There’s an app for just about everything, but one sector where tech has been slow to the punch is long distance calling. Long dominated by calling cards, the international calling business has been rife with substandard service providers and fraudsters. Calling card companies are easy to set up and many of them are dodgy about regulations, hitting consumers with hidden fees after luring them by advertising cheap rates. Fees are where calling card companies make most of their money, and until now, there hasn’t been a great alternative for cheap international calling.
IMAGE: PEXELS
International Calling Apps
With the launch of international calling apps like the G3 Telecom app, tech is finally coming together with the long distance calling industry to provide reputable, no-fee, no-contract international calling. The major carriers, which charge far too much for international calling, have always benefited from reputability and predictability (though they too can hit consumers with surprising fees for overage charges). The calling card companies, which are widely distrusted but often the only options for people calling long distance on a budget, may be facing a crisis in the industry as international calling apps gobble up their market share.
International calling apps like G3 Telecom are simple: apps can calculate rates to the country you’re calling from your current location, let you handle prepaid payments or monthly billing all online or on your mobile, and handle country calling codes for you, so all you have to do is dial the number. Unlike calling cards, you don’t even have to punch in a PIN to switch from your regular phone carrier to the card provider. You don’t have to go the store every time you need a new card and deal with the constant churn of calling card providers, or their ever-changing fee structure, and you don’t need to worry about contracts, which is why many eschew major carriers to begin with.
Calling cards are known for their hidden fees, and it’s so much more than just sales taxes at the point of sale. Calling card companies will charge you a multitude of creative fees to eat away at the value of your minutes, including:
- Connection fees every time you connect to make a call, which can take away from your talking time if you’re charged at the start of the call
- Maintenance fees, which will keep you from saving minutes as they are withdrawn from your card simply for maintaining a balance
- Payphone fees if you’re using a payphone instead of a cell
If you’re looking for the cheapest way to make international calls, international calling apps offer more conveniences than calling cards without any of the hidden fees or hassles. Not only do you get to call internationally without signing a contract, you have access to premium calling routes at a much lower price than you would with big telecom companies. You don’t have to pay more to make international calls, and you don’t have to put up with outdated technology now that international calling apps are here to save the day.
If you are interested in even more app-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.
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