What a calling card costs beyond the headline rate
Calling cards are sold by many different companies, and the terms are where the price hides. Before buying one, check:
- Connection or maintenance fees charged per call or per week.
- Rounding — some cards bill in blocks of several minutes.
- Expiry — unused credit may disappear after a set number of days from first use.
- The access number — a local or toll-free access number may still cost something from a mobile.
A low per-minute figure on the front of the card can come with charges that only appear in the small print.
How pay-as-you-go browser calling replaces the card
- Sign up at twin-phone.com with an email or Google account — no card needed to sign up.
- Top up from $10 by card. That balance is your "calling card", and it never expires.
- Type the number with its country code in the browser or the iPhone or Android app. The dialer shows the per-minute rate for that number before you press Call.
- Talk. You are billed in whole minutes, rounded up, with a one-minute minimum — no connection fee and no weekly charge.
The person you call answers their normal phone; they need no app. Calls reach landlines and mobiles in 145+ countries.
Sample per-minute rates
| Calling | Landline | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $0.02/min | $0.02/min |
| Canada | $0.02/min | $0.02/min |
| Mexico | $0.04/min | $0.02–$0.04/min |
| India | $0.08/min | $0.08/min |
| Philippines | $0.36/min | $0.36/min |
| United Kingdom | $0.06/min | $0.12/min |
| Colombia | $0.12/min | $0.04–$0.06/min |
| Pakistan | $0.20/min | $0.10–$0.12/min |
Per whole minute, rounded up, one-minute minimum, no connection fee. The dialer shows the rate for the exact number before each call; every country is on the rates page.
If you change your mind
Unused credit can be refunded within 14 days of purchase as long as no more than 30% of it has been spent, under the Refund Policy. Otherwise it stays on your account with no expiry date.
When a calling card is still the better choice
A calling card works from any phone, including a landline or a basic phone with no internet. TwinPhone does not: it needs Wi-Fi or mobile data on a computer, tablet or smartphone. If the person making the calls has only a landline, or their connection is too weak for a voice call, a card is the practical option.
