Phone Cards
A telephone card, calling card or phone card can be used to pay for telephone services. Currently, the most common types of telephone cards are pre-paid in which the card is purchased with a specific balance, from which the cost of calls made is deducted. Pre-paid phone cards are disposable. When the balance is exhausted you simply buy a new card. Cards purchased can often be refilled. The other main type of card involves a card with a special PIN printed on it that allows one to charge calls to a land-line telephone account.
There are principally two core technologies for phonecards: stored-value and remote memory.
Prepaid or calling cards can save money for consumers or provide convenience to frequent travelers who don't have cell phones or want to avoid heavy cellular roaming charges.
