Dial Around Long Distance

If you don't want to switch your current long distance carrier but want to take advantage of better long distance rates then dial around service is a great alternative. With toll-free dial around service you are able to bypass your current provider and tap into great rates.

Toll Free Dial Around Companies
Company	Anytime Rate per Minute	Minimum Call / Billing Increment	Monthly Fee	Learn More
	* 5.9¢	60 sec / 60 sec	$ 0.00 †	AccuDial
AccuDial Dial Around has been ‘around’ since 1986. You use the same toll-free number to place your all calls and the 5.9¢ rate applies on ALL domestic calls from the USA-48 — anytime/all the time. As a result AccuDial can also be used as a calling card when you're on the road. A great free feature is QuickDial™. Simply give AccuDial up to 3 phone numbers from where you place your dial around calls and their system will automatically recognize your account and enter your 11-digit PIN for you. For an extra $2/month you can get your own toll free number. You can forward the ring-to number instantly online — to your home, your office, or wherever you go. The fee is the same 5.9¢ per/min for all calls forwarded to the Continental United States! There are no surcharges, no commitments and unlike expensive 10-10 programs there are no 20-minute call minimums — calls are billed in 1 minute increments. * 5.9¢ ‘anytime’ flat rate applies to calls from the 48 continental states. † Billing fee of $1 applies only in billing cycles where usage occurs. To compensate payphone owners a 60¢ per call FCC-mandated surcharge applies.
	* 5.9¢	60 sec / 60 sec	$ 0.00 †	KallCents
Kallcent$® Dial Around by ITL has provided discount long distance service since 1996 and was one of the original toll-free dial around services. You now have two choices with KallCent$. You can sign up online for dial-around service or you can choose the company as your new long distance carrier. As a result the service can handle any portion of your telephone traffic, from one call a month to every call you place. KallCent$ Dial Around offers extremely competitive international long distance rates — you can call over 35 countries for less than 15¢/minute. The 5.9¢/min rate applies to all domestic long distance calls in the contiguous USA. One of KallCent$'s advantages is the 24-hour a day — multi-lingual — customer support team. * 5.9¢ ‘anytime’ flat rate applies to calls from the 48 continental states. † Monthly fee of $2 applies if invoices are required to be mailed.
	* 6.4¢	6 sec / 30 sec	$ 0.00	PowerNet Global
PNG Power Dial toll free dial around long distance features low international rates and very competitive in-state rates, especially if your are located in California where in-state calls are billed at 3.9¢ per minute. Other great in-state calling rates include Georgia at 5.2¢, Illinois at 4.5¢, Michigan at 4.5¢, and Ohio at 4.8¢ per minute. PowerDial also offers one of the lowest billing increments of all dial around plans. Billing is in 6 second increments with a very low 30 second minimum call. So, if you make lots of short calls and/or are located in California PNG is a great choice for your dial around long distance. There is NO per-call surcharge, NO monthly fee, online signup, and an award winning and helpful 24x7 customer service department. The service is available to commercial and residential users and you are billed by automatic credit card payment but you can also pay by cheque. * 6.4¢/minute rate applies to continental USA calls. Calls to Alaska and Hawaii are 16.9¢/min, Puerto Rico is 5¢/min and the USVI is 4.7¢/min. Instate rates vary and can be signifigantly cheaper in some areas. Be sure to check in-state rates for some great deals.

Dial Around Service

What is ‘dial around’ long distance?

Using a dial-around service allows you to bypass or ‘dial-around’ your selected long distance carrier and use another long distance service that may offer cheaper in-state, state-to-state, or international long distance rates. Most dial-around plans offer better long distance rates than the ‘established’ carriers and most have no monthly fee.

Types of dial around service

There are two type of dial around services.

10-10 Dial Around
Toll Free Dial Around

With 10-10 dial around You manually enter another company's access code (such as 10-10-XXX), then “1”, the area code, and the phone number. The 10-10 company will then bill you for the call.

With toll-free dial around you access the service by calling a toll free number and when prompted enter “1”, the area code, and the phone number you're calling. The toll-free dial around company will bill you directly for the call.

Unlike 10-10 programs which often enforce very high call minimums (sometimes as much as 10 to 20 minutes), toll-free dial around companies bill in much smaller increments with most providers requiring a 30 to 60 seconds for miniumum calls.

Who uses dial around?

Dial around services are perfect for people who don't want to switch their long distance company, but who are keen to take advantage of competitive long distance rates
People who don't currently have long distance service often use dial-around services.
Since dial around service co-exists with your existing long distance carrier it's a great service to have as a reserve against local service outages.
People who are looking for more competitive in-state, state-to-state, or international calling rates often use a dial around service.

Do I have to switch my long distance carrier?

No. You don't even need to have a current long distance provider to use dial-around. If you can dial a toll free number with your local phone service you can use dial around long distance.

What should I consider when choosing a dial around company?

First determine your calling patterns. Take a look at your phone bill for the last couple of months and determine: Who do you call most? What area code are they in? Are most of your long distance calls state-to-state, in-state, or international? How often do you call? What is the average duration of the call? What is the per minute rate of the call?

Then do your best to match your requirements to the most suitable dial around plan. Be a savvy shopper and be sure to ask the following questions:

What is the per-minute rate and does this apply to in-state and state-to-state calls?
What is the minimum call duration?
What is billing increment?
Is there a signup charge or a high monthly fee?