PhoneCardSmile.com Review

PhoneCardSmile.com is a popular calling card company, but we don't understand why.

Our rating:     - LEMON -

Visit PhoneCardSmile.com website
Visit PhoneCardSmile.com

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Bottom line: PhoneCardSmile is the worst calling card company we have reviewed. The problems are many and we strongly recommend that you look elsewhere for your calling cards.

Where to begin? There are so many issues, but let's start with two major ones. You can read more in the detailed ratings below.

Pricing - PhoneCardSmile has questionable price disclosure practices. They advertise very low per minute rates for their cards, but they bury heavy extra fees and surcharges in their Terms & Conditions. As a result, your actual costs are likely to be much higher than the advertised rates.

Plus, these buried fees aren't even precisely stated. In many cases, they provide simply a range or a general indication of a fee you might be charged.

Here is an actual example taken from the Terms & Conditions for one of their cards (Star One International card from TCI) on 21 Oct 2008. We've underlined some of the fees.

Example of PhoneCardSmile Hidden Fees

"BY PURCHASING THIS CARD YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ON THE RELATED ADVERTISEMENTS. ADVERTISED MINUTES ARE FOR SINGLE CALL MADE BEFORE THE EXPIRATION DATE OF THE ADVERTISEMENT AND MAY REDUCED BY FEES DESCRIBED HEREIN. AFTER THE APPLICABLE EXPIRATION DATE, RATE CHANGES WILL REDUCE ADVERTISED MINUTES BY UP 50% AND BY MORE IF COSTS TO CARRIERX CHANGE SUBSTANTIALLY. RATES AND FEES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. FOR INTERNATIONAL CALLS, FEES MAY INCLUDE A DISCONNECT FEE UP TO 50% OF CALL VALUE; A WEEKLY MAINTENANCE FEE UP TO 99 CENTS COMMENCING AFTER FIRST CALL; A DAILY MAINTENANCE FEE UP TO 15 CENTS COMMENCING AFTER FIRST CALL, A FEE UP TO 99 CENTS FOR ANY CALLS FROM PAYPHONES; AND A POST-CALL FEE UP TO $1.99. FOE DOMESTIC CALLS, FEES WILL BE THE UPPER LIMIT OF THE FEES DESCRIBED ABOVE. CALLS MADE ON HOLIDAYS AND BETWEEN FRIDAY AT 6PM EST AND MONDAY AT 6AM EST MAY BE CHARGED UP 5 CENTS PER MINUTE. CALLS THROUGH TOLL FREE ACCESS NUMBERS MAY BE CHARGED UP TO AN ADDITIONAL 5 CENTS PER MINUTE. CALLS ORIGINATING FROM OUTSIDE OF THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES MAY BE CHARGED UP TO AN ADDITIONAL 25 CENTS PER MINUTE. CALLS TO INTERNATIONAL CELLULAR NUMBERS MAY HAVE HIGHER RATES. CALLS MAY BE ROUNDED UP TO THE NEAREST INCREMENTS NOT TO EXCEED 6 MINUTES. THIS CARD EXPIRES 60 DAYS AFTER FIRST USE. MAINTENANCE FEES AND SERVICE FEES MAY APPLY, FOR MORE DETAIL ON RATES AND OTHER CHARGES, PLEASE CONSULT THE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Quite frankly, this is ridiculous. There are so many clauses and loopholes in this statement that you really can have no idea what any given call is going to cost.

Carriers - Like other companies we have reviewed, PhoneCardSmile is a reseller that markets prepaid phonecards for 3rd party telecom carriers - perhaps more carriers than any other firm we've seen.

But there are a few issues. First, their 'Trusted Vendors' list includes several brand name carriers such as AT&T and Sprint. But after looking at 20+ cards, we found no cards from any of these 1st tier carriers. They may be there somewhere, but don't be fooled into thinking that one of these premium carriers is providing your service, unless you specifically verify this.

