Small Business Online

If you make international business trips and carry a laptop computer than PC-to-Phone service is a great way to stay connected while on the road. As long as you have an INTERNET connection, you can make cheap international calls from any location to other computers or to any phone in the world. Calls to other computers using the same PC-to-Phone software are often Free while there is a charge for placing calls to phones (landlines or cell phones). The rates vary depending on the country and the type of phone called but rates are much lower than those charged by international hotels or long distance carriers. PC-to-Phone service is also popular with students, expats and people who operate small businesses with an international focus.

PC-to-Phone service providers continue to add new features that make their product more flexible and convenient to use. For example, Skype, one of the most popular PC-to-Phone service providers, offers free calls to other Skype users and the following added features.

• Low rates on calls to landlines and cell phones.
• An online phone number so people can reach you on Skype from any phone.
• The ability to send text messages from Skype.
• A built in Voice Mail feature so calls are never missed.
• Call forwarding that forwards incoming calls to a regular phone when the user is off-line.
• Mobile applications so Skype can be used from Mobile Phones.

Skype has continued to innovate and add features in order to broaden the appeal of their service.

We think Skype is a great option for people who want to make free calls to other Skype users. However, Skype’s international rates on calls to landlines and cell phones are not as low as other cheap international calling options. In addition to a per-minute charge for each call, Skype also charges a connection fee for each call made to a land-line or cell phone. In order to evaluate the relative cost of making international calls to landlines or cell phones with Skype, we compared the international rates charged by Skype to those charged by Tel3Advantage for the same call from the USA. Tel3Advantage was selected for this comparison since it is a high quality prepaid calling plan that can be used to make low cost domestic or international long distance calls from any phone without changing companies and it is very popular with those who make frequent international calls from the USA or Canada.

We compared Skype published rates (excluding their connection fee) to those charged by Tel3Advantage to the following popular destinations.

In many cases, the rates charged on international calls to mobile phones are substantially higher than the rate charged for the same call to a land-line. Therefore, when making international calls, callers should take care and read the fine print so they fully understand the rate charged for making a call to the type of phone they plan to call or they may receive an unpleasant surprise. In most cases, rates on international calls to mobile phones are higher than they are for calls to landlines but this is not always the case. The rate difference varies between countries and service providers so it is best to shop around in order to find the lowest cost product for making calls to the country and type of phone you wish to call.

We did some research on this topic by comparing the rates charged by Tel3Advantage, a popular prepaid calling plan, on international calls to mobile phones and landlines in various countries. We found there were some regional patterns to the data but no consistent rules. The following is a summary of our key observations.

• The rate charged on calls to mobile phones is substantially higher than they would be for the same call to a land-line. This seemed to be a typical pattern. Especially for international calls made to countries located in Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East. However, there were exceptions so callers should check the countries they wish to call before making any conclusions. Some popular locations where the rates charged on international calls to mobile phones are significantly higher than they are to landlines: Brazil, France, Italy, Mexico and the UK. For example, a call to a mobile phone in Italy from the USA costs 14.7 cents per-minute while a call to a land-line costs 1.8 cents per-minute.

• In some cases, the rate charged on calls to mobile phones were the same as those charged to landlines. Many of these locations were in Asia but there were many exceptions. We discovered the following popular destinations: Bermuda, China, India and Thailand.

• We also found cases where international calls to mobile phones where cheaper than calls to landlines. This is true on calls to the following popular destinations: Cuba, Egypt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Syria and Uzbekistan. In most cases, the difference in cost is small. For example, the rate charged for an international call to a mobile phone in Egypt is 9.4 cents per-minute while the charge for the same call to a land-line is 9.8 cents.

International callers should shop around for the best deal when deciding on a product to use for making cheap international calls. They should recognize that rates can vary significantly between countries and the type of phone they wish to call. It may be prudent to use one product for making calls to cell phones and another product to make calls to landlines. There are a wide selection of phone cards and other prepaid calling products to choose from so most callers can find substantial savings by shopping for the product that best fits their needs.

Tel3Advantage offers some of the cheapest rates on international calls to Costa Rica. The rate is only 2.8 cents per-minute for the first 30 days if a new customer signs up under the Tel3Advantage Triple Promo. This rate includes all fees and taxes. The same low rate applies to calls to cell phones or land-lines and there are no restrictions. In addition, new customers get up to 321 Free Minutes as a bonus when they open a new account.

Tel3Advantage prepaid long distance is also a safe option since it offers one of the most popular international calling plans in North America. They have been in business for over 15 years and have more than 100,000 active customers. The also have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. It can be used to make cheap long distance (domestic or international) from any phone in Canada or the USA without changing phone companies. It is simple to use since there is no need to dial account numbers or PIN codes when making a call. There are no long term contracts or maintenance fees. Simply use the service as much or as little as you like and only pay for the minutes used. Tel3Advatage also provides customers with a free on-line account where they can make changes to their account and monitor account activity. Up to 10 phones can be linked to one account so the same account can be used with your home, cell or business phones.

