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Dial Up Access Numbers

by Seth Miller

Have you taken a good look at the dial-up access numbers you are using? You should, because they could hurt your budget if you're not careful. Thousands of people incur substantial charges from their telephone providers by using the wrong dial-up access number. Don't let this happen to you.

Double-check your location and calling plan. Area codes can be deceiving, so never make assumptions about what local numbers are under your plan. Talk to your telephone company and confirm if each of the dial-up access numbers you choose is within your ‘local telephone calling plan region.' Remember that you will be charged long-distance rates if you call a non-local number. This may not seem like much, but it can really put a dent in your budget if you spend hours on the Internet.

Dedicate a phone line of you can. If you intend to use your dial-up regularly, it's a good idea to get a basic ‘plain vanilla' phone line exclusively for the computer. Disable that line's long-distance features. This way, even if you do make the mistake of using a non-local dial-up access number, you will not get through. A basic phone line (no call waiting, caller identification, etc.) is usually very reasonably-priced. It is well worth the cost of you use it for web access.

Finally, always verify before dialing. This is especially crucial if your other household members use the same computer and phone line for surfing, because they may change the dial-up access number you have saved into something else. So before you log on to the Internet, check if the number displayed on your modem dialer number is an access number that you have chosen and confirmed as local. Make sure that nothing is added nor deleted from your list of access numbers without your knowledge. Immediately delete unverified numbers so that you can never dial them accidentally.

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