How to Read a Wholesale Rate Deck: Column by Column

A wholesale rate deck is a table of prices by destination. It looks simple, but a single rate tells you very little on its own. The same rate can cost very different amounts depending on the billing increment, the route class, and when it takes effect. This guide goes through a rate deck column by column, shows how to compare two decks fairly, and lists the questions that a deck should answer without you having to ask.

The columns in a rate deck

Most rate decks share the same core columns. Layouts differ between providers, but each of these should appear, or be stated somewhere in the document:

• Destination or prefix: the country, and often a more specific prefix within it. Rates can differ between prefixes in the same country.
• Rate: the price per minute, in the stated currency.
• Billing increment: the minimum and step, such as 60/60 or 6/6. The rate is meaningless without it. See the billing increments guide.
• Route class: the type of route the rate applies to, such as CLI, NCLI, or CC routes.
• Effective date: when the rate starts. A deck can include future rates that take effect later.
• Minimum or setup charge: any fee charged per call or per account, if the provider applies one.

Read the increment with the rate

Two providers can quote the same rate for a destination and still differ in cost. If one bills in 60-second steps and the other in 6-second steps, the cheaper headline rate may cost more on short calls. Always compare the effective cost, not the rate alone. Using the worked example from the billing guide, a 13-second call costs 60 seconds on 60/60 and 18 seconds on 6/6, so the same per-minute rate produces a different bill.

Compare two decks fairly

1. Pick the same destinations in both decks, and list them side by side.
2. Normalize the increment. Work out the billed seconds for your average call length on each deck.
3. Check the route class. A CLI rate and an NCLI rate are not comparable, because they carry different traffic.
4. Check the effective dates and whether a future change would alter the comparison.
5. Price your own traffic, using your expected minutes per destination, not a sample.

What a deck should state without being asked

• The currency, and whether taxes or fees are excluded
• How often the rates change, and how far in advance changes are notified
• How the deck is delivered: by email, a portal, or an API
• Whether rates vary by route class, prefix, or time of day
• What happens to calls to a destination that is not on the deck

Questions to ask a provider

• What billing increment applies to each destination, and does it differ by route?
• How will I be notified of a rate change, and how many days before it takes effect?
• Can I receive the deck through an API or portal, not only as a file?
• What is excluded from the quoted rate?

Related reading

For how the rate relates to route quality, read the quality metrics guide. A cheap route with poor answer rates costs more in lost connects. The CC routes pricing page explains what moves the rate for call-center traffic.