Buying a reliable calling card to make long distance or international calls can be quite frustrating. Many times consumers have no choice because most home phone service providers charge expensive rates. But that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t honest phone card providers to buy from.

One of the best tips for finding the perfect calling card is to never pay for one in cash. Especially at a small local neighborhood grocery store. Many of the cards that are sold in those places are cheap. But they are cheap for a reason. Most of these inferior cards have fake advertised minutes and most won’t even work properly. Many small local grocery stores don’t even accept credit cards. There’s a reason for that.

When you buy any product with any major credit card, you will have a certain degree of consumer protection. Some examples of companies that will accept credit cards to purchase phone cards are Walmart, major drug store chains like CVS, and even Targets. These big commercial shopping giants also make sure they have products that work as advertised.

You can also buy prepaid phone cards on the Internet. You should look for companies that have been in business for at least 5+ years, offer a toll-free customer service phone number, and give away some kind of free trial minutes. The most important thing is that they have to accept credit card payments.

It’s also best to find an online calling card company that accepts PayPal payments. If you’re familiar with eBay, you’ll know that PayPal is a great method for protecting online transactions, as well as giving consumers an extra layer of protection against defective and falsely advertised products.

So when you’re looking for a prepaid phone card, make sure you never pay in cash. Always use a major credit card to buy one, whether it’s from well-established online sources or major stores.