What is the cheapest way to call Russia? Why use phone cards to call Russia when there are other means to do so, such as using your long distance provider at home or at the place of your business, or using your mobile phone plan minutes? How about the phone cards you can buy at a retail location, are they better than the phone cards from Russia Cards? What about the internet calls that claim you can call Russia or any other country for free? Read on and decide for yourself if the phone cards from Russia Cards are best for you.
Compare phone cards to long distance plans
What could be easier than picking up your phone and dialing the number in Russia? Strictly speaking making an international call to Russia or any other country is not much different than making a long distance call. Just a few extra numbers to dial.
Before you grab your phone consider the following important aspects about using your long distance provider to call internationally to Russia:
| Long distance | Phone cards |
| Requires international access to be enabled | No set up is required |
| Much higher per minute cost | Lowest prices on international calls |
| Need to switch to international calling plan to get lower rate | No need to make any changes to existing phone plans |
| Plans with lower international rates cost extra | No plans to sign up for and no extra monthly payments |
| Can only be used from one phone | Can be used anywhere |
As you can see, when you buy instant phone cards online you get much lower cost (savings as high as 95% compared to the long distance providers), you are not tied down to just one phone as you can use phone cards anywhere (office, hotel, payphone, etc.), no need to switch any plans or sign up for special international plans that cost you extra.
Compare phone cards and mobile phone international calls
Cell phones offer not only the convenience of their mobility but usually offer lower international calling rates. Not as low as the phone cards, however. True enough, with a mobile phone you are not tied down to just one location as you are when making international calls from a home phone. The per minute rate might be cheaper, but is still rather high at about $1.50 per minute. Compare it to the phone cards offered on Russia Cards that allow you to call Moscow for less than 1 cent per minute.
You can still use your mobile phone to call Russia and save money. Simply purchase a phone card from Russia Cards and program the access number and PIN to your cell phone memory.
Save extra on already low phone cards prices when you use your mobile phone. Most of the phone cards offered on Russia Cards offer a lower rate if you use local access numbers as opposed to the toll free numbers. Many cell phone plans in the US include free long distance minutes. Use them to call local access numbers in another state even if you don't have one listed for your particular area.
Compare instant online phone cards and retail store cards
You can purchase phone cards not only online but also at many retail locations, even at a grocery store or a gas station. What makes phone cards from Russia Cards a better choice?
| Phone cards from a local store | Phone cards from Russia Cards |
| Extra cost associated with printing plasting cards, shipping, selling, store overhead, etc. | Online cards have no overhead costs like the retail locations do |
| Few cards in a given store | Large selection of cards from different providers |
| Only list rates to certain countries that seem to be more in demand (Mexico, Latin America) | You can easily locate the best phone card based on the rates for your destination |
| Hard to make side-by-side comparison of rates, features, fees, etc. | Online search tools allow you to compare dozens of cards based on your calling need |
| Do not offer online management | Manage your account online: check balance, refill, transfer funds, etc. |
| Require you to buy phone cards at a retail location during business hours | Buy from the comfort of your home any time any day with no need to drive anywhere or stand in line |
The main difference between the store bought phone cards and the ones purchased online from Russia Cards is the cost. If you are buying a phone card at a retail location you are paying for the plastic the cards are printed on and for the store overhead.
The phone cards you find on Russia Cards are not much different from those you find at a retail location. The only thing is missins is a piece of plastic. You get everything else you need to make international or long distance calls: access numbers, PINs, toll free customer support, etc. You actually get more when you buy phone cards from Russia Cards, such as online account management. And Russia Call carries the familiar brands as well, such as the AT&T phone card.
What about internet calls to Russia for free?
You probably heard it somewhere that you can make free international calls via internet. Why not call Russia for free? It's not as simple as it sounds. First of all, if you are talking about applications like Skype, the free calls apply to calls made to other Skype users (substitute Skype with any other similar software.) So in order to make a free call to Russia, you yourself need to be on a computer with a broadband internet connection, you need the software and hardware installed and running. So does the party you calling, they need to have the same setup.
What about calling a regular phone number, land line or mobil in Russia? With software such as Skype you will still have to pay for the calls made to regular phones. True enough, some companies offer you free calls on a trial basis, but those calls are limited to one or three minutes. And, once again, you need to be connected to the internet, you need to have the software running, and you need some hardware, at least a microphone and headphones.
With phone cards from Russia Cards you don't have to buy any equipment or install any software. You can call any regular phone, land line or mobile, from any phone, land line or mobile. And you make the call with a very low rate without sacrificing the quality.
Advantages and benefits of using phone cards from Russia Cards
- Much lower cost compared to other means of international calling
- Instand purchase and delivery from any computer with internet access 24/7
- Use the phone cards from any phone: home, office, hotel, pay phone, mobile phone
- No plans to sign up for or switch to
- No need in a computer with internet access to make a calll
- No software or hardware needed