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Tips and News: last updated 03 August 2010


Here you will not only find price changes and new additions to our services but also  tips about using the Phonecards that may be useful and improve your calling experience. Don't forget to scroll down - there's a lot of information on this page. If you can't find what you are looking for, check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

Please help us to keep your buying experience enjoyable. If you discover any link that is not working, please inform us via the Contact Us page.

Latest News

25/11/2007
The ROYAL MAIL phonecard has been discontinued by the phone company. This will have no effect on your  purchases because we have ample stocks for the immediate future but any changes to the rates, terms and conditions of this phonecard may be implemeted by the phone company without notice. This is outside of our control..
Previous News

BT and Sky Talk access is cheaper for phonecards

 Please note that BT and Sky Talk have changed their charges and this may have an effect on the way you make your call - it many cases it will reduce the overall cost to you.

This means BT Together customers will pay just 5p for up to an hour on all evening and weekend calls made to anywhere in the UK. If the number is one nominated under the Friends and Family scheme, the cost of the call will be reduced by an extra 10 per cent. Sky talk customers will pay  5p for up to an hour on all evening calls and weekend calls will be FREE. Thus using the 020 or other regional access number will usually give the lowest cost for the international part of the call on the phonecard with just 5p or less charged to your phone bill for a call of up to 1 hour. If you need to talk longer you need to drop the line and call again before reaching 1 hour.

Continued ......

Better still, if you have Option 2 with BT  the first hour is free on all evening and weekend local and national calls, so use the 020 or other regional access number If you need to talk longer you need to drop the line and call again before reaching 1 hour.


Even better, if you have Option 3 you get the first hour free on all UK calls at any time of day, so use the 020 or other regional  access number at any time of day. If you need to talk longer you need to drop the line and call again before reaching 1 hour.

If you are not with BT or Sky Talk, check your line providers charges for calls to London because using the London 020 or other regional access may now be your cheapest overall cost of making a call with a phonecard.

 

Online Payments

We want your buying experience to be enjoyable - without any problems that cause annoying delays. To ensure that your transaction processes smoothly, please read this carefully and enter the requested information exactly as it is requested.

Your address must be the same address that your credit or debit card issuer sends your statement to - and it must be entered exactly as shown on your statement. Your postcode in particular must be entered in the exact format used on your statement. Your address and postcode MUST be entered in the correct boxes provided for them. There will be one box for your address and a separate box for your postcode.

Providing your details exactly match the banks records for you, your transaction should be processed without any problem.

 

 

Learn More:

All Phonecards have a time limit within which they must be consumed. If they are not consumed within this time, any credit left will be totally lost and cannot be recovered. Because of this, if you are not going to use the phonecard  immediately do NOT check your PIN  - otherwise the clock will start to count down! Most Phonecards have a 90 days expiry but a method of beating the expiry date is to buy 4x £5 cards instead of a £20 card. This will allow you to have 4x 90 day consecutive expiry countdowns instead of a single 90 day countdown. If this is inconvenient you should choose the Royal Mail Phonecard because it has a full 12 months expiry.

  • Access numbers and Customer Services numbers are available 24 hours a day at www.AccessNumbers.co.uk .
  • Most Phonecards allow you to make follow on calls without having to redial and enter the PIN each time. With IDT cards you simply  dial ### without hanging up. With Telco Phonecards you dial ##.
  • If you use the same phone line each time you make a call, you can conveniently have the PIN remembered so that you do not need to enter the PIN each time. To save PIN to the phone line you are using enter *5 (star 5) and to cancel PIN enter *9 (star 9).
  • Football and Racing News is available if you are using IDT Phonecards. Just call the number 0800 027 2207.
     

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

  1. Dial the access number.

  2. Listen to the message.

  3. Enter the PIN.

  4. Enter destination number including full international or area code.

Access numbers are available at www.AccessNumbers.co.uk

 

IDT Europe have introduced new services on all their UK prepaid phonecards. The first new service will allow our customers to receive updates on football and racing news at any time. This service is being supplied by TEAMtalk.com (Sporting Life).

By dialling the allocated 0800 TEAMtalk access number, customers can get the latest sports news for only 20p per minute.


Access Numbers - What are they and what's the difference?

There are different access numbers with most Phonecards and they all have a different effect on the rate you will pay. You can "mix n' match" the access numbers to obtain the best rate for your situation.

Generally, for use from the UK, there are 3 different types of access numbers for each Phonecard. A Freephone 0800 number, a  London 020 or other regional number and local rate 0845 number.

If you use the Freephone 0800 access number, all of the call at a slightly higher rate is charged to the Phonecard with nothing charged to your regular phone bill. To obtain the lowest rate for the international part of the call, you need to use one of the following numbers.

If you use the 0845 access number: International call is charged to the Phonecard + a local call charged to your regular phone bill.  If you have free calls on your phone line, this number will NOT count as a free call - you need too use the  020 or regional number to take advantage of free calls. RECOMMENDED USE IS FROM NON BT LINES THAT DO NOT HAVE FREE TALK TIME.

If you use the 020 or other regional access number from a either a landline or mobile phone: International call is charged to the Phonecard + a regular UK call is charged to your mobile phone bill BUT FREE IF YOU HAVE FREE TIME! If you are using a mobile phone it is ESSENTIAL to use only the 020 or other regional access number. BT  customers usually pay just 5p or less for up to an hour on all evening and weekend calls made to anywhere in the UK.

