A phone card is a rectangular piece of plastic which is used for making local as well as long distance calls and is based on the scheme of pay-per-call as per which the caller purchases the phone card with a fixed amount of talk time. The globalization of the world has led to an increase in the telecommunication traffic and to harness this boom there have been a number of calling card companies as well as service providers which offer phone cards of different denominations varying between 5$ to hundreds of dollars.

With so many options available in the market it is but natural for the buyer to get confused as to which phone card best serves his personal requirements. Therefore, the following points provide guidance as to what the prospective buyer should look for in order to purchase the best phone card for himself:

• The first step is to shortlist the cards which are meant for the destinations to which the caller wishes to place a call. All phone cards cannot be used for calling everywhere and there are specific cards for particular regions, areas as well as countries.
• After having decided which type of the card is to be bought, the buyer is advised to go through the reviews of that particular card so as to judge its performance and its image in the market. This can be done by going through the feedback left by the previous users of the card.
• The next step is to decide the package and the denomination needed by the buyer and this can be chosen according to the individual calling patterns as well as circumstances.
• Last but not the least, one must always go through the terms and conditions, PIN and expiry date mentioned on the card so as to protect oneself from fraudulent schemes, hidden charges and fake or used phone cards.