Gone are the days when it was difficult to keep in touch with loved ones when they were miles apart from you. With the invention of prepaid phone cards you can contact your family and friends where ever they are.

Pre-pay (pay as you go) is the most common way to pay for mobile phone calls. It is the cheapest for those customers who do not use phone too much. The prepaid cards first made their appearance in the nineteenth century. They are considered the easy and reasonable method to stay connected. The guided instructions behind the phone cards make them easy to use.

Prepaid phone cards differ in rates, prices and services providing local and international coverage. Since prepaid phone cards differ in features, it is important to select one which suits one`s needs.

They have different charges and fees. One has to make sure the charges and fees that are associated with them like hidden charges, connection fees, maintenance fees, service fees etc. One should be aware of the rates per minute or per call of each pre paid phone card. An alternative for this is phone cards that do not offer such fees and charges, and it is highly advisable that the potential user look for such cards.

Always it is better to collect enough information before purchasing any of them. Some of them offer high call rates with low surcharges. The pros and cons should be weighed properly before choosing any one of them.

These cards offer round the clock coverage and can be used by using pay phone or any regular phone. They are handy because of its slim and paper like structure. Using pre paid phone cards one can call a business partner abroad urgently. Thus cheap international calls are possible through phone cards. The world has become a global village in its true sense because of them.

If we look into the origin of phone cards they were developed in Italy in 1976 in order to compensate for the shortage of coins. Magnetic strips were inserted in the pay phone and people started calling right away. Now after 30 years of its development they have improved on a vast scale. They use smart chips instead of magnetic strips.

There are also certain disadvantages regarding phone cards. Because of the slim card there is much possibility of it being lost. Hundred bucks can be lost in an instant. Scams and fraud are other disadvantages related to these cards. Scams can happen when you give information about your card to another in a gullible manner. A few digits can mean a lot and you will be scammed. Certain phone companies charge more and this is also a fraudulent way to fleece the customer. Call rates will not be revealed by these service providers thereby leaving a gap for cheating.

Even though it is a boon for travelers especially travelers it can change into a bane if the user is not well informed. Hence it all depends on the nature of the customer whether he is prudent and careful.

The traditional phone book you get each year from your landline provider is a great source for most local numbers that you need. You may get both white and yellow pages, but some are contained within the same book. You can find someone by name, and then dial the number provided. You can also look in the yellow pages for a business, and the you find their number. However, what do you do when you have a number but no name? You turn on your computer.

You can find out a little about the number before you even get to the Internet, though you may need your computer for assistance. You can see where a number is calling from if you look at the area code and prefix. In the following number, the 222 is the area code and the 333 is the prefix: 222-333-4444. The area code is a state or a small section of a state, and then the prefix will give you the name of the city. You can use your computer to search for the area code first, and then for the prefix within that particular code.

That can give you some information about a number, but it might not be all that you need to decide who called, or even if you want to find out. You should remember that you can search for anything online, and that goes for phone numbers. Use the search engines to see if a hit comes up with the entire number included. You can also search that number out through professional networks, as people are encouraged to post their numbers there for business contacts and other communications.

You can take the online version of your white pages and turn it into a reverse number lookup. When you visit the white pages online, you are going to see an option for reverse search. You enter the number to see what comes up. You will get a match if the number is a listed landline, and if that person has not opted out of being included with the online listings. You can use the yellow pages in the same way for numbers that may be coming from a business.

Few people realize that an email address can supply someone with vital contact data including the IP address, location, as well as often additional pieces of information. This information is easily available using a reverse email search. No matter whether you are suspicious or simply curious about an email address, or trying to find a friend online, reverse email searches are one of the best resources available.

One of the most valuable pieces of contact data in online transactions is an IP address or the personal identification number attached to every computer. Most useful when you are trying to determine the legitimacy of a spam or other unsolicited email message, reverse email searches can tell you a lot about who owns an email address, and the computer that it is registered to. In the cases of web-based email addresses, it is common to see the IP address of the domain name or perhaps that of the computer from which the person most often access their email.

