Phonecards On-Line - Published by Alan H. Cohen

June 7, 1998


Issue 128

Current Circulation: 2,900+


Phonecards On-Line is Published by Alan Cohen


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In This Issue:

NEWS / COMMENTARIES

Long Beach Show

The June 1998 Long Beach show is now history. As always, it was a worthwhile event for phonecard collectors and dealers. Unfortunately, I was only able to spend a few hours there on Thursday, as I got very ill and had to leave (I am still recovering!) I missed the Thursday night dinner. I hope to hear from one of the participants how that went, and report that in a later issue. Traffic at the show seemed slower than it has been on previous Thursdays, but the phonecard tables were very active. Overall, the phonecard presence has stayed the same over the past couple of years, but the number of other collectibles dealers has declined. There was literally no sportscards presence at the show at all, phonecard dealers might have actually outnumbered the sportscards dealers. The next show is scheduled for September, 1998. More on that as the summer progresses.

PRESS RELEASES

John Kirby Transplant Fund Card

**THEME OF CARD: The card features a healthy John Kirby and his wife Betty holding each other on the dance floor at their daughter Kathy Dobbels wedding. They are set against a gradient gray background. Two red roses are in the upper right and The John Kirby Transplant Fund is written in the upper left. This very special card was donated to the fund by Tell-One and comes in a clear plastic clamshell package attached to an informational insert donated by PCI. The insert card that the heart is attached to tells a little about John Kirby and the back tells of a fabulous organization, Coalition on Donation.

The Coalition on Donation is not associated with The John Kirby Fund and does not endorse or support any individual transplant fund. This organization's information is included to aid in your understanding and allow you to readily obtain information concerning organ and tissue donation. You can see this very special card here:

http://www.angelfire.com/fl/pcicom/johnkirbyfund.html

**STORY BEHIND THE CARD: This card is designed to bring to light the opportunity every individual has to change the life of another human being. The goal is to ensure that everyone understands the need for organ and tissue donation. John Kirby needs the opportunity to be with his family and just one person, maybe someone you know, could make a difference. This card is offered, for a donation, to help with the enormous costs associated with a surgical procedure and dialysis that John must endure every week of his life while waiting for a kidney that can return to his life some semblance of normalcy. Not to mention provide you with a beautiful collector phone card.

Many people have taken the first step and become donors but5did you realize that if you do not share your decision with your family and friends your decision may go unheeded. Your family must be aware of your decision and agree to it when asked.

CARD INFO:

As you can see, there are very few of these available and I do not expect them to last long. This card represents kindness. Show you have a heart and I will send you one in return. Reserve your Special Edition Kirby Heart Phone Card today. Please remember55..all checks and money orders must be made out directly to the fund. PCI Communications pays all shipping charges anywhere in the world!!!

For more details, contact Lee Grove at lg7550@bellsouth.net

Illusions Hair Design 20th Anniversary

To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Illusions Hair Design, 100 phonecards were produced and will be given away at the salon to customers via a drawing. The card is black and white, with ten minutes of phone time on the card by Cable & Wireless. For further information, contact Gazelle Telecard at (206) 935-3576, or via e-mail metalcore@aol.com

AT&T Canada News

Mississauga, ON, May 29, 1998--Phonetime International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Beverly Glen Capital Corp. (CDN:BGCC), announced today that AT&T Canada Long Distance Services Company has moved approximately 10 million minutes of prepaid phonecard time to Phonetime's switching platform and call centre.

AT&T Canada's traffic on Phonetime's network will be worth between $2 million and $5 million in revenue in the next two years, according to Wayne Silver, Phonetime International's Vice-President. "AT&T Canada's decision to use Phonetime's switching platform confirms the decision we have made in owning our own technology to serve this fast growing industry," said Silver. "The AT&T Canada relationship also advances Phonetime's credibility as one of Canada's leading phonecard companies, when one of Canada's premier telecommunications companies routes their network traffic through our prepaid phonecard switch and customer service facility."

"Phonetime is one of the few companies in Canada with its own high capacity prepaid telephone switching platform and call centre, which is one of the reasons AT&T Canada moved its traffic to us," Silver added. Phonetime recently invested more than $250,000 in a new, state-of-the-art high capacity switch manufactured by Voiceware Industries of West Palm Beach, Florida. With the new AT&T Canada traffic, Silver said that Phonetime would again double capacity and has invested an additional $100,000 in infrastructure. Earlier this month, Phonetime opened its own call centre, where Phonetime's staff provide customer service 24 hours per day, seven days per week to both Phonetime and AT&T Canada customers. When fully configured, Phonetime's switch will handle in excess of 10 million minutes per month of long distance traffic. In addition, Phonetime has connected its switching platform to the Internet to provide its wholesale customers with access to the platform for the enhancement of their own customer service.

