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Long Distance
Choosing A Long Distance Calling Plan
Which plan is right for you? You don't have to be a telecommunications expert to figure that out. Follow these 3 steps:
- Evaluate Your Long Distance Calling Patterns. It's possible you may no longer need a stand alone long distance plan. By using old bills, see how many minutes you typically use in a month. For many people, it's cheaper to pay a low per minute rate rather than bundling their costs with phone service as many carriers offer today. In addition to total minutes, look at when you tend to make most calls. Evening rates are often far lower than daytime rates.
- Apply Your Pattern to Existing Offers. Don't allow your phone company to randomly assign you to their default plan - it's almost surely going to be the most expensive. Have the customer service representative quote all the plans. Find the calling pattern that best resembles the time and money you spend on the phone in a typical month. If you don't spend a lot of time talking, explore long distance service through the Internet, cellular, calling cards or a 10-10 plan with very low rates. If you do use a lot of long distance, move on to Step 3.
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Compare Long Distance Plans & Providers. You should decide whether to pay a flat rate or whether to find a low per minute rate to save the most. Using your monthly minute average, multiply various per-minute rates to find which method saves you the most money. Look for the most competitive rates by searching online for the latest deals.
Keep in mind that many other fees are applied to telephone service bills that can add as much as 15% to the bottom line. Extra charges include "regulatory cost recovery" fees, monthly recurring "charges" on plans that previously did not charge a fee, taxes, service fees for 911, line charges, and the Universal Service Fund fee. There is typically no way to remove these fees, so watch for them in your budget, and if need be, remove a premium service to allow for them.
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