In some cases, the physical address linked to an email address is far more valuable than any online identification. The availability of this type of contact data often allows people to use a reverse email search to locate old friends online, but it can also help you check up on any online business transactions before completing them. The contact data listed with an email address can tell you if a company, an address, and an email match up, and are registered under the same name.

There are other possible pieces of information about an email address that might be returned with a reverse email search, among them the internet service provider, and, depending on the type of connection speed they have, their land line phone number. The simple fact is, email address can tell you far more about someone than just the domain name through which they get service.

Should you ever need to find out information on a phone consumer, you'll find that it helps to know what services you can use and what is available to you. For instance, while most people are aware of finding someone by using a forward search (looking up their full name), did you know that you can also locate a person and learn more about them through their actual phone number?

A reverse phone lookup, for those who don't know, is a type of people finder service that allows you to trace and identify a phone consumer by searching their telephone number. This is a very popular search tool and it appears on numerous websites throughout the net. Therefore, finding one will not be difficult.

How exactly does the service work? The following is a step-by-step layout:

Step 1- Access a website that has a free reverse phone trace that also allows you to search a cell phone number.

Step 2 - Enter the phone number you would like to investigate into the single query box on the webpage. You only need to enter in the number, but make sure you include all ten digits, as each are needed in order for this service to work.

Step 3 - Search for results. Data should be returned to you within seconds of searching the number. The outcome of the lookup will depend on if the telephone number being searched is the property of a landline or cell numbers. Those listed in the public phone directory will provide you with the name, full address and phone carrier for free, while the wireless ones will provide you with only basic geographical location (city/state) and the mobile carrier.

Step 4 - Determine if you will require the assistance of a paid cell phone lookup. This may be necessary if you need to know the identity or address of a wireless consumer.

As you can see, conducting a reverse number trace is a very easy process. The only decision you really have to make is whether you believe it is in your best interest to pay to find the info you need, or if you should try another free method, such as a search engine, to obtain the phone consumer data.

When you have a good quality reverse phone lookup website bookmarked in you internet browser, then it's natural to start thinking of unknown telephone numbers that appear on your Caller ID display screen as little mysteries just waiting for you to solve. This is because when you have a phone number, including the area code, then you have all of the information you need to perform a full investigation about the identity of the caller.

Backward number searches are broken down into two primary categories: those that allow you to find out about landlines, and those that allow you to identify the owners of mobile callers.

The former of those queries is the fastest and simplest. That data is considered to be public domain - the same as the information you'd find in the phone book - so you can perform a quick search on any number of free websites to find out who called you, what their name is, and what address is associated with that number.

On the other hand, your mystery case takes a bit more knowledge when you're working with a cell phone number. Essentially, the trick to this kind of investigation lies in finding a good quality cell phone number database site where you can successfully perform your query. Once you have that site, make sure to save it to your computer, since you'll want to have it available every time a new mystery comes up.

The actual process for performing a reverse phone lookup on a cell phone number is exactly the same as that for a landline. You simply enter the ten digits, and the site will provide you with the results immediately. Again, you'll receive the mailing address, and the name of the person who owns the phone number. Keep in mind that it is indeed the mailing address and not the physical location of the actual mobile device. Though reverse phone lookup services do allow you to feel somewhat like a detective, they still respect the privacy of the wireless subscribers and couldn't possibly access information such as GPS data that is designed only for emergency personnel.

With so much going on in people's busy lives, it's no surprise that few pieces of information can slip through the cracks. While most of the time, we don't even notice the facts we forget or lose track of, sometimes this information can be important. This is especially the case when you've forgotten where a friend lives, or have misplaced their new address. But fortunately for the forgetful, you can use a reverse phone lookup to find a friend's address in one simple step.

That's because reverse phone lookups are designed to help people find information about strange phone numbers. Users input phone numbers they'd like to learn more about, and within only a few moments are rewarded with the name and the address of that phone number's owner. This remarkable service is even effective on cell phones and unlisted land lines, which aren't included in white page directories or other public information sources.

That means that you can use a reverse phone lookup to research your friend's phone number, and find their address in just minutes. This way you can find out where your friend lives again, without having to own up to them that you've misplaced their address. After all, no one wants to admit to being disorganized, but everyone loses something from time to time.

