Calling Cards Blog

The calling cards blog provides updates on industry news, new website content, and other topics. We welcome guest posts.

  • What's New in Calling Cards?
    July 27, 2011

    Calling cards have been around forever, but there are important innovations that consumers should be aware of. The most important are new features that dramatically enhance the calling experience.

    Calling card trends

    The key features to watch for are these: mobile dialing apps, PC dialing apps, and group calling plans.

    Not every prepaid company is offering these types of features - in fact, only a few are. Three of the best examples are Pingo, Nobelcom, and Enjoy Prepaid (all 3 are among our top picks).

    Why are some companies offering these features, but others aren't? Because only companies that control their own communications network have the equipment necessary to make it happen. We call these kinds of companies 'integrated providers'.

    Read more >>>>
  • Leading Consumer Testing Group Recommends Pingo, Too!
    March 28, 2011

    Thanks to the many critics who pop up in our comments section, we sometimes feel all alone in our recommendation of Pingo as the top calling card.

    Pingo calling cards

    But recently, we've been feeling vindicated. Reason: the top consumer testing company in the country has given Pingo the thumbs up, too.

    We wanted to enthusiastically point our visitors to them, but unfortunately they aren't too open with sharing their content, so we can't cite or link to it.

    But we have a suggestion: Do a Google search for "one standout is the Pingo" and see what pops up.

    Read more >>>>
  • Pingo Provides Free Calls to Japan
    March 23, 2011

    In light of the triple disaster in Japan, Pingo is enabling free calling to Japan for its customers through March 31.

    Pingo calling cards

    The program allows up to 300 free minutes PER DAY for calls originating in the United States. Calls can be made to any mobile or landline phone. Up to 10 different phone numbers may be called per account.

    Further information can be found in Pingo's press release: free Japan calls

    Read more >>>>
  • Pingo Releases Update of their EZ Dial Smartphone Dialing App for Android
    February 25, 2011

    Pingo has announced a new version of their Android smartphone dialing app. The app, called EZ Dial, now supports over 100 Android phones such as the Samsung Galaxy, Motorola Droid, LG Optimus, HTC Evo, and T Mobile myTouch.

    Pingo calling cards

    In total, the EZ Dial app is now supported on over 800 phones - more than any other calling card app we know of. EZ Dial works on all Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia Symbian, and Windows Mobile phones in addition to the new Android models.

    The app, which we've demo'ed, works extremely well. It makes dialing a snap because you just start dialing. No need to dial access numbers, account numbers, or PINs. It also supports dialing from your contacts list.

    Read more >>>>
  • New review added for PennyTalk calling cards
    September 10, 2010

    We've added a new calling card review to the site for PennyTalk calling cards. The new PennyTalk review follows the format of our previous reviews. It digs deeply into PennyTalk rates, fees, and features to ascertain whether the company is a good buy.

    PennyTalk calling cards

    Unfortunately, PennyTalk does not get a good rating from us. In fact, they get our worst rating.

    While the company has many good qualities (e.g., integrated provider, simple pricing scheme, live customer support, etc.), their rates are too high. Not only are their base per minute rates slightly high, but then they tack on a 49¢ connection fee to every call you make. Unless you are making extremely long calls, this is typically going to add 1¢ to 3¢ per minute to the base rate. This puts PennyTalk 'real' rates towards the high end of the market.

    Read more >>>>
  • Track the Status of the "Calling Card Consumer Protection Act"
    September 7, 2010

    We've just found a handy page on the website OpenCongress.org for tracking the status of the "Calling Card Consumer Protection Act". This is a bill introduced in the House of Representatives that would establish more rigorous consumer protections in the calling card industry.

    There is companion bill in the Senate on this page: Prepaid Calling Card Consumer Protection Act of 2009. The House version has been passed, but the Senate version has not come up for vote.

    Given other priorities in Congress these days, neither of these bills are likely to be going anywhere, but we thought the pages might be of interest. One nice feature of the site is that you can track these bills if you register.

    Read more >>>>

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