Save Money With a Long Distance Calling Plan

When it comes to long-distance calling plans, there's certainly no shortage of choices on the market. Every phone service provider seems to advertise the 'most competitive' long-distance calling rates, leaving consumers confused and indecisive as to which deals really are the best.

However, while it's true that many providers offer competitive long-distance calling plans, not every provider combines their deals with other offers. And such offers are, much of the time, the 'make or break' factor setting one provider's deal apart from the other. So what types of combination offers are available, and which ones offer the most value with regard to long-distance calls and beyond?

When searching for a long-distance calling plan, the first thing you'll want to consider is the cost-per-minute for each plan. However, because calls to different countries vary, you'll want to make comparisons based on the countries you call the most - whether it's within the US to Europe or to Asia. You'll also want ensure you pay close attention to even the slightest variances in cost-per-minute plans, as even small differences can add up if you happen to be on calls for a long period of time.

If you plan on calling to a long-distance mobile phone, take note of that cost too - mobile phone rates are usually higher than landline rates. Once you've found the best cost-per-minute deals, you can focus on sorting through combination offers, ultimately finding the very best deal out of all your options.

If you plan on calling more than one long-distance location, look out for offers that give you a 'location bundle' deal - that is, a rate that includes a specified number of countries you can call in a package. That way, you'll always know exactly how much you're paying for each of your long-distance calls. Another thing to take note of is a service provider's policy on 'peak calling': do they charge more for you to call at certain times? Or is the cost-per minute the same at all times of the day? If the cost varies depending on the time of day, you could end up paying more than you bargained for.

Many service providers will pair their long-distance offerings with various other services such as voicemail, data, internet and network access - so if you don't already have such features set up, you might want to consider a deal that gets you connected. Of course, there are also online software applications which allow you to make cheap long-distance calls from your computer - which also adds in the option to use video chat. Moreover, such applications are available to use on mobile phones with internet, enabling mobile phone users to chat for cheap, on the go.

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