So if you need to find a friend's address, just use a phone number search, and leave all the looking up to the reverse phone lookup. When you do, you'll get the info you need, without all the hassle and headache.

It seems like almost everyone loves caller ID. After all, at home caller ID can tell you who is calling before you answer as well as their phone number. For cell phones, the phone number is still available, but not the name of the owner. But no matter what kind of phone you use, you still have the problem of unrecognized to deal with. After all, even if most of the strange numbers on caller ID aren't worth worrying about, thinking that all of them are no big deal could you leave you open for disaster. Luckily, finding out about the numbers on caller ID is easy and simple, if you use a reverse phone lookup.

Reverse phone lookups are websites that make it easy for people just like you to get all the phone owner information they need. If you enter a strange or unrecognized number into a reverse phone lookup, in mere seconds you can learn information about the phone's owner. And unlike caller ID, which only works on listed land line numbers, reverse phone lookups offer reports about almost any phone number, even those that are mobile numbers or ones that aren't listed in other directories.

That means that no matter what kind of phone number calls you, you can almost always take their number directly from caller ID and use it to learn more about that person. This way, you can get a head-start on identifying people you might not want to choose to talk with over the phone. After all, dialing a strange number without prior research could have serious consequences.

There was a time when there was nothing you could really do about telemarketers except ignore the call or try to block the number through your phone company. They called often, and they did not care when they called. There are now ways to get them to stop, and many more laws they have to follow. When you find they are aggravating you, you have to know what you can do to get them to give you a break.

Your first move should be to get your number on the Do Not Call list. This was designed to stop telemarketers from calling people who do not wish to be bothered with sales pitches. Once your number is listed, companies have thirty-one days to remove you from their calling lists. After that, they are subject to fines for calling you. You can report them where you sign up for the List online. You don't have to add cell numbers, but you can if you wish.

You can try to block numbers that do not stop, especially if the thirty-one days have not passed. Though this used to be something very common with phone services, this does not something that all providers offer today. You can look through the white pages you get delivered to your home, or simply call your landline company to see if this is something that you can do. If so, go ahead and block the ones that call you the most to get them to stop.

If you are getting telemarketing calls on your cell phone, you should know that this is not legal. There are many reasons for this, and one of the most important is that they could be costing you money if you pay for incoming calls. Many pay for minutes during the day, or at the very least, this takes away from allotted free call time each person gets with their specific plan. Tell them they are calling a cellular phone, tell them to stop, and then call your mobile provider to file a complaint against the number, if it showed up for you on your phone caller ID.

When it seems someone is ignoring the Do Not Call list, and has not stopped calling even when you have reported them, you have one more option. It may not get you anywhere, but you never know. There are sites that list nothing but problematic phone numbers. These can stop telemarketers and annoying calls. This site can get so much publicity that a company rethinks calling practices to avoid the horrible reputation they may get.

There are many ways to find old friends online, but one of the most direct and perhaps best methods, reverse phone lookups, are lesser known than some other search functions. Reverse phone lookups browse phone directories for entries matching the ten digit phone number you entered, and they can tell you additional information such someone's service or billing address.

The first step to using a reverse phone lookups to find old friends is figuring out who owns a phone number. While this may seem obvious, you always want to make sure that the number that you have for someone is registered in their name or a name of someone you might expect them to receive service through. This way, if you decide to call them, you can know what to expect. After all, no one wants to call an old friend and interrupt a stranger at work or dinner.

Another key to using reverse phone lookups to find old friends is finding out their current contact data, including their address. Land line numbers will have the service address listed, while cell phones list a billing address, but both are reliable ways to reconnect with old friends. People may move, but they almost always keep their phone service up to date. Finding out additional pieces of information like this is one of the major benefits of using a reverse phone lookups to find old friends.

Now that you are familiar with the idea of reverse phone lookups, you might realize their potential for other kinds of phone number problems, including telemarketers, prank callers, unknown numbers, or simple missed calls. A phone number can be a powerful tool, and all you really need to find out who owns a phone number. Even if your friend uses a cell phone exclusively, you can still find them online.