What You Need To Know About India Calling Cards

IndiaLD Exposes The Dirty Secrets Of The Calling Card Game

Choosing the right calling card for you is a little more complicated than just grabbing one off the rack at the local convenience store. If you don’t do your research, you could pay a lot more to call India than you normally would.

As someone who is in the business, IndiaLD has seen just about every possible trick in the book. Here are some of the more common ones that you should look out for:

Beware The Advertised Rate

Recently, calling India for 1 cent per minute became the magic number in the market. Everybody wanted to be able to advertise a 1 penny per minute rate to call India. Some even enlisted a high powered Bollywood star shameless pitchman to hold up one finger and pretend you could call India for 1 cent. The problem was that none of those companies wanted to actually sell you India long distance for 1 cent.

So what did they do? They added on extra fees. These fees may be disguised as administrative, rental, or service fees. For example, some companies may offer 600 minutes for $6 per month, but when you get your bill you’ll see that you were charged an extra $3.95. Break that down and you’ll see that $9.95 for 600 minutes is not “one cent per minute.”

“Unlimited calling” Does Not Mean Unlimited Minutes

Most calling plans that claim to offer unlimited calling place a cap on the number of minutes they define as “unlimited.” For example, a plan may say it includes unlimited calling but if you read the contract closely actually will cut you off after you’ve used 2500 minutes in a month. As long as there is a cost to connect to a phone in India, there will never be such a thing as unlimited calls to India. Companies would go broke.

With those plans, you need to read the terms with a magnifying glass and a legal dictionary. With IndiaLD, what you sign up for is what you get. No hidden fees or caps.

The Great Rate…to one number, or one part of the country

Similar to the call-India-for-1-cent trick, this one advertises a cheap rate to call India but then it only allows you to call one or two phone numbers in India, or it only lets you call mobile phones, or only landlines in Lucknow. What good is a great rate to call a couple of people?

Rounding, No Online Reporting, And Minute Deductions

Another trick of the business is to round your calls up to the nearest 3 or 5 minutes. Say you make a 1 minute call home, an unscrupulous calling card company will deduct 3 minutes from your balance. Worse yet, they won’t give you the ability to check your call history and see that. Some of those same companies even have the gall to deduct minutes from your account every week that there is still a balance on the card.

Make sure that you use a calling card that has 1 minute (or less) rounding and provides you with the ability to check your call history online.

Toll Free Access Markups

Toll free numbers used to be necessary for calling cards, but not anymore. If you live in the United States, chances are that you no longer pay for U.S. long distance calls. They are included in all cell phone plans and most landlines. This means that you don’t need a local access number, because its the same to call across the street as it is to call Miami. If it costs the same to call everywhere, then you don’t need to use a toll free number.

Toll free access numbers are charged at a markup of 2-4 cents per minute more than a regular calling card. That’s more expensive than the cost of calling India. Stay away from inflated “toll free” access numbers.

Finally There Are The Fees

Connection fees. Disconnect fees. Short talking fees. Long talking fees. Continuance fees. Convenience fees. Landline connection fees. The list can go on and on.

Make sure you read the fine print. Unless a company comes out and says that they do not charge any hidden fees, you need to assume the worst. Thankfully fees seem to be on the way out, but a lot of physical calling cards and sketchy online operators still try to sneak them in. Make sure you go to a reputable source for your calling cards.

Now that you know what to look for, take a look at IndiaLD.com

IndiaLD offers calling cards and plans at specific rates, such as one cent or 1.5 cents per minute—and that’s exactly what you get. When you do the math and break down the number of minutes you’re getting, you’re getting them at the advertised rate. We reward you for buying in bulk. We don’t cut corners, and there are no sneaky fees.

Because you need to be careful of cards and plans that charge hidden or extra fees, it’s advantageous to choose a provider that doesn’t charge extra fees and states its rates clearly and plainly. That’s exactly what IndiaLD does for its customers. By aligning yourself with a trusted provider like IndiaLD, you get the lowest long distance rates to India, the highest-quality connection, and you’re safe from scams and extra charges. Read on to learn more about individual plans and cards offered by IndiaLD.

IndiaLD Pay As You Go (PAYG) Calling Card

Only need to call India for a short period of time? Don’t want the commitment of a monthly calling plan? Try our pay-as-you-go (PAYG) India Phone Card. Get the same great features and service as our monthly calling plans but with the freedom to increase your minutes when you need them. Buy as little as $10 USD and pay just 1.5¢ per minute USD to phone India.

Call India for just one cent per minute with the IndiaLD 3000 calling plan. With this plan, you can get 3000 minutes of call time for $29.95 per month. If you spend a few hours per week or several hours per month calling India to stay in touch will friends and family, this plan offers the minutes-and low cost-that you need. For people doing business between India and the UK, this plan offers the bulk minutes needed to conduct conference calls and close deals without significantly affecting a company budget or expense account.

IndiaLD 2000 and IndiaLD 1500

If you average about an hour per day or perhaps a few hours per week of call time to India, one of these two plans could serve your needs well. Both offer a rate of 1.3 cents per minute. Get 2000 minutes for $24.95 or 1500 minutes for $20.25. This rate is perfect for students studying or traveling abroad. Stay close to your friends and family even when you’re thousands of kilometers away from them by catching up with them on the phone. As you enjoy every minute of your phone conversations, you won’t have to worry about counting the minutes or finding an Internet connection!

IndiaLD 1000 and IndiaLD 500

For callers who average less than 10 hours per month, or less than half an hour per day, of call time to India, one of these two plans could be just right for you. At the low rate of 1.4 cents per minute, you can get 1000 minutes for $13.95. Or, sign up for 500 minutes for just $6.95 at the same low rate. These plans offer great savings. Take advantage of these offers and call India today!

When you’re preparing for a trip to another country, it is essential that you know how to call abroad and that you keep your family and friends updated on where you are and how you’re doing. This habit not only will make you safer during your travels but will also help alleviate potential homesickness. Sometimes when you’re far away, maybe even feeling a little lost or scared in a foreign place, hearing a familiar voice on the phone is all it takes to restore your sense of self, purpose, and confidence.