In addition, we found cards from lots of vendors not shown on their list - we're not sure what that indicates, but we don't like it.

We also find it troubling that several of their carriers are companies that have recently been involved in calling card fraud lawsuits. In particular, the following companies on PhoneCardSmile.com's published list of carriers were part of a fraudulent marketing settlement reached by the Florida Attorney General in 2008:

  • BlackStone Calling Card, Inc.
  • CTA (Clifton Telecard Alliance)
  • Cristel Telecom, Inc.
  • IDT
  • STi Prepaid, LLC
  • TCI (Total Call International)
  • Touch Tell Communication
  • UTA (Union Telecard Alliance LLC)

That's 8 of the 11 calling card companies settling in that case!

Plus, one of the carrier technical support numbers we called did not work, even after 4 attempts at different times. This is not encouraging.

Overall, we really don't like the way PhoneCardSmile does business and do not recommend them.

PhoneCardSmile.com Company Information

Company PhoneCardSmile.com
URL www.PhoneCardSmile.com
Type of company reseller / distributor
Sales channel online
Description PhoneCardSmile.com is a reseller of prepaid calling cards. They are one of the top 12 calling card companies according to Alexa.com.
Carriers represented TCI, SCI, TWU, EXC, DPE, and many, many others (most of which we've never heard of)
Other products & services none
Parent Company unknown

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Ratings Legend

Rating What It Means
Company performs at or above industry norms in this area
Company has some issues in this area
Company has serious issues in this area

PhoneCardSmile.com Ratings

Key Factors Rating Comments
Competitive prices advertised per minute rates are the lowest we've found, but heavy fees hidden in Terms & Conditions will drive prices much higher for most callers
Wide selection of cards very wide selection of cards
Full disclosure of rates & fees not all applicable fees are shown in their rate table
No fees hidden in Terms & Conditions or elsewhere very heavy extra fees & surcharges in Terms & Conditions for all cards we examined; in many cases, these fees were very open ended and could imply surcharges that could easily double or triple base rates
Website usability site looks nice, but it has poor navigation, slow page loads, minimal help/FAQ support, etc.
Privacy and security they verify identity during sign-up, including a live phone call to confirm your information
Live customer support we had no luck reaching them. we asked to leave a message on each of 3 calls on 2 different days to their toll-free number. and we were disconnected from their live chat line after a 5 minute wait with a note saying no operators were available
Access numbers are working toll-free and local access numbers working for 3 different cards we tried
Carriers are disclosed and appear reputable and accessible carriers are identified for each card, but 1 of 2 technical support numbers we tried was not working despite 4 attempts. and many of their carriers have been involved with fraudulent marketing lawsuits (see above)
Good reputation / complaint history not as many bad reviews out there as we would expect, but what's there isn't good
Offers advanced dialing & billing features none offered as far as we can tell
Fair return, exchange, and balance transfer policies very restrictive policies
Offers referral incentive and/or rewards program you get 10% commission on referrals, but US$100 minimum payout means you'll never see the money

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PhoneCardSmile.com Review - Recap

Overall, PhoneCardSmile.com gets consistently weak ratings. We DO NOT RECOMMEND PhoneCardSmile and suggest you look elsewhere for your next calling card purchase.

Pros Cons
  • Pretty colors on their website?
  • Otherwise, not much
  • Heavy fees hidden in Terms & Conditions
  • Carrier list is suspect
  • Not all carrier technical support numbers are working
  • Unfavorable return policy
  • Misleading rewards program
  • We could go on, but we'll stop...
Visit PhoneCardSmile.com website

Consider These Alternatives

Before you buy from PhoneCardSmile, please consider these calling cards:

Check here for more recommended calling cards.

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Disclosure: AboutCallingCards.com recommends a small number of vendors based on in-depth company reviews and analysis. We recommend only firms that we believe deliver the best value to consumers. Read complete disclosure statement.

