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NEWS / COMMENTARIES

Phonecard News

by Jim Chudnow (JIMCHUDNOW@compuserve.com)

Current national promotions are still going on concerning the following:

"PARTY OF 5" cards = 5 AMERITECH cards in the set, randomly packed

inside boxes of "KUDOS" confections.

"ARM & HAMMER = discounted cards available for sending in box-tops on specially-marked packages of their baking soda.

PLANTERS NUTS: set of 3 NASCAR cards available for mailing in proofs-of-purchase from their cans or jars of nuts (6 ounces and larger).

And, here's some NEW CARDS released by regular card issuers:

KARIS COMMUNICATIONS, in conjunction with the Welcome Home Day Foundation (phone: 310-281-8339; www.welcomehomeday.org) produced a $ 20 "VIETNAM VETERANS - WELCOME HOME" card picturing a multi-racial group of soldiers in front of an American flag.

The group intends to use proceeds from the sale of the cards to set

up a national event at the end of the year 2000 to honor those who served in that war.

KARIS also produced a card for men and women who are being released from prisons in Texas, as an educational program to help combat HIV and AIDS problems.

The 20-minute card was distributed free by AIDS Foundation - Houston, with a toll-free

number (800-323-2328) which people were urged to call to get help with their difficulties. (No cards are available to the general public).

Recently, INTELE-CARD NEWS held a show in Miami. KARIS won the Prepaid Card Excellence Award for Outstanding Series, with an initial 16-card "WESTERN COLLECTORS" set featuring drawings of cowboy and Indian themes by artist Mr. Lynn Griffin.

Starting in late November, these very colorful cards (in denominations of $ 5, $ 10 and

$ 20 (at around 7 cents per minute) will be available from around 400 vending-machine outlets (at truck stops, restaurants, casinos, etc.) in the western states. Those wishing to purchase some cards directly can contact the issuer, GAN TELECARDS, at 801-674-7207.

SIESTA TELECOM (at 800-721-5114, ext. 154) has been known for issuing various punch-out matte cardboard phonecards under such names as "America Calling", "Asia Calling", and "World Calling".

Recently, the company has been generating a lot of publicity via their announcement of a

series of Vatican-authorized POPE JOHN PAUL II cards. In the year 2000, there will be 4 different cards containing the Pontiff's image, facsimile signature and his words-- plus another series of 4 will be released in 2001.

While the basic images will be constant, cards will be issued with a different BACKGROUND on the basic punch-out card-HOLDER each month, meaning there will be a total of 96 different varieties in the set.

The first 4 very colorful glossy-laminated cards (with a "sun-shining-thru-clouds" background holder) are as follows: # 1= Holy Father at night, praying at the Colosseum. # 2= Holy Father baptizes a child with his parents; # 3= Holy Father holding a large cross; and # 4= the Holy Father prays near people in front of a church.

Aimed especially at churches and fund-raising groups, the suggested retail value on each

card will be $ 15 (with a considerable discount for purchases by distributors). There is no connect fee on any of the cards, each of which has 75-domestic-minutes of time. The cards can also be used for international connections, and there will be a numbered Collectors Series and special Case available.

There has been an increasing number of phonecards offers inserted in bills sent by credit card companies. Here are some recent offers:

From CAPITAL ONE, a series of 3 different 20-minute black and white THREE STOOGES cards. Each card costs $ 3.99 (with no shipping charge), and, if you buy 3, you get a 5-minute "bonus" card free. You can order up to 4 of any one card, or a total of 3 complete sets.

PARTNERS FIRST / HARRIS BANK is offering a series of 20-minute Country TEDDY BEAR cards (at the same per-card, no-shipping-charge price). If you buy 3 cards, you get a free plush teddy bear (described to a friend as being 7" high).

In both cases, cards can be ordered (via using the apropos credit card) at phone # 1-800-616-4434.

PRESS RELEASES

Eyersworld.com Pricelist and Contest

W.O.W. Working on Website--that's where we've been. Alan Cohen of CardMall and I have been constructing a TeleCard PriceList on the Eyer's World site at CardMall com. We have already listed a great special that you can take advantage of--a free card for every item ordered.

But the reason I am writing you is to ask you to help make this the best site on CardMall--we need proof readers! The PriceList is very big, so we are offering a free telecard (our choice) for every error found in the PriceList. Find an error, receive a free telecard; find 10 errors, receive 10 telecards, etc. Corrections welcome in spelling, attribution, just about

anything.

The site: <http://www.cardmall.com/eyer>, then click on "Telecards" to take you to AN INTRODUCTION TO PHONE CARDS AND THE PRICELIST. That page is where

we are offering the prizes for proof reading help!

A couple of ground rules: The columns of data, especially the description of the Telecard, called "Comments" truncates (cuts off) after its allotted space. Don't report truncations wherever they occur--it is part of the design. Each heading gets only its allotted space, then the rest is truncated. Zap. Also don't report missing commas, periods, spacing, or

capitalizations.

