Traditionally, long-distance customers have paid for calls by the minute.

You don't even have to pay for long-distance calls.

Despite the expected savings for the phone companies, consumers should not expect to pay less for such calls.

And with most wireless plans, you also pay for incoming calls.

Message Rate calling means that subscribers pay for calls based on duration of the call and distance to the called party.

Another solution is a phone debit card, which allows you to pay for calls in advance.

"A vast majority of our guests tell us that paying $1 a day for local calls is a good value," she said.

Students use the honor system to pay for long-distance calls made from a telephone in the hall.

And in some cases making collect calls may be cheaper than paying for calls from a hotel phone.

This will be good for those who travel out of country and do not want to pay a lot of money for international calls.