By Rick
Long distance phone calls used to be a very expensive indulgence for most people. Staying in touch with distant family and friends might carry a lot of guilt for the cost of making the call. Many people would lose touch with loved ones over the years because of the high cost of these calls. This has all changed in recent years and these long distance calls are much less expensive than ever before and in some cases you can even make them for free. There are a few things you’ll need to know before deciding on which technology to use for your next call.
Totally free calls
If you have a computer with a microphone and a speaker attached, you can essentially make free long distance phone calls. There are many services like Google and Skype that allow you to call family and friends for free. The drawback is that these people need to also have the same free service as you and you will be talking to them on their computer as well. While this is a small inconvenience for most people, you need to know this in advance. Recently there are a number of companies that offer devices that connect to your computer that look and work like a traditional phone handset to make these long distance calls a little more comfortable. Adding this type of accessory to your computer is a great investment if you want to spend a long time catching up with friends on these calls.
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Low cost calls
The next step up in cheap long distance calling uses a technology called VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), which is a complicated way of saying you’re calling someone over the internet. This type of service requires a specialized box attached to your internet connection that allows you to use your current phones to make these calls. There is a monthly charge for this service but most people that use it like the fact that it works like their normal phones. You can even use standard features like CallerID and Voicemail with most of these vendors and in a few months you’ll completely forget that you’ve switched. The only difference you’ll notice is the lower bill each month. Most of these services include a certain amount of long distance calls with the plan and you can adjust the service to meet your needs if you call more often.
Using calling cards
Calling cards are another way that people make long distance calls at a discount. These cards can be purchased in various amounts and allow you to use the minutes you buy as you need them. The cost for these minutes is far lower than the standard phone company rates and makes long distance calling a possibility for many people that could not otherwise afford it. With some cards you’ll actually get additional free minutes added to your card when you initially purchase a larger block of minutes or reload it. These extra minutes help to make the card an even better value for people that want to call friends often. The other advantage of using a calling card is that you can make these calls from any telephone and bill the call to the card. This gives you the ultimate in flexibility when traveling and lets you call your family and friends from virtually anywhere.
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