Rule 1: Choose 1-min or 3-min Billing Increment

As shown in the table below, you generally want to choose either a 1-minute card or a 3-minute card. Pick a 1-minute card if you usually make calls shorter than 10-11 minutes. Pick a 3-minute card if your calls are usually 12 minutes or longer.

Though card marketers will try to convince you otherwise, 1-second and 6-second cards are generally not cost effective because the higher per minute rates offset the more accurate metering benefits.

Best Call Lengths for Common Billing Increments

* In some cases, 1- and 6-second cards can be more cost effective for calls that are consistently 0-2 minutes long, but generally higher rates offset more accurate metering. These shorter increments are generally not cheaper for longer calls.

To further drive the point home, we've assembled some actual pricing data for some real calling cards using our in-house calling card pricing model. The table below shows the estimated total cost to make 5 calls per week of varying average length for 4 weeks running using 3 different cards from the same well known online vendor. These results factor in advertised per minute rates and all other applicable fees and surcharges.

Figures in red are total card cost over 4 weeks. Cells shaded in yellow are the lowest cost options.

Calling Card Cost Comparison for Different Billing Increments

Figures in red are the estimated total cost in US$ of making 5 calls of stated duration each week for 4 weeks. Results generated by our in-house pricing model based on actual rates and fees for 3 phone cards sold by a well known calling card vendor