What is the best method of making international phone calls from the United States?

Answer 1

I use a pre-paid phone card called Click4prepaid, from Lucky Communications. It's great. The per-minute rates are low (posted for each country on their web site, 2.5 cents per minute to Australia, for example), and there's no monthly fee, activation fee, connection fee, expiration date, or other surprise hidden costs as with many prepaid cards. You pay only for the minutes you use. You can charge it up with a credit card at their web site, or check your available credit or look at your call log. I use Click4 for all my long-distance calling, and don't even have a long-distance provider registered for my home phone. When I'm at home, I speed-dial Click4's local access number. My home phone is registered with them so I don't have to punch in my PIN. So then I just dial the number I want to call. For international calls it's 011 + Country Code + City Code + number. If I'm away from home, I either dial a local access number for wherever I am (listed by state and area code on their web site) or else I dial Click4's 800 number. Then I punch in my PIN, then dial the number. The rates are 1.5 cents per minute higher when you go through their 800 number, and there's a fee (75 cents, I think) if you use a pay-phone to connect to their system.

Additional information: if you just dial direct from your home phone or mobile phone (cell phone) and you don't have an international calling plan, the rates can be exorbitant. If you plan to make a lot of international calls, check with your long distance company about an international calling plan, or shop around for a long distance company with a plan that suits your needs. If you do opt to get a calling card, do be careful of monthly and/or per-call fees that can significantly increase the actual per-minute cost beyond the advertised price.