Using Prepaid Long Distant Cards Internationally
So you plan on traveling next month to Europe and you want a way to call home without paying the extremely high fees. Knowing that phone service in Italy can be expensive, you decide to pick up a prepaid long distance card from Costco that talks about “international” access. You put the card with other travel documents and away you go.
Not so fast. If you want to make that call to home you had better be sure you know the specific dialing instructions needed to make the connection. It’s not as easy as picking up the phone in the hotel and dialing the toll free access number. Each long distance carrier uses a specific process to route the call internationally back to the US. And this dialing process includes country specific codes you must know to complete that call. Some of the larger carriers print these details on the large carrier that comes with the card but who keeps that?
Before you leave the country, call the customer service number printed on the back of the card to obtain any special codes or information you need to make a call internationally. Most of the large carriers provide this service via the voice response unit but if you don’t understand what you need and how exactly to place the call, be sure and speak directly to a representative. If you plan on traveling to numerous countries, record the details for each.
You also have option to purchase cards on line that are targeted to international calling. With some of these companies, you simply find the country you wish to call too or from and then purchase the card on line. A phycial card is not created, rather, you are issued a pin and the access code via email. A neat way to go for sure but as always, make sure you know exactly how to use the card before your trip.