Ground rule two: copy and paste the entire line into your report so we can quickly find it to confirm and change it. We will use the finder, so all we need is the line itself, and the error.

Ground rule three: Give your full name and complete address.

We have already reserved the telecards to give away. Have fun! We look forward to sending out lots of telecards! Deadline is November 25h. Already people have found up to 20 errors. And maybe while you are looking you will find a card or two listed that you have been looking for for months!

Vatican Allows Phone Card With Pontiff's Image

By Lisa Baertlein

MIAMI BEACH (Reuters) - A U.S. telephone-services company that makes phone cards carrying images of the Virgin Mary on Thursday announced a deal with the Vatican to sell Pope John Paul II phone cards.

The phone cards will come only in a $15, 75-minute denomination and will be sold first in the United States and elsewhere in 2000, according to Steve May, chief executive of Sarasota, Florida-based Siesta Telecom Inc.

The Vatican will receive $1 for each of the cards, limited to a maximum of 4 million monthly.

Each card carries a photograph of John Paul II and a copy of his signature, as well as a blessing. Other cards with new images will be added in 2000, according to May.

``When the Vatican called us, we were obviously very skeptical,'' May said at a news conference, also attended by Vatican representative Claudio Grisanti.

The business venture is the first to get the Pope's authorization, Grisanti said, speaking through a translator.

In the exclusive deal, unveiled during a phone-card industry convention in Miami Beach, the cards will be sold in convenience stores and on the Internet.

Vatican proceeds will benefit the Pope's family programs, Grisanti said.

The Pope, who has penned a popular book and recorded a compact disk, is the church's most traveled leader and will soon host millions of Catholics in Rome during the church's Great Jubilee millennium celebration.

``People 30 to 80 years old are in love with that man,'' said John Schaper, senior vice president for Children's Heroes, which will distribute the cards primarily as a fund-raising tool for cash-strapped Catholic schools in the United States.

``We have projected sales of $350,000 to $500,000 though the end of the year,'' Schaper said.

May, who counts himself among the nation's 61 million Catholics, expects monthly sales of the limited edition Pope cards to generate as much as $30 million.

Siesta Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jersey City, N.J.-based Fusion Telecommunications International Inc., expects its total revenues in 1999 to exceed $150 million.

May said he began selling phone cards depicting Mexico's Virgin of Guadalupe a couple of years ago, and that that move led the Vatican to his door.

``I wanted to target Mexican migrant workers because they have such a hard time calling home,'' May said.

He later added Cuba's Virgin Mary to the company's offering of phone cards, which also depict Mount Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty monuments in the United States.

Laurette Veres, chief executive of trade magazine Intele-Card News, said prepaid phone card sales in the United States were nearly $2 billion last year and were expected to rocket to $10 billion within the next five years.

``People who have never bought a phone card to save their life will buy one because its a fund-raiser and the Pope's on it,'' Veres said.

PROMOTIONAL OFFERS

Baking Soda Offer

I just found this offer in our Food City in Va. and thought you might be interested. One pound ( specially marked packages) of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda have a form on the lid to send for a free 30 minute phonecard. You buy 2 and send your cash register tape with the prices of the 2 boxes circled, along with $1.50 for shipping. You have to have the certificate from the box and the offer expires on 2/1/00. The best part is, it appears to be unlimited. Does not say one to a family, etc.. Hope you're having a nice day.

From: Judy Medeiros

Coca Cola Offer

Four new Coca Cola Christmas phone cards - The form and details were in the Sunday Houston Chronicle coupon section, November 7, 1999 edition. Requires 3 proofs of purchase from specially marked Coca Cola holiday fountain drink cups + $1 for each card and completed form. There does not appear to be a limit to the number of cards that can be requested, but may be a difficult set to obtain since the store listing that was in the ad were for places that I never heard of.

Store listing that was in the Houston paper - Cinnabon, Carvel, Ranch 1, Dickey's BBQ, Kelly's Cajun Grill, Joni Maroni's, Sbarro, Lotus Express. Someone did report that Meijer's has the special cups, but those are not located in the Houston area. If anyone sees these cups in any place other than those that I listed, please let me know.

Each card is for 15 minutes and the time is by AT&T

1. Santa sitting on a ladder(?) next to a Christmas tree with a bottle of

Coke in his hand - red background

2. Santa sitting with 2 kids - green background

3. Polar bear (face only) holding a bottle of Coke - red background

4. Bunch of polar bears holding bottles of Coke - green background

Someone has found the Coca Cola holiday cups at Texaco.

From: Ginger Gragg (Also thanks to Allen Binstein for reporting this offer)

Big Daddy Phone Card

Seen at Target - Buy Big Daddy movie and get a free 10 minute phone card.

From: Ginger Gragg

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.

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