In consumer advertising, certain words and phrases become clichés that we often (consciously or unconsciously) ignore. How many more times do you need to hear that something is new and improved, for example? In the digital domain, from Internet connections to Web hosting and everything in between, a whole raft of new clichés were spawned and one of them, unlimited, started popping up everywhere. The fact is, it does not matter what is in the advertisement or what anyone tells you about your hosting package or your online fax account. It matters what is written in the contract that you agree to when signing up. In many of those agreements, companies define seemingly clear-cut terms (free, for example) in novel ways. If anyone needs reminding, you have to read every word of every contract, whether it is for $20 or $20,000.

In the area of online faxing, there are scores of great-sounding offers, and the words free and unlimited turn up all the time. It gets interesting when you read the fine print (even the regular print) and discover that unlimited really means something else, such as unlimited access, rather than the ability to send an unlimited number of fax pages. If you take the time to compare some of the so-called free and unlimited online fax plans, you will learn how some bargain online fax services cost more than monthly plans. A brief examination of a few online fax plans will show you, quite clearly, what is going on.

Monthly fee or no?

The best of the online fax plans are under $15 a month and give you up to 1000 total pages, incoming and outgoing. The very best providers will even allow you to apportion these pages however you want (say, 750 outgoing and 250 incoming), while others have hard and fast limits enforced separately. Some of the bargain services will make a big deal out of the monthly fee, touting their own plans where you can send whatever you want, at any time, in any quantity, and pay as you go. You may not get an assigned number for incoming faxes (they will be forwarded to you for a fee), and the outgoing ones will cost you between three and 10 cents per page. By default, some services have a cover page set up, and you have to jump through a few hoops to get rid of it, otherwise you pay.

Perhaps this kind of arrangement will work for someone who sends a couple of faxes per month. Beyond that, there is very little that is bargain-like in these arrangements. Other firms that claim to be bargains do so based on their smaller monthly fees. However, for active businesses sending and receiving numerous faxes daily, the lower page limits on these bargain accounts means you will start paying the over-limit charges earlier in the month. These charges also range up to a dime per page. Some online fax services still charge phone time, as well.

Making the right choice

For any service that you are going to pay for on a monthly basis, your best way to approach it is by calculating as precisely as possible what your actual needs are. The top-rated plans with 1000 minutes means you can send and receive over 30 fax pages daily without incurring any overage charges. Depending on the plan, you may or may not get international faxing included in the regular package, but if you need it, there are different ways to add that functionality. The main thing is to get a true and accurate picture of your fax use before signing on any dotted line, virtual or otherwise.

Be wary of advertising claims for online fax services. Read the actual agreement, and if you cannot locate it at the company's Web site, ask for it. If you cannot get a copy of the agreement, that is a huge red flag that something is (or soon will be) very wrong. Compare the various plans with your actual usage, allowing for a little extra faxing just in case, and you will begin to see some clear choices emerging from your list of candidates. There are other important consideration besides just the monthly cost, and you want an online fax account that comes with good customer service, easy-to-reach help, good online documentation, accurate reports of usage and so on.

Bottom line

You will not get free faxing on an ongoing basis, from anyone anywhere, although there are ways to send a fax or two at no cost. However, you will not get 30+ pages going in or out of your business every day, with your own incoming fax number, without paying someone. Make sure you are paying for a service that, in the big picture and on a month-to-month basis, delivers the goods, works right and defines contract terms in a common-sense manner. There really are online fax services like that, and you can find one if you know what you are looking for. After reading this article, you should!