Tel3Advantage offers the lowest rates to Costa Rica and other popular destinations.

If you make international calls to China from the USA or Canada than this may be of interest to you. Tel3Advantage announced recently that they have lowered their rates for international calls to China from North America from 1.7 to 1.32 cents-per-minute. This rate includes all fees and taxes if the caller uses a local access number when placing the call. A 1 cent-per-minute surcharge is added if the caller uses the Tel3Advantage toll free access number to make the call. It is not hard to avoid the surcharge since Tel3 has a wide network of local access numbers. Calls can be made from any kind of telephone, including mobile phones and hotel or business phones. Tel3Advantage now has the lowest rates on international calls to China from North America.

It is possible to get a lower rate on international calls for the first 30 days if a new customer opens an account using the Tel3Advantage Triple Promo offer. The rate on calls to China for the first 30 days using this offer is only 1 cent-per-minute and the new customer can also get up to 900 free minutes as a sign-up bonus. Visit Tel3Advantage Triple Promo for details or call 800 441 0321.

The 2009 Tel3Advantage Christmas phone card promotion is in progress. During this promotion new customers who sign-up for the Tel3Advantage Flex Plan will get twice the normal sign-up bonus. It is free to open an account and all a new customer needs to do to qualify for the bonus is make an initial deposit. The amount of the bonus depends on the amount deposited but it ranges from $2 to $18. The bonus can be used to make free domestic and international calls to any location in the world. If you plan to make any international calls from North America this holiday season than you should sign-up for Tel3, get their holiday bonus and try one of the best quality prepaid long distance services in North America. Find out why Tel3 has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and more than 100,000 satisfied customers. Visit Tel3Advantage for details or call 800 441 0321 and ask for the Christmas promo.

The UK is one of the most popular calling destinations from the USA and Canada. It is also one of the lowest cost destinataions. It is relatively easy to find an international prepaid calling plan or high quality phone card with rates of 1 or 2 cents per-minute on calls from North America to UK land-lines but cell phones are another mater. Typical rates on calls to UK cell phones range from 10 cents per-minute to 25 cents per-minute or more. Even Vonage World, which boasts free calls to the UK, lists a 28 cent per-minute rate on calls to UK cell phones. Not exactly free, especially when one adds in taxes and other fees.

We have done some research and found that there are some options for making cheap calls to UK cell phones. It appears that the best options involve the use of prepaid phone cards or other prepaid calling products. One option is Tel3Advantage which charges only 10.5 cents per-minute (triple promo rate) on calls from the USA or Canada to cell phones in the UK. Tel3advantage does not charge added fees or taxes so this is an all inclusive rate if a local access number is used to place the call. Another good option is the Simply international phone card. It lists a rate of 11.4 cents per-minute but it does charge service and maintenance fees so all costs should be taken into account when making a decision.

These are both good options for making cheap calls to UK cell phones which could save callers a significant amount of money over the holiday season.

With the Holiday Season fast approaching, a perfect gift for a friend or loved one who is far away may be the gift of a phone card. A phone card gift card can be delivered to any location in the world instantly via e-mail and there is no tax, duty or delivery fee. A phone card gift card is very easy to purchase and is a useful gift, even for the person who has everything.

A gift card can be purchased in any amount (from $5 to $100) and the recipient can trade it in for any phone card they want. So they can choose the best phone card for their needs from a vast range of phone cards including those with a global reach and a full range of special features.

Purchasing a gift card is easy. Once you complete a gift card purchase you will receive an email containing a PIN number and a link – all that is needed for a phone card to be selected and activated. Just send this information to your friend or loved one and they can choose the phone card they want. It is that easy.

Visit Phone Cards International to review a full range of international phone cards and choose the gift card option if you would like to send a special gift to a friend or loved one this holiday season.

Making international phone calls from France or other European countries to the USA has never been easier or cheaper. As consumer prices continue to climb the cost of making international phone calls continue to drop. This is the result of increased competition and advances in technology. It is now possible to make free international calls using PC-to-Phone service or other INTERNET based technologies like VoIP phone service from nearly any location in the world.

The advent of the INTERNET has no doubt had an impact on international calling rates but, even without competition from the INTERNET, the cost of making international phone calls has been dropping. This has been partially due to improvements in technology but a major factor has been industry deregulation which has dramatically increased competition by allowing new companies to enter the market. There is now a wide variety of international phone cards that can be used to make cheap calls from home, business or cell phones in more than 230 countries. The quality and convenience of these prepaid products have continued to improve as the cost continues to decline.

Another interesting product that can be used to make cheap international calls from nearly any location in the world is international callback. By using international callback phone service, cheap international calls can be made from any country by routing the phone call through a low cost third country. This can save international callers in some countries a lot of money. Especially those countries that keep artificially high international rates by not allowing competition. There are still many countries that route international calls through local, monopoly phone companies and international rates from these countries can be extremely high. International callback is a great way to save money when making calls from these countries.

