A Comparison of 1010 Dial Around Plans to Prepaid Long Distance



Posted: Tuesday, May 22, 2007

by
Smart Global Call

So called 1010 dial around long distance plans have been around for many years. At one time they offered consumers a convenient way to save money on long distance phone calls but those days are gone. Many of the 1010 dial around plans we studied are more expensive than traditional long distance and even the lower cost plans are far more expensive than prepaid long distance.

1010 dial around plans are used by dialing an access number before dialing the number for a domestic or international long distance phone call. In this way the local phone company is by-passed and the call is routed over a supposedly, lower cost network. As the name implies, the access number usually begins with 10-10. The charge for each call is automatically billed to the phone used to place the call and will show as a separate entry on the monthly phone bill. Consumers should be careful with these plans because the ones we reviewed have high per minute rates (up to 20 cents/minute for a domestic call) and typically have connection fees and other hidden charges and taxes. The bill will come in a few weeks or a month so it will be hard to dispute or even remember the details of each call.

Prepaid long distance is a much better option. It is certainly much cheaper and just as convenient and easy to use as a 10-10 dial around plan. Also, there will be no surprises when the phone bill comes since the calls are prepaid and the cost is capped. Prepaid long distance is a great way to budget money used to make domestic or international long distance calls. Like1010 dial around plans, prepaid long distance is used by dialing an access number before placing the long distance call. The access number is normally a local or toll free number so there will be no charge for dialing the access number. Also, most high quality prepaid products do not require the caller to dial an account number or PIN code when placing a call so they are just as easy to use as a 1010 dial around plan. It is relatively easy to find a good quality prepaid long distance plan with domestic long distance rates below 2 cents per minute, including fees and taxes. International rates are also very cheap but they vary by location. A prepaid long distance plan can be opened for as little as $5. So why do people still use 1010 dial around?

Visit International Calling Guide for information on prepaid long distance and other options for making cheap domestic or international long distance phone calls.

Bob Graham is the owner/editor of several telecommunication related websites inlcuding International Calling Guide and Phone Cards International . He is an engineer with several years experience in the telecom industry. He is also the author of several telecom related articles published on websites and the  International Calling blog.
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