Exposure Companies will often provide a light version to gain attention for fee-based products or services. This often allows potential customers to see a product's or services potential. The hope is that providing something free will generate both brand loyalty and interest in fee-based options or services.

The Problem with Free If a business or individual is truly providing something for free, there is a cost involved. Whether time, resources or services are consumed to provide free item or service there is an expense involved. If cost is at any point greater than benefit or perceived benefit of offering free item or service, business or individual will likely review options to better balance cost-to-benefit ratio.

They may:

Discontinue support Companies or individuals that provide a free product may continue to provide item free of charge but discontinue support. If item is something like software, expense has already occurred. By providing item without technical support or customer service they can reduce their staffing costs. The only ongoing expense to provide item free of charge would be ongoing hosting costs, which are usually relatively small. If item is critical to a business or individual's operations, value of item will be lost if technical support or customer support is no longer available.

Abandon Businesses may simply discontinue offering free item or service without notice.

Compensation Individuals or companies may begin requesting donations, compensation, volunteers or a benefit listed above in order to continue to provide item or service free of charge.

Cut Corners Often free items are of reduced or inferior quality. Cost-conscious businesses or individuals often try to minimize expense associated with free items and will use less expensive materials for free items.

There is value to "free" just be sure that you know what it is. Next time something is offered for free, evaluate quid pro quo and determine what you are giving in return, because very little is ever really free.

About the Author: Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

•Some cards can be used only as pre-paid ones. Once minutes allocated for value of card are over, card is of no use. •Some cards come with facility of “filling in minutes” by paying an additional amount once allocated minutes are consumed. •Payments are generally accepted over Internet or in collections centers in cash or via credit cards.

Phone cards have, no doubt, made international calls more accessible and cheaper. But still, differences in service and rates offered by various operators exist. Hence, it is advisable to shop around a little before buying a phone card. Some of factors one needs to consider are:

•Reliability of operator: Many fly-by-night operators also came in to phone card business looking at response rate and market size. Avoid them. •Service quality of operator: Check if calls can be connected at any time and if line and voice quality is really clear. •Rates: Rates offered by operators differ from state to state and country to country. They may also depend on time when you call – higher at time of peak traffic. Hence, check out where you are likely to call most and then decide on your operator.

www.MrLongDistance.com offers prepaid long distance without phone card gimmicks.