Prepaid internet cards are something I hadn't heard of until recently. As someone who is glued to their computer and a broadband connection 18 hours a day I thought that was how everyone had always connected to the Internet but it seems that this is not the case at all. In some areas of the world its still difficult to find total broadband penetration so many people are stuck with dial-up connections for the moment whether they like it or not.

Also, many people might not use the Internet as an intravenous drip of constant information, if that's the case then you might not want to pay a high monthly charge for a super fast broadband connection. So we get easily available, economical prepaid internet cards that give occasional users exactly what they need.

These prepaid cards offer you the ability to pay for Internet time up front, to get an agreed amount of time online. When your time runs out you can buy more or simply find something else to do. Once you have purchased the card until the time runs out you can use it at any time of day, on any day of the week and from any phone. Its a simple and effective way to control the amount of money you spend on your Internet access.

In many countries where you may find yourself living or traveling through you will discover that you are able to find a supplier of this product quite easily. A quick search on Google and I found telecoms companies from all over the world who could help you out. It seems that they are also available both online and from bricks and mortar stores.

Back in 2002 AOL introduced the prepaid Internet card to the USA for the princely sum of $14.99 which entitled you to 500 minutes of online time. When they ran out of credit they could then recharge their cards in 325 minute blocks for $9.99. At the time it was thought of as a genius move by AOL as many people didn't want to spend $24.00 a month on an unlimited package. Remember this was back in the days when most sane individuals hadn't got used to the idea of using the Internet to run their lives. Nowadays things are different and most of us can't imagine having Internet access on tap.

Countries such as the US and most of Europe seem to have moved away from the Prepaid Internet card but they will probably still be available in other parts of the world for a few years to come.