Decide where you want to call to and where you are going to be calling from. International calling cards vary in rates and service depending on where you are and where you want to call. Most countries have a specific card that works best for them. Some cards can also only be used in certain areas.
Read reviews on the quality of the card. Make sure that when you make an international call, you are able to have a clear conversation with the person on the other side of the line. There are a few sites that rate the quality and air-time accuracy of many different cards.
Check the breakdown of the card price. The rate will vary from country to country. If you buy an international card that works for several countries, a $20 card won't get you the same amount of minutes wherever you call. For example, to call Afghanistan may cost 12.9 cents a minute, and to call Alaska may cost 0.5 cents a minutes. This means a $20 card gives you 156 minutes if you talk to someone in Afghanistan and 3367 minutes if you talk to someone in Alaska.
Check to see if the card has a connection fee. Some cards may charge a connection fee every time you make a call. Many cards don't charge a connection fee, so try to find a card that doesn't.
Check to see the value each brand sells. Most cards come in $5, $10, $20 and $50 increments. If you don't need to talk much, a $5 card may be sufficient. If you only need to make one call, don't buy from a company that only offers $50 cards.
Look for a card that offers PINless dialing. When you use a calling card, you have to call a connection number and then enter your PIN, which is usually located on the back of the card. With a card that offers PINless dialing, you can associate your phone number with a PIN, and you won't have to enter it every time you make a call.
Check to see if the card offers local access numbers. This way you can dial a local number to call the connection site. If you don't have a local access number, you'll probably have to dial an 800 number, and you might get charged extra.
Check if the card can be used from any type of phone. If the card has to be used from a landline and you only have a cell phone, it's not going to be very helpful to you. There are many cards that work from any type of phone, so make sure you get one that you can use.
Decide whether you want a rechargeable calling card. This allows you to call a number and add more minutes to your card when you run out. If the card isn't rechargeable, you'll have to buy a new one once your card runs out of minutes.
