Phone Cards for Soldiers in Iraq & Afghanistan

Can you imagine finding out your son or daughter was injured in Iraq, Afganistan or somewhere else in the world? And then, not being able to talk to him or her? Hundreds of families face this predicament, because the military does not guarantee them a call home.

So it's heart warming to see a charity organization in Georgia collecting donations to buy phone cards and satellite airtime for soldiers stuck in military hospitals.

Paschal says every $10 is enough for 20 wounded men to call their family back home in the states.

At surface value, it makes me skeptical: how long are they able to talk? Is a phone card company cutting him a deal? I'd like to know.

In the meantime, the US military also lists dozens of charitable organizations that provide phone cards for soldiers. Poke around to find a charity that you like!

Is Skype Really the Best Deal for Immigrants?

Up to recently, phone cards - even the shadier phone cards - have been the best way for immigrants to make cheap international calls. But thanks to the growth of VoIP technology such as Skype.com and other Internet telephony programs, there are more options for cheap international calls.

The Orlando Sentinel recently did a feature on US immigrants turning to Skype, as VoIP technology becomes easier to access.

For calling the US or Canada, Skype is a great deal. But the article fails to mention that Skype charges an arm and a leg to call many countries that immigrants come from. A quick look at international Skype call rates shows us that for most of the countries, calls range from .20 to .30 cents per minute!

Conveniently, the article focuses on an Argentine immigrant couple calling home. Argentines are lucky. For them, sure, Skype can be cheap. Calls to Buenos Aires are a little over .02 cents per minute to a landline.

But even then, using Skype to call a cell phone in Argentina costs nearly .20 cents per minute!

And don't get me started on Honduras. For that country, Skype to a landline costs a whopping .42 cents per minute, and .45 cents if you're calling a cell phone.

In so many cases, Skype does not provide a cheap alternative to phone cards.

The article, of course, is hasty to categorize calling cards as outdated scams that only the poor are stuck with. It extols Skype as a panacea for cheap calls. It dutifully inserts a brief sniffle for the still-elitist nature of this otherwise Utopian technology:

Yet despite the increasing use of technology by Hispanics to stay in touch, sheer economics means that calling cards are bound to remain popular, especially among those from poorer countries, according to Hispanic advocates. However, calling-card users have often been ripped off, state Attorney General Bill McCollum and others say.

Yes, many phone cards are rip-offs. But not all. That, in fact, is the whole purpose of this blog: to warn you away from the scams, and to recommend the good deals on phone cards that are out there, but admittedly hard to find. We help you find them.

Contrary to what the Orlando Sentinel suggests, the solution for poorer immigrants is not to save up and buy an expensive computer, headset, webcam and Skype.com credit account. Don't waste your hard earned savings to invest in technology, if you're only going to be ripped off by Skype calls in the end.

The solution is to save your hard earned money, and stick with cheap phone cards - the trick is getting the right phone cards.

That's what this PhoneCardsCheap.ORG blog is all about: finding you the cheapest, best quality phone cards, and warning you about the scams out there. This way, you can avoid the phone card scams without having to pour hundreds of dollars into a computer, accessories and Skype charge account, only to then pay .45 a minute to call you sister's cell phone in Honduras, and continually feed the Skype beast.

Despite all the hype about Skype, phone cards are still by far the cheapest way to call, for the vast majority of the world. And phone cards aren't just for the poor. Whether you're rich or poor, a good deal is a good deal.

So don't get hoodwinked by fancy technology when old-fashioned savings are even easier to obtain. Happy calling!

Senate vs Calling Card Companies

If you've ever used phone cards, there's a good chance you've gotten ripped off at some point. All too often shady practices seem to be the rule, rather than the exception.

It looks like now the US Senate is taking a closer look at calling card company scams, in particular Elite Telecom and GEO Telecom:

The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing to examine hidden charges and fees, unfair conditions and incomprehensible disclosures buried in the fine print of prepaid calling card terms. Examples include hang-up fees of 99 cents for calls that are not connected and off-peak calling times that last from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Has any of this happened to you before? And if so, what phone card were you using?

Phone Card Reviews and Comparisons

Welcome to Phone Cards Cheap, a frequently updated blog dedicated to reviewing and comparing phone cards. We keep you up to date on the best deals for international phone cards, and even local cards for cheap calls home from college or summer break.

What does "cheap" mean?
As you probably already know, phone cards can be tricky. It's not the cost of the card itself, but rather how much time you get to talk.

For example, a twenty dollar calling card that lasts you three hours is a lot cheaper than a five dollar card that lasts you, say, five minutes.

What really irks us is that oftentimes that five dollar card promised a lot more time. But what with all the hidden fees, surcharges, connection charges, hangup charges, undisclosed peak hours, taxes and a good old fashioned rip-off sprinkled on top, you've ended up spending about a dollar a minute - or something similarly outrageous.

Part of our mission, therefore, is to identify and publish worst prepaid calling cards out there, and tell you that you need to avoid them at all cost. Knowing, as they say, is half the battle.

Of course, as a consumer what you really want to know about are the cheapest phone cards online and in stores. That's why we will continually point you to the best deals on prepaid calling cards available. For instance, a good one that we use regularly is Communications Fidelity International Calling Cards. You can buy their cards online at Comfi.com.

More coming soon!