Message #149873

[Bianca]

RECONSIDER THIRD-PARTY CARRIERS



Once, third-party long-distance companies offered cheaper long-distance calling than you could get from your local provider, but that might no longer be the case. Some, like the dial-around service 101-6868 and the prepaid PennyTalk, charge low rates for each minute to Europe and North America, but that’s only half the story.

They play down the fact that they tack on an additional 39 to 49 cents a call for a “connection charge,” raising the real rate substantially.

Similarly, Internet calling services that allow you to use your traditional home telephone may not save you money.

For instance, Vonage charges $25 a month for unlimited local and domestic long distance and free calls to five European countries. But the service still requires a DSL or cable modem connection. And because that service will not be part of a voice bundle, you may wind up paying the same or more than another phone company would charge if you went with one of its packaged deals.