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Comments

31 comments

Comments are welcome. Off-topic or promotional comments will be deleted.

Posted by Guest on 24 Jan 2012

ATTENTION PEOPLE :
DON'T EVER EVER BUY ANY PHONECARD FROM THEM BECAUSE PEOPLE HERE IS RIP OFF!!!......I SPENT ALMOST FREAKING 400 HUNDRED DOLLARS !!..TO GET A BETTER DEALS AND MINUTES BUT BULLSHIT!!...EVERYTIME I CALLED TO USED A DIFFERENT PHONECARD ALWAYS LOST ALOT OF MINUTES....THEN I KEEP CALLING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT NO ONE WILL GIVE YOU A GOOD ANSWER...ALWAYS KEEP SAYING! 'SORRY FOR INCONVENIENCE..'THE MAINTENANCE IS SHUT DOWN!!...WHAT THE HECK!!!...I NEED ALL MY MONEY BACK FOR STUPID PHONECARDSMILE.COM COMPANY!!! ....

THIS WEBSITE A FAKE REVIEW SITE!!!!!!...SCAM!!!..........

AGAIN!!!! DONT WASTE YOUR TIME TO CHECK THIS PHONECARDSMILE.COM WHATTA SHITTY COMPANY!!!!!.........

Posted by Guest on 24 Jan 2012

ATTENTION PEOPLE :
DON'T EVER EVER BUY ANY PHONECARD FROM THEM BECAUSE PEOPLE HERE IS RIP OFF!!!......I SPENT ALMOST FREAKING 400 HUNDRED DOLLARS !!..TO GET A BETTER DEALS AND MINUTES BUT BULLSHIT!!...EVERYTIME I CALLED TO USED A DIFFERENT PHONECARD ALWAYS LOST A LOT OF MINUTES....THEN I KEEP CALLING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT NO ONE WILL GIVE YOU A GOOD ANSWER...ALWAYS KEEP SAYING! 'SORRY FOR INCONVENIENCE..'THE MAINTENANCE IS SHUT DOWN!!...WHAT THE HECK!!!...I NEED ALL MY MONEY BACK FOR STUPID PHONECARDSMILE.COM COMPANY!!! ....

THIS WEBSITE A FAKE REVIEW SITE!!!!!!...SCAM!!!..........

AGAIN!!!! DONT WASTE YOUR TIME TO CHECK THIS PHONECARDSMILE.COM WHATTA SHITTY COMPANY!!!!!.........

Posted by Guest on 24 Jan 2012

ATTENTION PEOPLE :
DON'T EVER EVER BUY ANY PHONECARD FROM THEM BECAUSE PEOPLE HERE IS RIP OFF!!!......I SPENT ALMOST FREAKING 400 HUNDRED DOLLARS !!..TO GET A BETTER DEALS AND MINUTES BUT BULLSHIT!!...EVERY TIME I CALLED TO USED A DIFFERENT PHONECARD ALWAYS LOST ALOT OF MINUTES....THEN I KEEP CALLING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT NO ONE WILL GIVE YOU A GOOD ANSWER...ALWAYS KEEP SAYING! 'SORRY FOR INCONVENIENCE..'THE MAINTENANCE IS SHUT DOWN!!...WHAT THE HECK!!!...I NEED ALL MY MONEY BACK FOR STUPID PHONECARDSMILE.COM COMPANY!!! ....

THIS WEBSITE A FAKE REVIEW SITE!!!!!!...SCAM!!!..........

AGAIN!!!! DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME TO CHECK THIS PHONECARDSMILE.COM WHATTA SHITTY COMPANY!!!!!.........

Posted by Graham on 05 May 2011

Stay away from this company. It is a massive con. I started a paypal dispute with them and we're now referring the case to legal reresentatives so that they are punished for their misrepresentation. See below for full deatils as per the case we recorded with paypal.

