It is generally good practice to keep a record of all your phone card, calling card, credit card, bank account, passport, ID, Social Security, tax and driving licence numbers in one place. We recommend a small notebook which should be locked away in some secure place or kept in a safety deposit box,strongroom or safe. Many financial institutions have safety deposit boxes at a minimal annual rental.

Q) If I lose my PIN number, can it be replaced?

A) Depends on the card. Normally with low value cards, if you loose your PIN number, it will not be replaced. This is becoming more general due to the admin hassle of reinstating a few minutes. Guard your cards and your PIN numbers - they are a valuable commodity.

Q) What do I do if my plastic phone card is stolen or lost?

A) It is no different than a regular credit card. You should write the numbers down somewhere safe so that you have a record of the card details. If its stolen or lost report it to customer service of the relevant company. This is doubly important with a monthly billed phone card.

Q) What else do I need to do if my phone card is stolen?

A) There are three other things you should do:

Report the loss to your local law enforcement agency.

Report it to your bank and make sure any automatic debit arrangements are cancelled. You should do this telephonically and follow the instruction with a written one. This will ensure that there is no problem.

Send the carrier (phone card vendor) a written notification of the loss recording the time and date of loss.