Welcome to the world of VoIP communications. So, finally you have decided to upgrade your communication system. VoIP technology comes in two forms, VoIP hardware based and VoIP software based configurations. If you are using a VoIP software based configuration then the next step is to choose calling cards for your VoIP systems. There are wide varieties of calling cards available with VoIP services provider. So, naturally it becomes confusing for consumers to choose a calling card. However there are certain points which are worth pondering before choosing a calling card.

Access fees - This is a common fees charged every time you place a call and most customers probably know about it already. However, at times when the user makes a call the connection fee is charged without customer uttering a single word. This happens when the call is routed to answering machine and voicemail box. Therefore, to avoid this charge user should simply choose a calling card which has no access fee.

Maintenance fees - This is a fee charged by calling card companies either on a weekly or monthly basis. Before choosing any calling card, you should read the fine print to find out the maintenance fees. Users should look for a card with low maintenance fees.

Service fees - This fee is charged on a usage basis with reference to the call charges. It is typically in the range of 5 to15 per cent.

Billing system - If the company says it uses per minute pulse, a call of 40 seconds will be charged the same as one minute and four minutes and thirty seconds will be charged the same as five minutes. So higher the rounding time the more calling costs you have to pay. Therefore take a card as per your needs.

Extra talking fees - A few calling card providers charge an extended fee if a call goes beyond a specified duration. Check whether the VoIP calling card you buy has such a fee.

Expiry date - Prepaid calling cards generally have an expiry date. Expiry dates are of two types: The date from which the card is being used and a general expiry date. After the expiry date you will not be able to use the calling card even if you have talk time. So, before buying a calling card always check its expiry date.

Before buying any card, find out the average rate per minute after calculating all the costs involved. Explore in the market for the best deal on calling cards and then purchase a card which suits best your needs.

Alen VoIP Phone Service voip-traffic.com

When you think about buying a calling card, here's what you're most likely to do:
Go to a store and buy a card; you0ll get the card for your wallet, the piece of plastic/cardboard that was used to hang it, plus a receipt. That's three extra pieces of trash that you don't even need in order to make your calls!
On the other hand, you can buy (and recharge) you phone card online! Avoid getting all the "extra" trash you don't even need, and also save time: you don't have to go to the store; just get the phone card you want sitting comfortably in your chair, at you PC.
More to the point, did you know that all calling cards offered by EnjoyPrepiad.com are rechargeable? For you, this means:
* You will not have to get a new card when your credit is consumed; you can keep the same PIN or security code
* You can keep the same access number (very convenient if you've already stored it in your cell phone)
To recharge, you just login to your account, and click on the "Recharge Your Account" option, on your left-hand navigation bar.
To be even more efficient, we also added the Auto Recharge option to […]

Full Article At: KnowHow-Now.com Articles

VoIP is one of the hottest technologies out there today. VoIP phone card business has been rewarding for early movers such as Vonage and Skype. But like any other growing market, the threat of new entrants is high in this market. As a rule in economics, companies will enter this market until there is a profit to be earned. Microsoft, Google, and AOL are just a few companies that are planning to compete in the VoIP market. But there is more to come, and the battle for the VoIP phone card market supremacy is going to heat up in the next couple of years.

The VoIP telephony business is intriguing since it allows the VoIP service providers to keep their costs low and pass on their savings to their customers. Vonage and Skype are the two most famous names in the VoIP phone card business. Vonage recently had its IPO, and the investors are optimistic about the future of this company. Vonage is planning to spend heavily in the next quarters to bolster its position in the VoIP market. Skype, now an asset of eBay, has other plans in mind. Skype understands that the next couple of years are critical for all VoIP service providers. The market is expanding fast, and a small mistake can lead to a disaster for a VoIP market leader. Skype has decided to take matters in its own hands, and it has planned out a very aggressive strategy to take market share away from Vonage and other VoIP service providers.

Skype has decided to offer free calls to the U.S and Canada to its service users for a limited time. This strategy will allow Skype to solidify its position in the VoIP market. Moreover, this move will strengthen the VoIP phone card business' barriers to entry. In other words, small companies which are thinking of entering this market are now unlikely to do so because of the difficult task of matching or bettering Skype's newest offer. In addition, this will be a huge blow for Vonage since it charges $25 a month for a similar service. Vonage is the leader in the "hard VoIP" market. It provides its customers with a piece of hardware that allows them to use its services. Vonage has been losing money for quite some time now due to its high marketing costs. With the introduction of SkypeOut, Vonage has to spend even more money to protect its VoIP phone card business. Besides, Vonage will have to convince its investors that it is not helpless against the eBay's newest wave of attacks. So eBay has certainly taken the upper hand in the fight for the supremacy of the VoIP market.

AOL and Google are also planning to add VoIP technology to their messenger services. So, Vonage's position in the VoIP market is expected to come even under more pressure in the upcoming quarters. Whether Vonage can come up with its own knocking out punch against its rivals is remain to be seen. But, the VoIP market wars are bound to get even more interesting in the upcoming months.

Panah Mosaferirad began his career as an IT. After 2 years in the IT industry, he started an online venture on eBay and Amazon. During this period, he sold numerous items online and mastered the strategic aspects of eBusiness. In 2006, Panah Joined the Fox school of Business and Management's MBA program to study e-business management.

Panah Mosaferirad is a marketing intern for Pingo's International calling card business that provides virtual VoIP prepaid calling cards online at http://www.pingo.com/aboutus.do