Author: Jeremiah Slivka

Most Filipinos would love to hear from their relatives or friends from the US. Who won’t? There’s just so much to tell and burning the lines would be one helluvah understatement if you are to make an international call to the Philippines . This is because the Philippines is one of the most eventful places in the world right now. See the news to prove this.

Placing an international call could be a very wallet-pinching endeavor. But this should not always be the case. There are numerous ways to make a long distance call, especially if the destination of your call is the Pearl of the Orient, the Philippines.

Here is a rundown of suggestions on how to make that international call to the Philippines without shelling out much of your hard-earned dollars.

1. Be careful when buying call cards.

Several prepaid phone cards have hidden charges. There could be a connection fee that could be almost tantamount to getting ripped off especially when the card buyer makes a call and either the call is routed to a voice mailbox or to an answering machine. Connection fee deduction is automatically done even when the caller did not say anything yet.

Other phone card hidden charges include service fee, maintenance fee, access number and long talking fee. The expiration date should also be checked.

2. Know what type of phone will receive your call.

It won’t be advisable to make a long distance call to any mobile device. This is because most of overseas carriers implement the “calling party pays” system. The tariff rate of an international wireless phone could be a lot higher compared to a call made to a land-line in the same country.

3. Say no to a telephone operator.

When you choose to be assisted by a telephone operator when placing an international call, you choose to pay considerably more. Whenever possible opt to use a dial-around service or dial direct.

4. Sign up to a prepaid long distance plan.

Various carriers offer this kind of service to those who frequently place long distance calls. Opt for those with flexible programs. These plans work like phone cards but do not have fees and charges associated with prepaid phone cards. They usually have very low domestic and international rates 24/7 and call quality is usually excellent. One more thing about these prepaid plans is the convenience of being able to use them when placing calls from any telephones be it cell phones or public phones.

5. Calling during non-business days or off-peak time will help you save.

Make the most out of these privileges by checking on what your carrier offers. Just make sure that it won’t be too much of an inconvenience to the recipient of your call.

6. Bad connections should be noted.

Bad connections happen and the Philippines is not an exception to this nuisance. When this happens, take note of the time and the number you called. Prepaid calling cards rarely gives you credit for bad connections. But if you made an international call using a standard long distance carrier, or prepaid long distance plans, better check if you could be given credit for that call. They always do.

It would help if you print this info to be always reminded of the Do’s and Don’t's when it comes to making an international call.

With these simple tips, you don’t have to worry when your phone bill arrives.

Finally, here’s the step-by-step process in calling the Philippines.

a. Dial 011, which is the international code

b. Then, key in the Philippines’ country code, which is 63.

c. Now, dial the city area code where your your wife and kids are.

Here are the major cities in the Philippines with their respective city area codes:

Angeles Luzon – 455

Bacolod – 34

Baguio – 74

Cebu – 32

Clarkfield, Pampanga – 45

Dagupan, Pangasinan – 75

Davao – 82

Iloilo – 33

Laguna Province – 49562

Lucena, Luzon – 42

Makati, Luzon – 2

Manila – 2

Ozamiz City – 88

San Fernando, Pampanga – 45

San Fernando, La Union – 72

San Pablo – 49

Subic, Zambales – 47

Tarlac – 452

Tarlac Province – 45

Zamboanga – 62

d. Finally, dial the remaining digits.

Also, don’t forget to greet your Filipino friend using her native lingo. “Kumusta”, pronounced as “cooh-moose-TAH” surely will never fail to make her smile.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/tips-on-calling-the-philippines-1384216.html

About the Author

To read about toenail treatments, purple toenails, toenail fungus, scalp scabs, scalp odor , odor on scalp and other information, visit the Health And Nutrition Tips site.

Looking around on the World Wide Web, I found the article below about saving on International calling. Feel free to read it and shop around for cheap international calling plans. When you purchase a plan through Brochin.net, 100% of our commissions go to the Brothers in Arms Foundation.

by: Bob Graham

There are a variety of low cost international long distance calling products on the market today but each has been designed to fit the needs of a specific group of consumers. Marketers and product developers have tried to broaden the appeal of their products but all have certain limitations. The purpose of this article is to review categories of international calling products on the market today and provide a brief overview of their strengths and limitations so consumers can make better choices.

One product does not fit the needs of all. People who are PC savvy and have high speed INTERNET connections may choose to use PC to PC or PC to Phone service or VoIP technology while others may want the convenience and flexibility of a phone card. Most people only make occasional international calls while others make multiple international phone calls each day. Therefore, some people are willing to sacrifice quality and convenience in order to save money while others are willing to pay a bit more for higher quality, convenience and flexibility. Consumers need to understand the limitations of each product type so they can make informed choices.

• Traditional Long Distance – Forget using traditional long distance from your home phone, cell phone or office phone unless you only make one or two short international calls each year and you don’t care about wasting money. There are products on the market today which offer the same quality at a fraction of the cost.

