How Calling Cards Work

Calling card services is still one of the best ways to allow people to make low cost international calls from their mobile and fixed line phone, and very profitable businesses have been built around the calling card features available on an A2Billing Softswitch.

A calling card customer calls a DID or access number which is directed to the A2Billing Softswitch. The calling card customer is then prompted for some identification. The A2Billing Softswitch supports both identification by PIN or on the basis of the caller ID, otherwise known as Pinless Dialling.

Optionally, the balance is read out, and the calling card customer is presented with secondary dial-tone, or prompted to dial the number they require.

The rate the customer pays for the call is usually far lower than the cost of the same call using a payphone, the incumbent telephone company or a cell-phone. This is particularly true of international calls.