Bon Voyage gift for loved ones, friends, family, for sons and daughters who are who are going to migrate or will need to stay in the US for a certain period of time. This will definitely give them no excuse not to get in touch with you.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up now and make your international calls to Japan all the more rewarding!