Cell service contracts are not for everyone, especially if you don’t use your phone enough to make a contract worthwhile or if you need temporary phone service while traveling. Prepaid phone cards make it easy to access cell service without a long-term commitment.

A calling card with prepaid minutes allows you to select data usage or calling minutes in advance. These cards are a great option if you need budget cell service. You will use your prepaid calling card with a no-contract, pay-as-you-go phone. You might also be able to convert a current unlocked phone to one that uses prepaid phone cards by inserting a new prepaid SIM card.

If you already have a phone plan you like, you can still benefit from another type of phone card: the international calling card. International calling cards make it possible and more affordable to call other countries from your cell phone.

You can get prepaid minutes with a wide variety of phone brands and models, from manufacturers like Samsung, Nokia, Motorola and more. If you’re considering a senior-friendly cell phone, you might look at easy-to-use cell phones for seniors from Lively.

You should consider the coverage options for phone cards when shopping. You can choose cards that focus on minutes for making calls or phone cards with data usage and text. Getting a data allowance lets you surf the web, get navigation directions and even create prepaid hotspot coverage for phones with hotspot capabilities or use mobile hotspots for on-the-go connectivity.

To help you decide, you might want to look over this prepaid calling card chart that compares the best prepaid phone card options. You can also take a moment to compare prepaid phones and contract phones to make sure you know which option will serve you best.