If you use the Freephone 0800 access number from a PAYPHONE: All of the call is charged to the Phonecard at the higher Payphone Rate. Please note that with some Phonecards you need to use a special payphone freephone number from a payphone to obtain the cheapest rate.

GLOBAL freephone numbers:  With certain Phonecards only, these can be used to make calls from other countries.  Surcharges apply if used from outside the UK.

CALLS FROM A PHONE THAT IS BARRED FROM MAKING INTERNATIONAL CALLS
Even if your phone is barred from making international calls - You can still make international calls using our Phonecards! You are calling a UK number to connect to the international service - the international part of the call is charged to the phonecard.

CALLS FROM A HOTEL
Hotels are expensive to call from so it makes sense to use a Phonecard providing that the hotel has not blocked 0800 numbers from use on their phones. Most hotels do not block 0800 numbers if you have access to a line direct from the phone (not via an operator/receptionist). Some may charge for 0800 so you need to check first. If they do still charge, either use the 0845 access number or use a Payphone, whichever is cheaper or more convenient.

TO RECAP

020 access from a landline if your landline allows inclusive free calls = international call charged to the Phonecard +  FREE ACCESS IF YOUR CONTRACT ALLOWS FREE CALLS to 020 or other regional numbers! If your contract allows free calls to 020 or other regional  numbers or calls up to 1 hour for 5p or less, this will be your cheapest option.

020 or other regional access from a mobile phone = international call charged to the Phonecard + a regular UK call charged to your mobile phone bill BUT FREE IF YOU HAVE FREE TALK TIME!  Please note that it is a UK call charged to your mobile phone (it is a UK number) - the international call is charged to your phonecard. Only a London or other regional  number will show on your mobile phone bill.

0845 access = international call charged to the Phonecard + a local call charged to your regular phone bill. Only a UK number will show on your phone bill. There will be no reference to the international call on your phone bill.

If you use a mobile phone you MUST only use 020 or other regional access unless your mobile service provider allows 0800 calls free.

0800 access = All of the call at a higher price charged to the Phonecard with nothing charged to your regular phone bill. Please note that most mobile phone service providers DO NOT allow 0800 calls free, they charge for them.

PAYPHONE  RATE = This is the rate if using 0800 access from a UK Payphone, all of the call is charged to the Phonecard. This rate is inclusive of the payphone surcharge. Please remember that with some Phonecards you need to use a special payphone freephone number from a payphone to obtain the cheapest rate.

This page is based upon information that we are aware of at the time of publication. We do not  accept liability for errors, inaccuracies or service changes made by your line provider. To ensure that this information is up to date and accurate you should check your line provider's charges.


Connection, Completion and Service Charges. What are they?

Some Phonecards have a connection charge that often allows a lower rate per minute. If a connection charge is shown, this is charged for  every call upon connection. This type of card is best used for long, uninterrupted calls. If you make short calls or often get disconnected, a Phonecard without the connection charge may advisable.

Some Phonecards have a call completion charge that often allows a lower rate per minute. If a call completion charge is shown, this is charged for  every call upon call completion. This type of card is best used for long, uninterrupted calls. If you make short calls or often get disconnected, a Phonecard without the call completion charge may advisable.

Some Phonecards have a daily service charge. If a daily charge is shown, this is charged after your first call. This will then be deducted daily regardless of whether or not a call has been made on that day. If the card is totally consumed with a single call there is no daily charge.

Some Phonecards have a monthly service charge. If a monthly charge is shown, this is charged on a particular date each month. This will then be deducted monthly regardless of whether or not a call has been made during that month. If the card is totally consumed with a single call there is no monthly charge.

If you do not want to incur any of the above charges, a Phonecard without the extra charges may advisable such as the Royal Mail Phonecard.

GLOBAL Phonecards can be used from other countries. Surcharges apply if used from outside the UK.

News Archives.

25/11/2007
The ROYAL MAIL phonecard has been discontinued by the phone company. This will have no effect on your purchases because we have ample stocks for the immediate future but any changes to the rates, terms and conditions of this phonecard may be implemeted by the phone company without notice. This is outside of our control.

25/10/2007
IDT have resolved the technical problems they recently had with some of their phonecards.

20/10/2007
IDT have technical problems with some of their phonecards. If you find that you have experienced a problem, please contact us for advice.

04/10/2006
Tawag Na rates updated
Unity rates updated
AsiaCall rates updated

04/09/2006
Extra minutes to Philippines with Tawag Na card. Now 82 minutes for £5.

27/07/2006
IMPORTANT - PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE ROYAL MAIL PHONE CARD HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED BY THE PHONE COMPANY. THIS WILL HAVE NO EFFECT ON YOUR CURRENT PURCHASE BUT MEANS THAT ONCE OUR CURRENT STOCKS HAVE BEEN TOTALLY CONSUMED, THE ROYAL MAIL PHONE CARD WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE.

07/06/2006

HOT DESTINATION - ITALY
Using IDTeurope phonecard £5 buys 5000 minutes using 0845 access     £5 buys 714 minutes using 020 access

20/02/2006 Our call rates by country pages have been updated and show recent rate changes, many of which have reduced.

06/02/2006  Our call rates by phonecard pages have been updated and show recent rate changes, many of which have reduced.

06/02/2006 The Number One phonecard has been suspended by the manufacturers. It may become available again at a later date. Please check our call rates pages for an alternative phonecard.

01/02/2006 The Nice One phonecard has been discontinued by the manufacturers and is no longer available.