How should I evaluate long distance carriers?

Evaluating long distance carriers

Long distance carriers come in all shapes, sizes and flavors, making it a challenge to evaluate long distance phone service offers effectively. Since being legally separated from local phone service bundles, long distance carriers have sprung up throughout the country.

It’s wise to remember that many of the new kids on the block merely buy minutes from the larger long distance companies and resell these minutes to you. This is not a negative nor is there any detriment to you as a caller.

You have no greater risk than if you were using the larger company’s lines to carry your long distance calls. You might even get a lower rate from the reseller than from the company that owns the lines.

Long distance rates can vary greatly from company to company and from state to state. An important question is often overlooked: Are the discount long distance plans I’m considering the lowest cost for the destinations I most often call?

For example, I’m considering an unlimited long distance calling plan with excellent per minute rates. But most of my calls are to St. Louis, Dallas, Boston, and San Diego, and another plan has lower per minute rates to those cities, but might be a bit higher for the rest of the country. I might save money with the state specific rates versus a pure unlimited plan.

Should your personal or business environment require international calls on a regular basis, instead of just state-to-state communication, you should evaluate the per minute rates for the countries you most often call. A fabulous unlimited continental U.S. rate plan could prove troublesome if their international rates are substantially higher than other long distance choices available to you.

So, evaluate all the components of long distance phone service to ensure you select the best long distance plan for you.

Read finding cheap international rates for details on how to easily search for the lowest international rates to your chosen location.