Costco Connection

Long distance, low cost

ALTHOUGH YOU MAY be wandering far and wide this summer, the need to connect may still be there. Rather than using up precious cell-phone minutes or racking up huge cellular bills, a simple little card may do the trick.

Verizon offers two convenient calling cards for Costco members, in the warehouses and at costco.com, with prices lower than those offered by other services. The Verizon Prepaid International Phone Card Plus provides great low rates to the UK, Canada, Mexico and more than 200 other destinations worldwide. The Verizon 700 Minute Prepaid Phone Card Plus sets calling at 2. 86 cents per minute for calls within the contiguous United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Rates are the same for intrastate calls, unlike those of some other calling cards. And if traveling overseas, you can use the cards to call the United States from more than 120 countries. (Cards not available in Alaska.)

Each card presents a wide range of features, such as PINless and speed dialing, so calls made most frequently do not require a plethora of button pushing. A comparison of calling cards on the market may turn up

other cards with similar features, but the fine print tells a different story. Many cards charge extra for those features or set limits on use. For example, some cards let you speed-dial only 10 numbers; Costco’s Verizon cards allow up to

99. And Costco’s Verizon calling cards have no additional fees, other than state and local taxes and pay-phone surcharges (as mandated by law).

Other cards also set an expiration date

Verizon Prepaid Domestic Card

2. 86¢

No

$19.99

Average rate per minute

Monthly fees

Cost for 700 minutes of talk time

Commitment No

Cost for 700 minutes of long-distance calling per year

$19.99

inside
costco

on the minutes. Verizon calling-card minutes never expire. If you use all your minutes, simply call and recharge the card. Or set up Auto Recharge and minutes will be added for you.