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Phonecards

April 20, 1996


Issue 29

Phonecards On-Line is written and distributed by Alan Cohen


News and Views

Administrative Note

The subscriber list is now over 500 - I need to look for a service again to handle the list, it now takes more time to mail than to write! If anyone out there has any recommendations, PLEASE e-mail me!

Personal Note

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be relocating back to the West Coast this summer - Probably around August 1. I have spent 4 long years away from Los Angeles, it will be nice to finally move back home!

Binghamton Show Report

The last Binghamton show was a real disappointment. There were a number of factors that contributed to making the show a bust

  1. The weather was terrible! It was pouring rain all day, which probably kept many people away
  2. There was a poetry reading at the Metro Center that day, and it took place where the show is usually held. This meant that the card dealers were shoved back in the food court. We later found out that there were no signs directing the show regulars to the food court, so collectors saw the poetry reading and turned around.
There were very few people browsing the show, and even fewer collectors. Over the course of the day I did get to speak with a few people, there was probably one person who I turned into a phonecard collector (He came back to my table 5 times) but other than that, not much to report. I will be attending a couple of other shows over the next month, and will give the Metro Center another try next month

Expensive Dinner

There has been a lot of discussion about a benefit dinner this April at the Telecard World '96 show in Atlanta. The USTA (United States Telecard Association) announced that the cost for this dinner would be $180 for members, and $200 for non-members. The USTA is a volunteer organization, and I support their mission to standardize the large and sometimes chaotic phonecard industry in the US. It has been my opinion as well as others that the USTA caters to telephone companies and issuers. This $200 price tag for dinner puts things in perspective.

A memo released acknowledged that the $200 price tag was a mistake, and it would not be repeated. It also stressed that they were interested in reaching out to collectors. I remain hopeful, but skeptical.

NECTA / NAPCA

This weekend in Albany, NY, The NECTA (North East Corridor Trade Association) phonecard show will occur at the Clifton Country Mall. Yours truly will be there, it should be a very fun weekend. Out of this show has developed the potential for a new collector's organization. Originally called NECTA, it became quickly apparent that the name would have to change. Currently, the name NAPCA is being used (North American Phonecard Collectors Association) There will be a breakfast this Sunday, and some ideas about what this organization represents and what it hopes to accomplish will be tossed around. I will give a full report of the show and of this organization in next week's newsletter. Dues for joining will only be $15 a year, or at least that is what they are currently. There really will be a lot more information available next week!

Concerning the show, if you are anywhere within driving distance of Albany NY, come on down! The show will be held during mall hours Saturday and Sunday. A number of dealers will be there, so if anything, it will be fun to see so many phonecards in one room. The show will be held in conjunction with a sportscard show, so there should be a built in collector crowd. See you there!

Pepsi Postage

It was brought to my attention that the Pepsi offer is not as sweet as it sounds. Here are the postage rates for cards:

Taking into account that each card is 35 points, an order of 10 cards would mean $8 in postage. Assuming that only 20 points were redeemed, and the rest were purchased at a dime apiece, this would make each card cost $4.10, and the phone time on the card would actually cost 27.3 cents per minute. Again, an okay rate, but do take postage into account. I will most likely be ordering 20 cards, which means the cost will be lower. If you order less than 3, it may pay to buy from a dealer, or acquire as many Pepsi points as possible to overcome the high postage rates. Also, a reader wrote that the cards expire 12/31/96.

Listserv Correction

Last week I noted that a phonecard listserv exists. I gave incorrect instructions on how to log on. You need to send an e-mail message to:

mailserver@lists.funet.fi and then in the body of the message type

SUBSCRIBE PHONECARDS (Your Name)

Sorry for the incorrect information, the request to include this information came across my desk (or e-mail account, which is more accurate) as I was concluding the newsletter, and should have done more research into how to actually subscribe.

Video Experience

Last week I walked into my local record store, and noticed the sign was still up for a Pocohontas phonecard. I decided to buy another copy, after all, there must be someone who has not purchased it and could use it as a gift. Besides, when I originally purchased the video last November, I did it at a Mall one hour away, and still have not gone over and picked up my video. I asked if the cards were still available, and the clerk said yes. Something amazing happened - He gave me two cards! This had never happened before, they were always so strict about one card per person. I told the clerk that I collected the cards, and really appreciated getting two instead of one. He then asked me if I wanted a Beatles card as well - I could not believe it! He said that this card was never given out. I walked away with three phonecards.

Utility Adult Theme Cards

I received an e-mail message from a former Ithacan, so I had to mention their product in the newsletter. This company, Breathless, produces adult theme phonecards (Nothing you would not see in a magazine like Playboy) at utility rates, 24 cents per minute. I won't show one of their cards at the Card Mall web site, but if you want to see what they offer, their web address is:

http://www.breathless.com

They do have some non-adult phonecards as well.

Pacific Bell

Pacific Bell's Tiger & Whale cards ($5 & $10 respectively) pictured in Moneycard Collector's April 1996 issue are now available through their order line. (800) 600-0094. They were previously only available at machines at Marine World/Africa USA in Northern California.

From: Randy Bowden

Current Co. Phone Cards

Just received my Carol Wright pak today. In it, was a ad for Current Co., who makes all types of checks. On the ad, it states, 10 minutes of Long Distance Phone Time FREE with 1st order. There is a small picture of the card, and it has on it a large snow covered mountain, and at the bottom left corner, it says "Current".

The ad also says, this is an introductory offer, prices available for first- time orders; phone orders are not accepted.

(ed. note - I do not have information on how to contact Current, but they usually advertise in the coupon section of the Sunday paper)

From: Theresa McCandless

Baseball Giveaways

Sports Collectors Digest's latest issue lists all the Major League Baseball giveaway days in 1996. I found the list to be quite a disappointment for the phone and smart card collectors. Here's the list of teams, dates and money card giveaways:

Toronto Blue Jays

Florida Marlins

Atlanta Braves

From: Seth Marlowe

Until Next week, Happy Collecting,

Alan

Distribution

Phonecards On-Line is written and distributed by Alan Cohen. It is a weekly newsletter devoted to phonecards - Current news, viewpoints, and reviews of new issues. It is distributed free of charge, and available two ways.

1) On-Line on the World Wide Web. The address is: http://www.cardmall.com

2) Direct e-mail. Send a message to: phoneline@cardmall.com

If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, or find yourself with two subscriptions (It does happen), please reply to the ORIGINAL message that was sent to you - This will assist me in removing your name