Pingo.com Review

Pingo has consistently low per minute rates between a huge number calling destinations -- and they have fewer extra fees than practically any other company. Unlike many companies who advertise rates much lower than you actually end of paying because they pile on extra fees, Pingo's advertised per minute rates are almost exactly the price you actually end up paying. This is a huge plus in our book.

Pingo pricing is also set up so you call make cheap calls to any destination using just one card. We strongly prefer this type of 'integrated pricing' over cards where rates are cheap for one destination, but expensive for another one.

In an industry rife with firms that actively hide fees and impose onerous conditions, Pingo does an exemplary job with disclosure. The company has no hidden fees anywhere. The $0.98 maintenance fee and $0.65 payphone surcharge could be even more prominently shown, but they are well stated -- and you can't complain too much when the $0.98 fee actually is plainly shown on every page of their website.

Pingo sells only 1 card, but since this card works everywhere worldwide, it serves all needs. With other companies, you may need to buy 2 or 3 cards to get the cheapest rates between all the destinations you call. With Pingo, you get that in one card.

Pingo has a very simple rate plan compared to most calling cards - this is how all calling card pricing should be. Pingo pricing includes only 3 elements: per minute rates, a monthly maintenance fee, and payphone surcharges (which are mandated by the FCC). Some people complain about the monthly maintenance, but compared to many cards, this small fee is practically a gift.

Pingo clearly states that all calls are carried by iBasis, its parent company. iBasis is a highly reputable global communications provider. This compares to many resellers who either don't list carriers at all or who identify carriers that are completely unknown / unbranded.

The Pingo.com website is very simple and easy to use. It wouldn't hurt if they added a bit more information, but nothing significant is missing. For instance, their new EZ Dial and SoftPhone add-ons could be explained more fully.

Pingo.com provides prominent links to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions disclosure. Neither document contains anything unusual or troubling. Pingo.com credit card transactions are highly secure as they are handled through well know transaction processing firms like Visa and Mastercard.

Pingo.com customer support is among the best in the calling card industry. Despite the fact that you'll find numerous complaints on this site and elsewhere on the web, we are confident in saying that Pingo customer support is better than 99% of the companies they compete with.

Personally, we've never had a problem reaching Pingo customer support -- and in every instance we are aware of, Pingo has made a solid and timely effort to meet customer needs.

Pingo has reliable dial-in access in the United States through national toll-free numbers and dozens of local access numbers around the country. Pingo has dedicated toll-free numbers for Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Chinese.

Pingo also has access numbers in 35+ countries worldwide -- this is exceptional. All 35 countries have at least a toll-free number. Many countries also have local access numbers. Few other calling card companies have such strong global presence (aside from the global carriers such as AT&T which can charge up to 10x more for minutes).

If you search online, Pingo seems to get more than it's fair share of complaints -- we don't quite know why. As compared to other firms (e.g., Phonecardsmile), Pingo is an absolute pillar of the calling card industry -- there aren't many obvious things they could do better. We suspect much of the trash talk comes from competitors who aren't happy Pingo is doing so well in the marketplace.

Pingo has some excellent advanced features - things few calling cards don't offer at all. One thing is their EZ Dial smartphone app. It works on over 450 mobile phones, including the iPhone, most Blackberrys, most Android phones, and with a huge number of carriers.

Another Pingo extra is the Pingo Soft Phone which enables you to make calls directly from your PC to any location worldwide. The Pingo Soft Phone can be used from PCs located anywhere in the world.

Pingo also provides PIN-less dialing, speed dialing and auto-recharge.

Pingo offers a wealth of trial offers and special deals that allow you to try their cards out for free -- many offers allow you to talk for many hours before you start having to pay. No other vendor comes close to this. If you don't like their service, you can cancel the card during the trial period and no money changes hands. Understandably, they do not offer refunds after the trial period.

Pingo offers a $5 immediate credit for each friend who signs, $20 for 3 friends. Follow the referral directions carefully to get your credit.