Choosing a discount international long distance carrier in the USA
The cheapest long distance carriers have high quality services, great features, and cheap international rates, too
Are you looking at your phone bill? Thinking about swiching to a discount long distance carrier? Why not switch when you can get quality connections, great service, and very cheap US and international phone rates?
Following are practical suggestions to help you get started. Learn more and sign up online. See the recommended phone carriers to the right, and see my comparison for more details.
How to choose a discount long distance carrier
If your home or office is within the United States you should be paying much less than 5¢ per minute for interstate calls. In fact, you should be paying less than 5¢ per minute for most international calls.
You don't have to sacrifice quality or customer support. The carriers that I am recommending provide outstanding services and support. See my discount long distance comparison for details.
Here are some practical tips for choosing a long distance service.
Billing increments - smaller is better
The best discount carriers use small billing increments (6 seconds or less). Carriers with 6 second billing increments round the length of each call up to the nearest 6 seconds to figure out the charge. Other carriers advertise low rates, but they round the length of each call to the nearest minute (so you are paying extra for every call). Six seconds is good, because you are only paying for the time you use. One second is even better!
Monthly fees - to pay or not to pay
Most discount carriers don't charge any monthly fees for their basic service, but you need to keep your eyes on the details. Some discount carriers have introduced "Network Access Charges," which is just another name for a monthly fee.
Should you pay a monthly fee or "network access charge?" That depends. If the "per minute" rate is super low and you are a high volume caller, then the savings will more than compensate for the monthly fee. But if you are a low volume caller (less than 500 minutes per month), then you'll be better off accepting a slightly higher "per minute" rate with no fees.
"Administration fees" - required or not
There are two federally required fees that everyone pays on top of the basic long distance charges: a three percent federal tax and the USF (Universal Service Fund) fee. Businesses also pay a PICC fee if they have extra lines. Carriers are not allowed to inflate these fees, but they ARE allowed to charge an "administrative fee" (to cover the cost of collecting the other fees...). Most of the discount long distance carriers don't charge administrative fees, but some do. In my opinion, administrative fees are just another way of getting customers to pay more than they realize-- and these fees really add up for high volume users, because they are a percentage of the total bill.
Extra features - toll free numbers, etc
The best discount long distance carriers don't just lower their rates, they give you extra features. For example, all the carriers featured here can give you a personal or business toll free number for a small fee, but only Telna lets you forward your toll free number to any phone or mobile phone number that you choose in the USA or worldwide. Telna actually offers a list of compelling features plus very cheap rates in a nicely designed package.
Billing options
Do you mind having your credit card charged automatically each month, or do you prefer to write a check for your bill (or go online and authorize the charge personally)? Do you prefer to get a paper billing statement in the mail, or are you willing to view the information online instead? Generally speaking, you will save more if you are willing to pay by credit card (or bank transfer) and view your call details online.
My comparison
Read my long distance comparison to compare costs, features, and other factors for four respected discount carriers. The chart includes the key details mentioned above plus sample rates and short reviews for each of the carriers. I've also written longer reviews that you can read before making a choice.