CALLING CARDS

Calling card may refer to:

Business card,
a small card with business information that is given for convenience and as a memory aid

Calling card (crime),
a signature token or characteristic of a crime used by a serial criminal

Tart card,
an ad stuck to a phone box to advertise the services of a call girl

Telephone card,
a small card, usually resembling a credit card, used to pay for telephone services

Visiting card,
was used socially to signify a visit made to a house if the occupant were absent; or as an introduction for oneself

A telephone card, calling card or phone card for short, is a small card, usually resembling a credit card, used to pay for telephone services. Such cards can either employ prepaid credit system or credit card style system of credit. The exact system for payment, and the way in which the card is used to place a phone call, depend on the overall telecommunication system. Currently, the most common types of telephone cards involve pre-paid credit in which the card is purchased with a specific balance, from which the cost of calls made is deducted. Pre-paid phone cards are disposable. When the balance is exhausted you simply buy a new card. Cards purchased online can often be refilled. The other main type of card involves a card with a special PIN printed on it that allows one to charge calls to a land-line telephone account.