Long Distance Phone Service Reviews, Best Long Distance Plans

Best long-distance service

ECG

*Est. 2.5 cents per minute Compare Prices

Reviews favor ECG's 2.5-cents-per-minute domestic plan. There's a 59-cent monthly charge, and you must pay your bill with an automatic debit withdrawal or credit-card charge each month. Billing is in six-second increments… with a minimum 18-second charge per call (many providers charge you for a minute even if you get a machine). ECG's low rate beats competitors, including AT&T and Verizon. One drawback is that ECG long-distance service isn't available everywhere. Entering your local phone number on the ECG website will determine eligibility. Total Call International (below) is more expensive, but is your best option if you live outside of ECG's coverage area.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

SaveOnPhone.com: SaveOnPhone.com says it monitors about 350 long-distance plans as the basis for this top 10 list. ECG ranks first based on cost ...

Phonedog.com: The real benefit of PhoneDog.com is user reviews. About 100 users give ECG very high average scores overall and in four ...

TollChaser.com: The prices in the TollChaser.com rankings chart include the universal service fund fees that increase the advertised rates, ...

LongDistanceSmart.com: LongDistanceSmart.com rates ECG third based on its cost and its customer-service response, normally within a minute.

ConsumerReports.org: This report doesn't include any reviews, and ECG is the only plan mentioned. The article does include some helpful information on ...

1+ Call Saver: The site receives commissions from some of the companies listed but claims to be unbiased, and its rankings appear to favor plans ...

Better Telephone Rates.com: BetterTelephoneRates.com's top five rankings appear to be based strictly on pricing rather than factoring in customer service. ...

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Best international long-distance service

3U Telecom

*Est. 4.8 cents per minute Compare Prices

3U beats other long-distance services when it comes to international rates. Although its 4.8-cents-per-minute domestic rate is higher than ECG's, you can call many countries (including Australia, Germany, Japan and the… U.K) for the same 4.8 cents. Other companies charge twice as much. There are no monthly fees or minimum usage charges. However, you must pay automatically each month with a credit card or direct debit; you can't pay by check (you'll have about three days to review your online bill before your card is charged). 3U also provides you with a special code that will allow you to make cheap international calls with your cell phone.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

SaveOnPhone.com: SaveOnPhone.com keeps tabs on about 350 long-distance plans to create this top 10 chart. It rates 3U Telecom third overall, but ...

Phonedog.com: PhoneDog.com is the top spot to find user reviews of long-distance phone service. 3U Telecom earns high average scores overall ...

TollChaser.com: The prices in the TollChaser.com rankings chart include the USF fees that increase the advertised rates. This provides a more ...

1+ Call Saver: The site receives commissions from some of the companies listed, but claims to be unbiased. These rankings appear to favor plans ...

ConsumerReports.org: This article doesn't include any reviews. It does, however, include some helpful information on how to choose a long-distance ...

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Long-distance service, national availability

Total Call International

*Est. 3.9 cents per minute Compare Prices

Total Call has a 3.9-cents-per-minute rate plan with six-second billing increments and no minimums or monthly fees. Total Call requires online billing and payment. Their customer service is unique in that you can request… a Spanish-speaking representative, in addition to five other languages. Although it is more expensive than ECG, reviews say Total Call is a good choice if you're outside ECG's area of availability. 3U Telecom, above, has better international rates.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

SaveOnPhone.com: SaveOnPhone.com claims to keep track of about 350 long-distance plans as the source for this top 10 chart. Total Call ...

Phonedog.com: PhoneDog.com is a helpful source for user reviews. The ratings vary by plan -- some of the five Total Call International plans ...

1+ Call Saver: The site gets commissions from some of the companies it lists, though it claims to be unbiased. These rankings appear to favor ...

ConsumerReports.org: This report doesn't include any reviews, but does offer some helpful information on how to choose a long-distance provider.

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Long Distance Phone Service: Reviews

Best long-distance service

Best international long-distance service

Long-distance service, national availability