Several Options To Make Long Distance Calls For Free Or At Very Low Cost

Long distance phone calls used to be expensive. Do you remember the time when you spent up to ten cents or more per minute? Initially, the competition was not fierce and the telephone companies made great profits from long distance calls. Soon, more competitors flood the marketing, forcing the price down. The telephone companies began to offer unique packages and offers for you to become their customer. Things have changed a lot since then, and many long distance companies have gone out of business. This is because the world of long distance calls has changed. Now it’s a service you can get for free or at a very low cost.

The cheapest option available for long distance calls today is through the Internet. With free services like Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, or Skype, you can now call your friends in any country, as long as they download the free app, too. The disadvantage of such a service, of course, is the need to have a computer, and sometimes the voice quality is not very good.

If you prefer to talk over the traditional phone, companies like Vonage and Time Warner Cable offer a digital phone that reaches your home through your cable Internet connection. You can use your existing phone and keep your phone number. This type of service is cheap. National calls are free. International calls are charged at a very reasonable rate. For example, Time Warner cable offers long distance telephone calls from the United States to Australia for ten cents a minute.

Another option available is the monthly subscription. For example, Verizon offers unlimited long distance phone calls for just $20 a month. For those who make regular long distance calls, this is definitely a real bargain. Such a bundle offer is also good for those who do not have cable Internet in their area.

One popular option that many people like to use is to purchase a long distance calling card. For $10, you can make hours of long distance calls, depending on the country you’re calling. When buying a calling card, pay special attention to the initial charge per call. Some cards may advertise that you can make an hour’s call for as little as 60 cents. But if you make several short calls, there may be a one-time charge, and these charges can easily add up and deplete the value of the card. If you use a calling card, the idea is to make fewer calls but you can talk as long as you want.

If you have a cell phone that comes with free calls on nights and weekends, you can take advantage of your contracts that give you free long distance phone calls during these special hours.