Looking for a calling card? Our calling card comparison table will help!
We evaluate 10 of the top calling card companies side-by-side. Each company is evaluated on these factors:
- Type of company
- International reach
- Low rates
- 'Clean' cards
- No hidden fees
- Live customer support
- Extras
- Special offers
More details below on what these categories mean.
Based on this information, we assign an overall combined rating. There are 4 levels:
Rating Categories
 |
Editor's choice |
excellent company offering the best calling card value |
 |
Best buy |
solid companies offering generally strong value |
 |
Qualified buy |
good deals are available on certain cards or destinations, but shop carefully |
 |
Lemon |
these companies should be avoided |
These rankings are based on detailed calling card reviews and other analysis we do. For more information on each company, click company names.
Calling Card Comparison Details
Here's more explanation of each category considered in this calling card comparison.
- Type of company - There are two basic types of calling card company: 'full service providers' that both sell cards and deliver the calls on their own phone network, and 'resellers' that sells cards on behalf of an wholesale phone company. We recommend buying from full service providers because there's only 1 company to deal with. Reputable resellers also sell some very good calling cards, too.
- International reach - International reach relates to where the company has dial-in access numbers. Some companies have access numbers only in their home country (e.g., USA) while other provides dial-in access from dozens of countries. This matters most if plan to travel or want to let someone in another country use your card (like your parents or your kids). If you are only calling from your home country, this doesn't matter much. Obviously, all companies allow you to call anywhere in the world, so that's not an issue.
- Low rates - Calling card rates seem to vary all over the map - from card to card and from one calling route to another. It makes your head spin! Every year, we do a careful analysis of calling card rates factoring in both the base per minute rate and most extra fee and surcharges. The results are here. Companies with consistently lower rates get a .
- 'Clean' cards - Because pricing schemes can be so complicated, we prefer 'clean' callings cards - i.e., calling cards that charge you the per minute rates and not much else. Extra fees (e.g., connection fees) aren't strictly bad, but the more of them there are, the less likely it is you are getting a good deal.
- No hidden fees - Hidden fees have been a terrible problem in the calling card industry. Many companies have been fined by various government agencies. Companies that aren't 100% upfront with the fees they charge get a .
- Live customer support - Many calling card companies offer shoddy customer service. They want you to buy their cards and then get lost. We prefer companies that make a solid effort at keeping their customers happy. Now mind you, the calling business is a tough, low-margin business - not even the best companies offer gold-plated customer care, but some are definitely better than others.
- Extras - The voice calling market is changing quickly and some companies are doing a better job of keeping up than others. Companies that offer smartphone dialing apps, PC calling, and related extras get points.
- Special offers - Many calling card companies offer special incentives for first time customers - free minutes, a discount on your first order, etc. We favor companies that offer the most generous sign-up bonuses.
Click here for in-depth calling card reviews.
