Mathematics is unerring. As a child we are taught that 2 + 2 = 4. This will never change and will always yield same results; except when it comes to calculating you phone bill.

Most long distance carriers advertise their low rate per minute costs. However, before you can really make an informed decision as to which carrier offers best value you need to consider all of “other” costs that may be buried in fine print. Read all of restrictions and costs in detail then analyze these “added” costs against your specific calling habits. Only then will 2 + 2 truly equal 4.

For instance, many carriers will charge a monthly fee in order for you to qualify for their low rate per minute charge; while other carriers will impose a minimum monthly usage charges. If you fail to reach this minimum usage then you are charged added costs.

The key to getting overall best value on your long distance is to review your monthly statements and analyze your calling habits. The key things to look for are total number of minutes, call duration, for all of your long distance calls. Does this number change every month or is it more or less constant? Is there a particular state or states that you call more often than others?

Once you have this information at hand you then make detailed calculations to determine true cost per minute of various calling plans. You need to be able to take additional charges (monthly fee, minimums and so forth) and divide it by your usage (total number of minutes) then add that to your rate per minute. Only then will you have a true cost per minute of your long distance carrier or analyze various plans from other carriers.

Let’s take a look at some examples and you’ll get a better feel for what I am saying. Here are three plans (“A”, “B” and “C”) for comparison with three different individuals:

Plan “A” - $0.04/minute, plus monthly fee of $5.95; Plan “B” - $50.00 for 1200 minutes, plus $.07/minute over 1200 minutes; and Plan “C” - $0.10/minute with no other fees.

Now let’s look at three different users and determine which plan provides best value.

Tania: Tania’s total annual long distance usage was 14,400 minutes, averaging 1200 minutes per month. However, her usage was not consistent with some months as low as 600 minutes and other months as much as 1,800 minutes. In her case we can calculate three plans this way:

Plan “A” 600 min. months: ($.04 x 600) + $5.95 = $29.95 1,800 min. months: ($.04 x 1800) + $5.95 = $77.95 Her total bill for year: (6 x $29.95) + (6 x $77.95) = $647.40 Total cost per minute: $647.40 / 14,400 = $.045/minute