Making cheap calls from France and the rest of Europe is easy because the market is mostly deregulated and there are many products to choose from. We especially like prepaid phone cards because they offer good value and ultimate convenience. They can be used while traveling to make calls from land-lines or cell phones and can be used to make cheap calls from hotels. Another option is PC-to-Phone service if a high speed INTERNET connection is available. There are many options for making cheap international calls these days, the best and cheapest option typically depends on the technology available to the user and the location where the caller expects to use the products.

Tel3 announced a special Thanksgiving new customer promotion today that will last through November 30, 2009. During this promo new customers who sign-up for the Tel3Advantage Flex Plan will get double the normal sign-up bonus. So people who sign-up and deposit as little as $10 will have from $2 to $18 added to their accounts. They can use this money to make free calls to any location in the world. Those who are interested in this promotion need to visit the following sign-up page, Tel3Advantage Promo, or call 800 441 0321 and provide the customer service rep with the event code “DOUBLE4YOU“.

Tel3Advantage has another on-going promotion that is referred to as the Triple Bonus. new customers who sign-up under the triple bonus get a lower cash bonus but they save 30% or more on all of their calls for the first 30 days. Visit Tel3 Triple Bonus for more information or call 800 441 0321 and ask for the Triple Bonus.

Which Tel3Advantage bonus is best for you?? The best option depends on where you plan to call and how much you plan to talk during the first 30 days. For most people the Double Bonus is the best option because they get up to $18 added to their account that can be used to make calls at any time in the future. However, the Tel3 Advantage Triple Bonus is a better option for some people. These people will get a smaller bonus (up to $9) but they save 30% or more on calls for the first 30 days. This is the best option for people who want to make long duration calls to a relatively expensive location. Study both options and choose the one that works best for you.

Many people want to make cheap international calls to cell phones and there are several options available today. The best or cheapest option depends on several factors so one option is not the best for every caller. Things like the location of the caller, the destination called and the type of phone the caller intends to use (land line, INTERNET or cell phone) are all important factors to consider when shopping for the international service. Most people are looking for an option that is high quality, cheap and convenient to use so we reviewed the pros and cons of a few popular options. These included two International VoIP calling plans, a PC-to-Phone service, a popular prepaid long distance phone service and a high quality phone card. The results of our review are presented below.

Several VoIP service providers now advertise that they include free international calls to several countries with their phone service. Vonage and Lingo offer two of the most popular VoIP services. In most cases, the free calls included with these plans are to landlines not cell phones, as shown later; in most cases, international calls to cell phones are not cheap with these plans. Vonage indicates that they include free calls to 60 countries with their new Vonage World plan and Lingo advertises that free calls to 75 countries are included with their Lingo World Max service. Vonage charges around $32.60 per month (including taxes and fees) for their service and Lingo charges about $31 per month (including fees and taxes). In addition to the monthly service fees, users also need to pay for a high-speed INTERNET connection so neither service is actually free. Both calling plans also require a service contract (Lingo requires 2 years and Vonage requires 1 year) and charge an early termination fee if a customer chooses to stop using the service, so they are not a convenient option for short-term users. However, both phone services are good quality and one of them may be a good deal for those who want low cost home phone service and the ability to make frequent international calls to one or more of the countries covered by their plans.

Skype offers a very popular personal computer based phone service. It can be used to make free PC-to-PC calls worldwide so it is very popular with students, international business travelers and expats living around the world. Skype can also be used as a PC-to-Phone service where users can make calls to landlines or cell phones from their PC but there is a fee for this service. As shown later, Skype PC-to-Phone rates are not that cheap and Skype is not a very convenient option since calls are made from a PC so we believe there are better and cheaper options for making international calls to cell phones.

Prepaid long distance is another option so we examined the Tel3Advantage Flex Plan, which is one of the most popular prepaid plans in North America. It can be used to make cheap long distance calls from any phone (cell, home, business or pay phone) in Canada and the USA. It is a popular service for making cheap international calls because it is convenient to use, offers some of the lowest rates and does not require a monthly fee or contract.

We wanted to compare the above options with the rates offered by a high quality phone card so we chose the Continental Phone Card. It can be used to make cheap calls from over 60 countries and is one of the most versatile phone cards on the market. It has low fees relative to other phone cards but it does charge a 15% tax (surcharge) on calls so we include this in the per-minute rates listed in the Table below. The continental card is a virtual phone card that can be used from any kind of phone. Customers get a free on-line account where they can monitor activity and make changes to their account so it is a viable long or short-term option.

We have summarized the rates charged each minute for calls originating from the USA using the options listed above in the following table. We randomly selected a variety of popular destinations in order to compare rates to different regions of the world. Note that Tel3Advantage offers rates that are similar to phone cards on calls to cell phones in most locations while both VoIP service providers and Skype charge significantly higher rates.