Phone cards are the best deal for long distance calls. It is a prepaid calling mechanism where the person purchasing the calling plan will pay the value to the calling company. In exchange he gets the card which is similar to a credit card both in appearance and operation. With every call made, the balance in the calling plan gets reduced.

The next question is what if the balance comes to zero or balance is insufficient to make the next call. The calling companies have a mechanism wherein the caller can purchase additional calling time. Then the calling plan is refilled with more amounts and he can continue to call without any interruptions. This unique mechanism helps the caller to stay connected throughout. Therefore the caller need not discard the calling plan just because the balance has reduced or has become zero.

There are two types of calling plans Viz., rechargeable and non-rechargeable. In rechargeable calling plan, the caller can recharge the calling plan without a change in the PIN (personal identification number). Therefore, so long as the caller holds the plan, he continues with the same identification number. Further, in this system the caller has the advantage of enjoying the PIN less dialing (also called as ANI recognition). In this system, the caller need not dial his PIN whenever he makes a long distance call. The moment the caller calls, the calling company identifies the caller and he is connected to the toll free calling zone. So, this process continues without any change in the PIN number. But, this facility is not available in a non-rechargeable Plan where he is assigned a new PIN number and the caller will not be entitled for PIN less dialing facility.

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