PHONE CARDS

[dcwfn]

Getting back to phone cards, we use sinocalling.com.

Rates are 2 cents to China and a penny a minute to anywhere else in the US. You can print a record of your calls and there are no other hidden charges. You can also program 3 phone numbers into their system so you will have pinless dialing. There are also 866 numbers if you are away from home. The calls are as clean as calling next door and we have never gotten a busy signal yet!

183084[/snapback]

It looks like we have some very, very good choices available from the card services some of you folks have mentioned.

[mercator]

Also, is it allright to use a highlighter to highlight the phone number on the records or would any of you advise against this?  My phone records are quite extensive and I would just like to my calls to China to stand out.

182893[/snapback]

Personally, unless I hear otherwise, I intend to do just that, highlight all the calls

182894[/snapback]

Ditto. Definitely. I use my work VOIP phone to call a local number (no local number here in the boonies), so the numbers don't match. My wife knows that number but my account and some of the calls were from my phone when the VOIP phone was down.

 

highlighter good...

[cosmiclobster]

Hi all. Amy just found a program called VBuzzer.com

It brings up a phone like keyboard and she has called China for free a few times with amazingly good quality!

I don't know if it will work for everyone or if you need to have VBuzzer at the other end but it's free!

Check it out if you are interested!

[ameriken]

Getting back to phone cards, we use sinocalling.com.

Rates are 2 cents to China and a penny a minute to anywhere else in the US. You can print a record of your calls and there are no other hidden charges. You can also program 3 phone numbers into their system so you will have pinless dialing. There are also 866 numbers if you are away from home. The calls are as clean as calling next door and we have never gotten a busy signal yet!

183084[/snapback]

how about rates from China to US? I want to have a good card so when I am there, I can call US, as well as allow her family to call at will.

 

Right now, I pay a total of .285 cents from PRC to US. As I mentioned earlier, I was told that the China govt surcharges 25 cents a minute, then .0385 cents for the phone card rate, totalling the .285.......know anything about this?

[wpc76180]

At the interview your SO will be very nervous and will likely 'go blank' when asked a curve ball question like "Where is your ....." but said in a way she did not hear before.  Let her hear the names, acronyms, and slang for all the documents several times.

182953[/snapback]

Of all the things we have talked about for the interview, this is the one thing my gut keeps telling me to focus on..........hearing what exactly that VO is saying to her..............

182964[/snapback]

I'm particularly worried about my SO trying to make sense

of the accents of the VO plus hearing thru that bullet-proof glass

plus trying to hear over the crowd buzzing in the waiting room.

[Randy W]

how about rates from China to US? I want to have a good card so when I am there, I can call US, as well as allow her family to call at will.

 

Right now, I pay a total of .285 cents from PRC to US. As I mentioned earlier, I was told that the China govt surcharges 25 cents a minute, then .0385 cents for the phone card rate, totalling the .285.......know anything about this?

183593[/snapback]

 

 

Ken - I started a thread a little while ago about a phone service which gives you a Chinese number. This was a very reasonable price (I think $25/per month), but apparently no one here has used it. Unfortunately, it's a full service phone co. (they intend for you to use this instead of your local phone co.), but you could always simply pay for two phone connections if you make enough calls for it to be worthwhile (we don't).

 

I'll see if I can find the thread and post a link to it.

 

 

A VoIP phone company

Edited January 17, 2006 by Randy W (see edit history)

[ameriken]

At the interview your SO will be very nervous and will likely 'go blank' when asked a curve ball question like "Where is your ....." but said in a way she did not hear before.  Let her hear the names, acronyms, and slang for all the documents several times.

182953[/snapback]

Of all the things we have talked about for the interview, this is the one thing my gut keeps telling me to focus on..........hearing what exactly that VO is saying to her..............

182964[/snapback]

I'm particularly worried about my SO trying to make sense

of the accents of the VO plus hearing thru that bullet-proof glass

plus trying to hear over the crowd buzzing in the waiting room.

183594[/snapback]

wpc.......What a coincidence that you posted this.......I just wrote a new post in the Chinese/ESL forum on this very thing, because I have the exact same concern.

You may want to follow it......see if we can learn something.......

[ameriken]

Getting back to phone cards, we use sinocalling.com.

Rates are 2 cents to China and a penny a minute to anywhere else in the US. You can print a record of your calls and there are no other hidden charges. You can also program 3 phone numbers into their system so you will have pinless dialing. There are also 866 numbers if you are away from home. The calls are as clean as calling next door and we have never gotten a busy signal yet!

183084[/snapback]

how about rates from China to US? I want to have a good card so when I am there, I can call US, as well as allow her family to call at will.

 

Right now, I pay a total of .285 cents from PRC to US. As I mentioned earlier, I was told that the China govt surcharges 25 cents a minute, then .0385 cents for the phone card rate, totalling the .285.......know anything about this?

183593[/snapback]

Ken,

 

Look at posts 9 and 10 this thread

183693[/snapback]

I dont know how I missed that. I think jet lag has caught up with me ! Thanks ! ! !

[dcwfn]

Xiahong found that a few days ago. It's VOIP downloaded on your computer. You use a headset and mic to call a standard phone in China. She says it is a very good connection, but there is a 90 minute limit per day. After CNY, the 'free' is supposed to go away and I have no idea what the fees will be.

183764[/snapback]

Can we get the CFL-BI to investigate that?

CFL.....Bureau of Investigation

[Joanne]

We don't have a fixed phone, so will always make call with our cell phone. Will that make a difference on the calling rate?

[Guest pushbrk]

We don't have a fixed phone, so will always make call with our cell phone.  Will that make a difference on the calling rate?

183837[/snapback]

Not unless you use extra cell phone minutes. I use my cell phone because it is a long distance call to the the dynasky server. No local number in my area. The services don't know or care what kind of phone is used to initiate the call.

[rlheim]

We don't have a fixed phone, so will always make call with our cell phone.  Will that make a difference on the calling rate?

183837[/snapback]

not for the cards I suggest from China to the Usa cell phones, in post #10. And the one for America to China it make very little difference, but there is some between cell and landline. Save the reciepts from both companies check it out for yourself and see costs nothing to check.

Rick