Prior to purchasing this phonecard i contacted the seller via live online support. i told them i intended to purchase the "big red" phonecard. the seller asked me where I would be calling and I said philippines cell. He said the "Big Red" card had hidden fees and i would be better advised to purchase the beta card which does not have any hiddden fees - no connection fee, no premium for dialling from the 1800 number and no maintenance fee. He explicity mentioned all of these as is evidenced in his chat history. When I placed my first call on the beta card the system told me i had 5 hours plus of time. I was on the line for a max of 20 mins. Then when I made my next call the system told me i had only 2 plus hours of talk time. The only explanation for this is the card charges some kind of premium or has hidden fees. In view of this I contacted the seller twice (5/3 and 5/4). I asked them what was going on and warned them on the second email that I would raise a dispute if they fail to respond. As of 5/5 at 5pm PST I have not heard back and hence I am raising this dispute. I suggest paypal also considers whether it is wise to let this seller continue accepting paypal payments since they obviously mislead customers and provide inadequate customer support. Ignoring customer emails is simply unforgiveable. Enticing customers to purchase based on fake information is a criminal offence.

Posted by Guest on 28 Apr 2011

If all this review are real like what it said then provide all your reciept ID here...

This website a FAKE REVIEW SITE which belong to those company who can't compete with PHONECARDSMILE.COM therefore they run their mouth around publishing all this fake reviews.

Dont you think NOBELCOM, SPEEDYPIN, PINZOO all this have good card, i can bet $1000 dollar all they sell same as Phonecardsmile.com as far as minute not prompt, hidden fee, connection fee's

You will be the judge of this

Posted by Guest on 12 Apr 2011

these people are ripoffs!!!!! I bought a $20 card after I was told it's the best card with no fees. They told me at 12.5 cents per min I would get 160 minutes total. After my first call I lost 9 min without getting connected. When I called again I spoke for 54 minutes and then when I tried to make another call it said I had 1 minute. ONE MINUTE!!! Remember: I was supposed to get 160 minutes. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!! When I called customer service they said call the people I bought it from. When I called phonecardsmile the lady who said her name is ROSE (MAYBE FAKE FOR ALL i KNOW) said she can't help me and can't give refunds. when i asked for the address to mail my complaint she refused to give it to me. They must certainly be a scam. I am so ticked off right now. I could have spent my 20 bucks else where.

Posted by Guest on 03 Mar 2011

It's a scam!!! Don't ever buy any of their phone cards! They are worth nothing! They advertise their rates/min so cheap, but you will get higher rates/min when you use your card...almost double! Plus they will deduct your mins 5 times more everytime you use it!. Customer service is horrible! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY WITH THESE PEOPLE!!!

Posted by Guest on 25 Feb 2011

I bought $10 card to call China, and I only used once like 10 minutes, and then next time when I tried to call, the card was zero. I thought somebody stole my password. Nope, I tried to bought another one, I used once for 10m, it happened to me again! I chatted with a living person and found out they hidden fee are huge. It is a a horrible scam. Stay away from them! You are warned!!!!

Posted by Guest on 25 Feb 2011

THEY WILL SERIOUSLY SCAM YOU! EVEN THO I DID ONLY USED THE CARD ONCE, THEY TOLD ME I ONLY HAVE A MIN. TO USE.... I ONLY USED FOR A 11MIN. (MY CARD WAS FOR 20DOLLARS) BUT THEY SAID I ONLY HAVE A 1DOLLAR LEFT. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS... THEY WILL NOT HELP YOU WITH ANYTHING AT ALL....
I WISH I CAN JUST SUE THE SHIT OUT OF THEM.
THEY SHOULD BE PROSECUTED!!!!!!!!!!!! I BET THEY SCAM TONS OF MONEY FROM PEOPLE...
SO DO NOT BUY OR EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING THEIR CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Guest on 05 Feb 2011

Run!!! Run!!! Run!!!!

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