Helpful Hints To Find The Best Calling Plan For You!
We continually search the market to offer customers the best rates for whatever their calling needs. We have a number of different calling plans offered by a number of different long distance carriers and resellers.
In most cases, it is very difficult to sort through all the different rates and charges of the long distance plans. Below you will find a listing of helpful hints to allow you to choose the long distance calling plan that best fits your needs.
If you already know what you are looking for, click here for our best recommended interstate rates.
Helpful Hints to find the Best Long Distance Plan for Your Needs
Determine what type of calls you make the most
Interstate calls - If most of your long distance calls are from your state to the other states, or most of your calls are on your toll free number from the other states, then you need to find the best interstate (state to state) rate. Click here for our best recommended interstate rates.
Intrastate calls - If most of your long distance calls are within your state, or most calls on your toll free number are within your state, then you need to find the plan that offers the best in-state rate. Click here for our best recommended intrastate rates.
IntraLATA calls - If most of your long distance calls are considered intralata (aka: regional toll calls or local long distance calls) then you need to find the plan that offers the best intralata rate. In most all cases, unless otherwise specified, the intrastate rate is the same as the intralata rate. Click here for our best recommended intraLATA rates.
Determine what billing increments will work for you
What are billing increments? - Long Distance company's differ with how they bill your calls. Some will bill you with a longer minimum talk time than others, and some will bill you in full minute increments, as opposed to six second billing increments. So, who really cares, and why should you care.
6 second billing increments vs. 1 minute billing increments - If you are looking for a business plan, or if you make a lot of calls from your home, you need a long distance plan that bills you in 6 second increments.
This means that, when on a long distance call, if you timed the call and spoke for 3 minutes and 2 seconds, you would get charged for talking 3 minutes and 6 seconds. Whereas, if you were on a plan that bills you in full minute billing increments, for that same call, you would get billed for 4 minutes. Doesn't sound like a big deal until you add it up. On a 7 cent plan that bills you in 6 second increments, that 3 minute and 2 second call would cost 22 cents. The same call, on a 7 cent/min. minute billing program would cost 28 cents. This definitely adds up over the course of a month.
So, whenever you are comparing long distance plans, you can add about 10-20% to the per minute rate if it is a full minute billing plan.
Minimum billing increments - Not only will companies differ in the billing increments, they will differ in the minimum billing increments. This means the minimum time you will get charged when a long distance call is connected.
For example, with a 1 minute minimum plan, you get charged 1 minute for every long distance call you make that gets connected and is under 1 minute. For a plan that bills with a 6 second minimum, you would get charged for 6 seconds if you make a call, get an answering service and hang up.
To put this in terms of saving money, 20-40% of all long distance calls that are made, reach an answering machine. So, let's compare two long distance plans; one that has a 7 cent rate and bills in full minute increments with a 1 minute minimum billing time and one that has a 9 cent rate and bills in 6 second increments with a 6 second minimum billing. A completed long distance call that left an answering machine message actually lasted 11 seconds. This call would cost 7 cents on the full minute plan, and only 2 cents on the 6 second billing plan. If you make many of these calls, that 7 cent rate is not as good of a plan as the 9 cent rate. Click here to see the details of our current plans.
Be Aware of Monthly Charges, Usage Requirements, and Term Commitments
Monthly Charges - When evaluating a long distance plan, make sure you know if there are any monthly fees for long distance, toll free service, or calling cards. In some cases, plans will have a monthly fee if you do not bill a certain amount each month.
Please note that every long distance company must charge the following FCC charges:
Federal PICC Charge (aka Common Carrier line charge) - This can vary widely by long distance companies but should be around $1.50 per month for a residential line and $4.50 per month for a business line
Federal Universal Service Fund - This also varies widely but averages around 4.5% of long distance usage each month.
These two charges are hard to quote because they have changed several times in the last year. To be safe, ask what the carrier is going to charge and make sure it isn't a big difference from the above. Some companies charge entirely too much for these.
Usage Requirements - Some long distance plans require you to maintain a certain dollar amount of usage in each month to qualify for the plan. Make sure that you are aware if a plan has one, and make sure that, if they do have one, you can meet the requirement each month.
Term Commitments - Some plans also require you to stay on their service for a specified period of time and they penalize you if you switch to another plan before that time is up.