Calling Cards....What is to look for and how to analyze ?

We all know the drill we go through while using a calling card. First the toll free number, then the account number or pin followed by the destination number and occasionally 011 added to the already long set of numbers. Yeah, not so cool !

But, what do v really expect when v go through so much just to hear the voice on the other side say “ Hello”. Precisely what do v mean by a good calling card ?.

1. Good Connection - I guess there’s absolutely no doubt about it in any mind.

2. Affordable rates – This part is ambiguous as to what is affordable ? Some people are ready to go through few more hassles in order to get that cheap card and some prefer expensive no hassle cards. But everybody would settle for a middleground. A card that’s neither dead cheap (immediate alarm of all connection problems, echoes, sudden shortage of minutes) nor sky high (giving heavy penalty of 30 or 50 cents for every minute of pep talk).

3. Customer Service – would be nice if v never need customer service at all ( are there actually calling cards that r so good that v never need to call customer service ? )

4. Good deals – Here comes the part. Few deals go by the percentage of your purchase, few directly mention the amount in your currency. How about one that could give you 100 % with some middle ground ?

5. Ease of dialing - Pins and toll free numbers have become a norm but how about one that doesn’t require any. Just dial the number and enter destination number.

I myself have tried many cards from cheap to direct direct phone lines. I thought it would be resourceful to write a review about the one I seemed to have settled with for quite long time. The information and level of comfort about this calling card is my personal opinion and is meant for informational purposes only.

I am writing in terms of pro’s and con’s for simplicity :

Pro’s :

1. Connectivity : very good and reliable. Probably one of the reasons I am sticking to them for so long.

2. Taxes, fees - None. Not even taxes at the time of purchase. If you purchase 10 dollars u get 10 dollars and then the only charge you pay is for the minutes u used ( rounded to one minute ). And u can look up ur calling history on their website. Simply put, everything is transparent and no surprises.

3. Promotional Offers as of now : Buy 10 dollars and you get 10 dollars. Good bet for trying to see if we like it or not.

4. Rates : not cheap, not high either.

Ex : USA – 2.6 cents, UK ( landlines ) – 2.5 cents

India – 7.8 cents, Pakistan – 5.6 cents, Bangladesh – 14.9 cents, China – 1.99 cents, most of EU nations – 2.7 cents

5. Extra Advanatage : This is the part I really enjoy the most. They have plenty of local access numbers for UK, USA, Canda and Russia. You can choose one of those local numbers and assign to some international number you call often. What that means is , next time you call that local number from your register phone ( say your landline ), your number is automatically detected, and your account will be looked up and your destination number will be dialed. So, in essence, you call the local number and……and technically thts it. your other party’s phone wud ring almost immediately . That eliminates toll frees, pins, destination numbers everything altogether. And yes, you are right, you don’t even have to dial destination numbers.

More than anything, I love this technical concept. Its kind of cool to realize I am calling local 10 digit number and am talking to a person abroad.

Con’s :

1. Very Addictive – Primarily for two reasons. One, it will make u get used to virtually dialing just local number instead of long procedure we used to follow earlier making us reluctant to go back and try some other card. Secondly, the recharge is done just by pressing 1 when ur funds r over and withing seconds ur good to go. So I end up pressing more ?.

2. Calls r rounded to one minute unlike some premium cards where they do 30 second rounding.

3. As always, I wish they slash the prices by a cent more – lol ( ? )

Conlusion :

Actually no conclusion. These r just my opinions . But yes, its worth trying especially for the ‘buy for 10 and talk for 20’ promotion running right now. Try it , see it, and rest u decide.

And….here’s their website : [URL=http://www.stanacard.com/?ref=179155]www.stanacard.com[/URL]

Calling Cards....What is to look for and how to analyze ?

Why not just come to Tbilisi, buy a SIM card, insert it into your mobile then make some calls..??

C_B