Thousands of people still purchase plastic, printed phone cards at supermarkets and convenience stores even though the cards do not contain any information or data except a PIN code. All of the account information is stored on a computer so why do these people not purchase a phone card via computer and save time, money and natural resources? Many people likely want to purchase a phone card with cash since they do not have a credit card or Pay Pal account while others do not trust on-line purchases. There may be rational reasons for not purchasing phone cards on-line but there are more compelling reasons for making on-line purchase. Some of these are listed below:

Lower Rates ? We checked Sam?s Club and found that they sell AT&T phone cards with 1000 minutes (USA state-to-state) for $34.70. This works out to about 3.5 cents per-minute. This rate includes toll free access and all fees and taxes but this rate is still relatively high. It is fairly easy to find a high quality virtual phone card with a USA state-to-state rate of 1 to 2 cents per minute. The rate on international calls varies significantly between countries but, for example, the cost to call most European countries from the USA is around 2 to 3 cents-per-minute these days. State Sales Tax - Purchase a phone card on-line and save state sales tax in most states. This will typically result in a 7 or 8% savings and there is no cost for shipping. PIN Free Dialing ? Most high quality on-line phone cards come with added features like PIN Free Dialing at no additional charge. Some virtual calling cards like Tel3Advantage come loaded with added features. Balance Transfer ? Some phone card marketers offer a balance transfer option where the remaining balance left on one phone card can be transferred to another phone card. In this way the caller can always use the optimum phone card for making calls to their desired location. Call History ? Many high quality on-line phone cards provide users with a complete call history for their phone card. The user can review the call history and understand all of the charges for each call. Try to figure this out with a typical store bought phone card. Auto Recharge ? Many virtual phone cards come with an Auto Recharge option. This is a handy feature that will automatically recharge the card when the balance falls to a predetermined level. This feature assures the user that a call will not be disconnected due to lack of funds in the account.

On-line phone card service providers continue to add more features to entice buyers. Anyone who purchases a printed phone card these days is likely paying more than necessary to make calls and also losing out on features.