Calling cards are cards used to make domestic, long-distance and international telephonic calls. Calling cards have made conversations easy and cheap. Today you can call anywhere you want to, from anywhere you are, and talk to your heart's content, without feeling the pinch in your pocket.

Calling cards are largely predominant in the developed countries and have truly turned the world into a global village. Today, USA, UK, Australia, have innumerable students from all parts of the world, who leave their families behind, striving hard for their degrees. Calling cards are their magic tools, which enable them to stay in touch with their families and friends, at a low cost. Similarly, the new-age professionals of the sub-continent, who get assignments in UK or USA are also benefited largely by these calling instruments. Young girls, who are often married to the male professionals from the sub-continent and leave their parents and family for this part of the world, also find these cards exceptionally helpful to stay in touch with their homes.

The convenience and rapidity with which these calling cards can be effectively utilized make them extremely popular. Few very popular calling cards are Golden Lotus, Saturn, Continental, Penny Boss, AT&T, Sahara, Africa, etc.

The total price of a prepaid calling card generally depends on the pre-fixed number of minutes available on the card and the cost per minute. The buyer of the card gets a pin number for the card, which can be utilized anywhere and everywhere. The calling card can be used to make calls from a pay phone or any standard telephone line apart from one's residence phone. If you buy a calling card with a talk-time of sixty minutes and you make your first call as long as thirty minutes, your card is left with a talk-time of the remaining thirty minutes.

Calling cards can be bought from retail outlets, local shops and even vending machines. They can also be purchased online when the pin number reaches the buyer via e-mail.