General
Q. Do we pay VAT
(for countries that have VAT) or other taxes on pre-paid phone cards?
A. It depends upon
which cards you buy and where you are. To keep things simple, the prices
shown include VAT at 17.5% if applicable.
Q. Is
there a minimum order?
A. Yes. Our minimum
order stands at £9 (around $13).
Q. What
is the difference between 0800/toll free and 0845 access?
A. This is a very
popular question. Please take a moment to read the
page dedicated to this subject.
Q. Can I call
more than one country?
A. Yes, you can
phone as many as your limit will allow you to phone.
Q: When
using the call calculator can I see view the rates in my
own currency?
A: The card rates are shown in
it's cards own original currency, whatever this may be.
To help with conversion rates from sterling (GBP) to US dollars (USD) we
have produced the following table with approximate conversion rates:-
|
Card Value |
US$ equivalent |
|
£5 |
$7.50 |
|
£10 |
$15 |
|
£20 |
$30 |
|
£50 |
$75 |
| |
|
pence per minute |
US cents/min |
|
5 |
7.5 |
|
10 |
15 |
|
30 |
45 |
Exchange
rates do vary although both currencies are strong and the variation not
huge.
Over the last 3 months the rate has varied between approx 1.35 and 1.5
USD:GBP
There is a free
Currency Converter for you to use.
Click here. (will open in a new window)
Q. Can I call
from more than one country?
A. In some cases
Yes. As you look at each card a description of usage will be made
available. Generally world cards have the benefit and convenience of
being able to use one card in many countries. The rates do not tend to
be a good as 'country specific' card.
Q. Do I
need a 'touch tone' phone?
A. Yes. Most new
telephones are touch phones. If you pick up the handset and press any
number then you will here a sound, usually a tone or a clicking noise.
If it is a tone then there is a good chance you are using a 'touch tone'
phone. Some payphone needs to be told that you wish to use 'tones'. For
example in the UK you may need to enter a * after the access number to
switch on tones.
Q.
Might the rates change during the use of my card?
A. Most service
providers of phone cards reserve the right to change their rates without
prior notice. We will look to update our rate tables, within a few days
of being given official notification about these changes. We suggest
that if you want the exact latest rates then you check these with the
customer services number of the particular card in question. there is
however no guarantee that rate will remain the same. We find however
that rates changes are not frequent.
Q. Do
these cards expire ?
A. Yes. Cards tend
to expire a certain number of days after first use. Typically this might
be 90 days. We will display this information on the product page for
each card. When a card expires any unused balance is lost.
Q. Can I use the UK phone cards from Jersey and Guernsey ?
A. Yes, you can use
UK cards in Jersey and Guernsey. If in doubt, try calling the access
number from your location.
Q. Can
I use phone cards from a laptop?
A. No guarantees are made but we do have customers that use phone
cards with laptops. Care must be taken to set this up and we recommend
that you use high quality cards for data calls. Click
here to download laptop set-up guide (in Adobe .PDF format)
Q. How much
extra does it cost to phone a mobile phone in another country ?
A. If you plan on
phoning a mobile phone in another country please telephone the
appropriate Customer Services number to find out the current rate, or
email us on
sales@1st4phonecards.com.
Q. Can I use
these cards on my
mobile phone to call other countries, and if so how much extra does
it cost ?
A. Providing that
you have a good signal you can use these phone cards to call other
countries on your mobile phone. You may need to check with your mobile
phone provider the cost to 0845 numbers, but generally 0845 numbers are
charged like any other national call, which means that you will need to
add the mobile rate to your phone card rate. For example, on my mobile
phone I am charged 5p/min off peak (plus VAT). I would therefore add
this cost onto the phone card rate.
Q. How
do I actually use the cards?
A. You would
normally dial an access number (which might be a local number or a free
phone / toll free number). After dialing this number you will be asked
for your pin number which you then key into you phone. At this point
most cards will inform you of your remaining balance and ask you to dial
you phone number. You can normally make follow-on calls by typing ### or
*** or something similar. The specific keys for this will vary by card
and this information is shown on the card product page.
Q. If I
experience a problem with my card then who I speak
to?
A. Whilst the vast
majority of calls are made with ease and without problems, occasionally
you may experience a problem with your card to a particular location.
Each Phone card 'supplier/telco' have their own customer services who
can take a look at your specific card in the event of a problem. As we
are a reseller of phone cards we do not have access to your card
account. However, the customer services for your specific card will have
this information. They also have the ability to credit your card, e.g.
in the event of a call being prematurely terminated. If you experience
any problems with your card you should first call this number. If your
problems persist, or are not resolved, please contact us here at
sales@1st4phonecards.com,
with details of your problem.
Q. Do
you have to send me a card or can you just email me the details?
A. If you wish, we
can simply email you the details, access numbers and pin. this will
allow you to start using your card right away. For instance, we can
charge your credit card and you could be using these cheap rates within
minutes of receiving your email. If you need to contact us about an
order please email us at
sales@1st4phonecards.com.
Q. Am I
using a 'Secure Connection' when entering my credit card details?
A. Yes you are.
When you enter the area for placing your credit card details you will
normally notice that the URL changes from http:// to https:// and most
browsers will inform you of this. Because our site uses frames, to aid
navigation, you will not see this being displayed. If you right mouse
button click when in the credit card entry section and select properties
you will however see the 'https' should you wish to check this. We would
like to assure you that our credit card entry page is secure. See our
page on
Security.
Q. Do
you have a list of international country codes?
Yes.
Click here
Q: Will
they work from any touch tone phone.. home.. hotel.. etc?
A: As a rule,
for the countries listed, you may use from almost any touch tone phone.
There are no guarantees. E.g. In some countries certain hotels may place
a surcharge on free phone access. (some hotels may bar the access
number.. although this is rare it does happen).
The caller should check to see what they will get charged for calling
the access number.