• VoIP Phone Service – This may be a good option for saving money on home phone service but it is not the best option for saving money on international calls. There is a monthly charge for VoIP service and in most cases international long distance calls cost extra. The cost for making international long distance calls with VoIP is typically cheaper than the rates charged by traditional long distance providers but there cheaper options that are more convenient. A high speed internet connection is required for VoIP and most service providers require a long term contract. VoIP service providers typically charge extra fees for set-up, activation, early termination and some even charge for equipment.

• PC-to-PC or PC-to-Phone Service – This service is used to make calls over the internet from a personal computer. A PC-to-PC service like Skype is required along with equipment like a head-set and micro phone. PC-to-PC calls are typically free so this is a very cheap option but it is not very convenient since both parties need access to a PC and an internet connection. Calls can be made from PC-to-Phone but they are not free. This is more convenient but the caller still needs access to a PC and an internet connection. There are other methods for making international calls that cost about the same as PC-to-Phone but are more convenient and typically offer better quality.

• Phone Cards – Prepaid phone cards have ultimate convenience since they can be used to make cheap international calls from almost any phone (cell, home, business, pay phone or even VoIP). The cost for making international calls vary from being dirt cheap to expensive depending on the card used and the location or type of phone called. Calls to cell phones are generally more expensive than calls to land lines. Shopping and comparing phone cards can be complex because fee structures vary along with quality and usability. Most phone cards provide good rates to a few locations but poor rates to others. Shop for phone cards that offer good rates to the locations you call the most. Also, check for access number availability in the locations where you plan to use the phone card. Purchase phone cards from a reputable phone card supplier that fully discloses all fees and charges in an easy to understand format.

• Prepaid Long Distance – These are sometimes call dial-around plans. Prepaid long distance plans like Tel3Advantage are popular with frequent international callers since they offer a variety of useful features, low rates, high call quality and the convenience of a phone card. Tel3 Advantage also does not charge hidden fees or taxes so users actually pay the advertised rate for each call. Features include on-line account management, on-line call history with a complete record of each call, speed dial and PIN free dialing. Tel3 allows users to register up to 10 telephone numbers in each account. Calls made from these phone numbers can be made without dialing an account number or PIN code. Tel3Advantage has a wide network of local access numbers but can only be used to make calls from the USA and Canada.

• International Call Back Phone Service – This is a good method for making low cost international calls from almost any country. Many countries outside of North America, Europe and the developed countries in Asia have very high tariffs on international long distance calls. International callback long distance uses a clever method to avoid these tariffs by placing calls through long distance providers located in low cost third countries. There are at least three common methods used to trigger or place calls so potential users should conduct further research to determine the best method for their location and situation.

As summarized above, there are a variety of technologies available on the market today for making low cost international phone calls. Multiple companies’ market products using these technologies and some of these products are high quality and others are not. Consumers should shop and be smart about purchases. It is usually best to try a product by making a small purchase before making a large purchase or enter a long term contract. Most reputable VoIP providers will offer a 30 day (or longer) money back guarantee and most phone card providers will offer cards in small denominations so consumers can try the product before making a large purchase or commitment. It is best to stay away from those who don’t.

About The Author

Bob Graham is the editor of http://SmartGlobalCall.com which is a website specializing in international calling products and services. He is also the webmaster for several other phone related websites including http://Tel3-prepaid.com and http://SmartGlobalCall.net

Article Source: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_9990.shtml

Enjoy The Liberty To Keep In Touch With Prepaid Calling Cards by John Butcher

 For the people who have to travel a lot, for work or for their own pleasurable reasons, have this need to stay connected with family, friends or business associates. This facility however may not be available wherever you go. You may have to face constraints when it comes to the availability of means of communication. To remove these limitations, the travellers can now use prepaid calling cards so as to keep in constant touch.

There may be some remote areas where the facility of long-distance calling is not available. This seems like a remote thought but is one issue which has to be dealt with. With prepaid calling cards however, people can remain in touch even if there is no long-distance calling available. Only a local telephone would solve the purpose.

The user of the card has to pay for the calls that he has to make beforehand. This also reduces the chances of getting stuck in a problem even when there is some dearth of funds. The user just has to dial a toll-free number and enter his Personal Identification Number of his account and can easily use the minutes that he has brought and are credited to his account. The remaining balance of minutes can be used by him later on. Also, the prepaid calling cards are in no way a loss to the user. Even if the balance is low, he can credit more minutes to his account and also, he can make long distance as well as local calls to use up the minutes.

With so much of facilities and benefits available through prepaid calling cards, the users should take advantage of these cards. Just carrying the small card with you can mean saving a lot of hassle and trouble in some crucial situations when you need to be connected come what may!
John Butcher is a senior analyst at Calling Cards Prepaid. For further information about Prepaid Calling Cards, calling cards prepaid, phone cards, cheap prepaid calling cards, cheap calling cards please visit http://www.callingcardsprepaid.net/

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Enjoy-The-Liberty-To-Keep-In-Touch-With-Prepaid-Calling-Cards/398183