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Making The Most of Long distance Phone Services
 by: Dista Trifade

Long Distance Providers

Long distance phone service is offered by many companies. You should have a basic understanding of long distance calls and then choose the company that best suites your needs.

Once you switch long distance providers, it will take several days to activate your service. Your service will only be activated on the one particular line and not on any of your cell phones. Once the service is activated, you can make direct long distance calls from only that phone line.

If you need instant access consider using a prepaid calling card. Calling cards work from any touch tone phone and require that you dial an access number and authorization code (PIN) to use their service.

The switched long distance service uses different technology for establishing a connection to the destination number. This is the most reliable service that you can get, and usually the rates for this service are a little higher than those of calling cards.

A Third Party Verification (TPV) is required when signing up online. By dialing the number shown on the form, the TPV will record your voice granting permission to switch your long distance provider. This will act as an electronic signature for your long distance agreement.

It usually takes 3-4 business days to activate the service. This period may vary, depending on your local phone company and other factors. You will be given a 700 test number to dial from your line. There is usually a message, saying that your service is activated. The number and message vary by carrier and rate plan.

You may dial your long distance numbers directly one your service is activated. Your local phone company will not change and you continue to receive a bill for those services. In addition, you will receive a separate bill for your new long distance provider.

If you are running a business, you might want to go in for a toll free number. Toll free numbers allow the cost of a call to be charged to the party that receives the call. For the party that places the call, there will be no charge. Toll free numbers are usually used by businesses to allow their customers to reach the company free of toll charges.

A basic knowledge of what long distance providers offer can help you in choosing a service that meets your needs.
Saving Money on your Long Distance Bill by: Emma Lee Finding ways to make cheap long distance phone calls became very easy the day cell phone companies began offering free long distance. In fact many people have even taken it a step further by eliminating their home phone altogether! But what about if you make international long distance calls? You certainly are not going to use your cell phone provider for this and pay the $1 or $2 a minute charge. So what do you do? The answer is simple... use an International Phone Card! Most phone cards can save you hundreds of dollars a month, especially if you are a frequent international caller and tend to talk for hours each time. Let's face it most of us have relatives or friends living in another country and we need a cheap way to call them. How much can you save? To best give you an answer I will share with you my recent cost savings experience: I used to use one of the "big" phone companies to call my cousin in London and the best rate I could get from any of the companies was 13 cents a minute with a month plan fee of $4.95. On the calling card I use today I get calls to London with a very cheap rate of 1 cent a minute with a $0.99 connection fee (not a big del as I talk for over an hour and it is still well over 50% less than $0.13 a minute). Buyer beware!!! Most phone cards have fees and it is important to note the fine print before buying one of these cards. Some have connection fees, some have 6 minute rounding, some have disconnection fees and some have taxes which can greatly affect the number of minutes you get. But don't despair, there are many cards out there that have good rates and are fairly reliable, you just have to know where to look! The best place to find good cheap phone cards is on the internet as there are many good sites that carry International Phone Cards. Or if you are not a fan of purchasing online you can always head to your local convenience store or discount club and ask the cashier if you could see their phone cards in stock. Good luck and remember, PICK CAREFULY!