"This agreement is a significant moment for Phonetime," Silver said. "We started in the phonecard business at its inception in Canada in 1994. We have acquired other prepaid long distance companies such as Call Select, developed relations with major retailers, produced promotional phonecards for some of Canada's largest companies and can now service large-scale retail/business phonecard programs such as AT&T Canada's. In the next few years we intend to be an industry consolidator as we grow our wholesale business and acquire additional prepaid long distance companies."

Contact: Wayne Silver - Vice President
E-mail: waynes@products.com
Web Site: www.pproducts.com
Phone: 905-629-2606 - ext 304
Fax: 905-629-1982

Mobil Go Card News

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 1998--Mobil Corp. announced Wednesday the expansion of the Mobil GO Card for MCI long distance telephone service as well as food and fuel after the overwhelmingly successful market test last year in St. Louis, Mo.

The multi-functional prepaid card will be available at participating Mobil stations and retail store locations nationwide.

Mobil designed this strategic alliance with MCI Communications to combine a convenient long distance calling card feature with its successful prepaid GO Card. The Mobil GO Card will allow customers to make long distance calls from any phone in the U.S. -- public or private, touch-tone or rotary -- to virtually anywhere in the world.

Faster and more convenient than cash or credit, customers using the card at Mobil locations can pay right at the pump or at the register for gas, food, or repairs, with nothing to sign and no waiting for change. The Mobil GO Card will be offered in $25, $50, and $100 denominations. When the value is depleted, customers can call and "re-charge" the GO Card for future use.

"Our customers have told us that they want fast, convenient purchases," said Lenn Eason, Mobil's North America Marketing & Refining Credit Card Manager. "Mobil has been offering the popular GO Card, a prepaid card for gasoline, products, and services at Mobil stations. With this agreement, we now offer phone, food, and fuel all in one stop. It's another exciting way Mobil is creating a better buying experience for our customers."

"The combination of Mobil and MCI in the retail prepaid card market is an ideal match and a win for consumers," said Charles Wiggs, Executive Director and General Manager, MCI PrePaid. "Distribution of the Mobil GO Cards at convenient Mobil locations makes them easy for anyone to purchase, and Mobil's selection of MCI ensures that long distance customers will receive the highest quality network and consumer service in the industry today."

MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's largest and fastest growing diversified communications companies. Under the terms of the multi-million dollar agreement with Mobil, MCI will provide a complete range of advanced services including network transmission, 24 hour-a-day, 7 day-a-week multi-lingual customer support, and marketing materials.

Mobil Corp. is a leading oil, natural gas, and petrochemicals company with operations in more than 140 countries. The company markets gasoline in 28 states and the District of Columbia through more than 7,700 branded service stations.

For more news and information about Mobil, please see us on the World Wide Web at http://www.mobil.com/news.

PROMOTIONAL OFFERS

Clickin Survey

I just received the following info:

Does NASCAR racing get your wheels spinning? Then, I'd like to invite you to share your thoughts and opinions in a new Clickin survey activity called "Start Your Engines" at http://www.clickin.com/survey/survey86.cfml.

Pre-paid Clickin phone cards will be sent to all participants who complete this survey activity.

From: Brian Chanin

Burger King / Bell Atlantic

A flyer in my Bell Atlantic phone bill has a $15 prepaid phone card for sale. With the purchase you get $3 in "Burger King Gift Certificates". The card has a row of 3 pictures on the top half. 2 of which are face portraits of Melrose Place type young people. In the middle is a picture of French Fries inside a french fry holder with Burger King logo and a picture of a Big Whopper. The bottom half of the card has $15 and a quite large Bell Atlantic blue green logo. The BA telephone # to order is 800-696-3990 (Visa & Master Card). $15 + S&H. I like this part - minimum order $15 (card cost $15). That is all I know. Call the 800 # for additional information. Looks like a decent card and you can eat too!!

From: Jim Wertheimer

Until Next Time,

Alan

Distribution

Phonecards On-Line is published 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 - All back issues are archived at the web site!

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

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