Many people throughout the world have made an international phone call in their life. If you’ve never done it before, the first time you might be shocked when you receive your phone bill. That’s because most long-distance carriers provide international calling, but at a very high price. There’s an alternative to the phone company, though, that could save you a lot of money.

Phone cards have become very easy to get a hold of, and very easy to use. In fact, new options are being added to different phone cards out there all the time. Some of these options are there to make the task of using the phone card easier, and some of them are there to save you more money. With just a little basic knowledge about these new features, you can be sure that you’re saving as much money as possible when using phone cards.

The first option that many phone cards now offer is pinless service. This essentially means that you will be using the phone card from only one phone number, and that that is the number that you want to be associated with your phone card. To associate a pinless card with your telephone number, call the phone card and use it just like you were going to make a call. When it asks for the destination number, type in #15## and it will associate your phone number with the phone card pin. To disassociate the number, follow the same procedure, but type in #16## instead.

Another option available to phone card users is the capability to not have a connection fee when you use the card. These no connect fee cards cost a little bit more per minute, but you’ll be saving money every time you call with one. Otherwise, you’ll be amazed at the chunk of your minutes that gets used just to make the connection.

Something that needs to be considered when shopping for phone cards is the country that you will be calling from. Some cards are only usable in certain countries, and if you buy the wrong one you’ll be throwing your money down the toilet. Make sure when considering the prices and options of the phone cards available that you only consider the ones that serve the country you will be calling from.

Another factor to look into when shopping for phone cards is the accessibility of local access numbers. These are numbers that are in your country code and area code that allow access to the card for much less than calling the 1-800 number. Use of the toll-free number, contrary to the phrase “toll-free,” can cost from one to five cents more per minute, or more depending on the phone card company. To realize the greatest saving from using phone cards, pick one that has a local access number nearby.

By using these tips to pick out the right phone card for international calls, you could be setting yourself up to save enormous amounts of money. The best part is, the results are dramatic and immediate, since the time between purchasing a phone card and being able to use it is instantaneous. That means you could be calling Pakistan tonight, and for a lot less money.