How do I get a travel-card?
Existing customers can request a travel-card online. The travel-card will be activated within seconds. Please click here to request your travel-card.
What is the authorization code I am asked for when calling the access number?
Your authorization code is your main 10 digit telephone number that is registered with Telna. After entering your authorization code, you will be prompted for your 4 digit Telna PIN code.
How can I place several calls from a pay phone without paying for the pay phone surcharge for each call?
When using your travel-card and your first call is finished, do not hang up and dial ## instead. This will give you a new dialtone and you may dial another call without paying for an extra pay phone surcharge (since you have only placed one single call from the pay phone to our access number). For security reasons, you can only use ## twice. If you need to place a fourth call, you will need to hang up and dial the access number again.
Can I speed up the connection of my call when calling with my travel-card?
When using your travel-card, you may speed up the connection of your call by pressing # at the end of the called number. This tells our equipment that you are finished entering digits and that the call should be connected immediately.
Do you offer the travel-card as a stand-alone product?
At this time, the travel-card is only offered to Telna's long distance customers. You have to select Telna as your long distance provider for a home or business line in order to receive a travel-card.
Can 3U Telecom switch my toll-free number and bill me for inbound traffic?
Yes, Telna also offers toll-free service to business and residential customers. To transfer an existing toll-free number to your account, simply fax us the signed letter of agency. To request a new toll-free number, please contact customer service with the type of number (800, 888, 877 etc) you would like. Transfering numbers or requesting new numbers is free of charge. A recurring service charge of 99¢ per month applies to every toll-free number in your account.
Can a toll-free number ring to an international number?
Yes, Telna can program your toll-free number to ring to a number in any country. Calls will be charged at our regular low international rates for the terminating country. You may contact customer service to change the phone number to which your toll-free number rings.
Are there any monthly fees or minimums, or any other recurring fees that I will be charged by Telna?
There are absolutely no monthly fees nor minimums nor any other recurring fees that you will be charged by Telna for using our long distance service. You are only billed for the phone calls that you place, and this is all you have to pay for. If you don't place any calls during a month (while on vacation for example) you will not be charged anything.
800 numbers or paper bills are subject to monthly service charges. Certain business accounts are subject to federal PICC fees.
What about monthly PICC (Presubscribed Interexchange Carrier Charge) fees?
PICC fees are federally mandated fees that long distance providers have to assess on certain customers on behalf of the FCC.
We do not charge monthly PICC fees for residential customers, as there is no PICC fee imposed on residential telephone lines anymore (we don't understand why some long distance providers still keep charging those fees to residential customers!). However, multiline business customers with more than one telephone line have to be charged $2.50 per month per extra telephone line switched to Telna beyond the primary telephone line for which no PICC fee is charged. This fee is simply collected by Telna on behalf of the FCC, much like a tax, and has to be charged by any legitimate long distance provider (look at your current bill under PICC fee, federal access fee, line access fee or line switching fee.
Where can I see a complete rate list with all countries?
You can download a complete rate list in PDF format click here
What is straight one second billing?
Straight one second billing means that all your calls are billed by the second, from the time the called party pick up their phone. Telna doesn't apply a minimum to each call, unlike other long distance providers who apply minimums between 6 and 60 seconds per call, or even 20 minutes! This means that if you call someone, are redirected to their voicemail and hang up immediately, you will only be charged for 1 or 2 seconds at Telna's low rate. This makes a huge difference when compared to a 60 seconds minimum!
With one second billing, you also enjoy no billing increment on your calls. Each call is billed for its exact duration in seconds. This means that if you call someone for 1 minute and 33 seconds, Telna will only bill you for 1 minute and 33 seconds, where other providers would bill your for 1 minute and 40, 2 minutes or even 20 minutes!
With Telna,, one second billing comes on all your calls, even on international calls!
Are those promotional rates which will go up a few weeks after I signed up?
Our rates are not promotional rates. Those rates are permanent for all our customers. We also do not have plans to raise our rates in the future, unless forced by economical or political changes beyond our control on very specific destinations. If our rates change, all customers are notified at least 15 days in advance, pursuant to our Terms and Conditions, so that there are no surprises.
As a general trend in telecommunications, rates tend to go down, and we believe that if our rates change, they will rather go down than up!
What taxes are assessed on my phone calls?
Some long distance providers might not assess any taxes on phone calls that you place, which is completely illegal.
As a legitimate long distance provider registered in all 50 states, Telna is legally obligated to assess certain taxes on your phone bill:
· State and local taxes can range anywhere from 0 to 10% depending on your city, county and state. Certain smaller long distance providers don't charge you for those taxes. This is completely illegal and means that those companies are bound to disappear sooner or later!
· The federal tax on telecommunications, also called federal excise tax, is currently 3%.
· The USF (Universal Service Fund) charge is collected on behalf of the federal government to fund telecommunications in remote areas. Unlike other long distance providers who charge up to 12% for "USF fees", Telna passes the USF charge straight through to its customers. The current USF charge rate can be found here.
Remember, since Telna offers such low rates, our customers pay less taxes since the taxes are applied to lower amounts!
How am I billed?
Calls you place through Telna are billed on a separate long distance phonebill that you receive from Telna monthly. This bill contains not only the amount due, but also a complete listing of all calls you placed, including date, time, number dialed and duration.
Our low rates require that we deliver your monthly bill to you online or through email. You can then print it out on paper if you wish. For this purpose, we offer you free access to My3U, an advanced online billing service. If you don't have access to email, or don't have a printer, you can have Telna print out your bill and mail it to you, but we have to charge 99¢ per month for that service.
To save more money, we recommend you use the free online billing service and print out your bill yourself from the convenient PDF format.
When am I billed?
Your bill is generated around the 2nd day of each month, for the previous month's usage (usage from the first day of the month at 12 AM to the last day at 12 PM). You then receive an email to let you know that your bill is ready for download. You can also choose to receive your bill through email as an attachement as soon as it is ready.
At that time, we also mail out paper bills to customers that requested this option. You can expect your paper bill to arrive anytime between the 3rd and 15th day of each month.
How do I pay?
You can choose between direct debit from your checking account, or credit card charge to pay your monthly bill. Every month, around the 5th day, your balance for the previous month is automatically charged through the payment method you selected, so that you are never past due on your 3U Telecom bills!
To save more money, we recommend you to use direct debit from your checking account so that you avoid expensive discount rates that are usually charged on credit card balances by your credit card company.
Unfortunately, to maintain low operating costs which result in low rates, we can't accept payments by check at this time.
Is there an online billing feature? What does it look like?
Yes, Telna offers an advanced online billing service which allows customers to view their daily long distance usage in near real-time (usage is updated every 5 minutes). Statements are delivered online in convenient Adobe Acrobat PDF format, or through the regular mail.
What does my bill contain?
Your monthly bill contains the detail of all phone calls placed from the phone line(s) that are pre subscribed to Telna, including the time and duration of the call as well as the number called. If you place international calls from your cellphone through 3U Telecom, or if you use our travel-card, your bill will also contain those 2 types of calls. Your bill also contains the detail of all taxes that you have to pay on your calls.
However, you don't have to wait for your monthly statement to know where you stand since our advanced online billing service lets you view your long distance usage in near realtime.
What if I believe my bill is wrong?
Pursuant to our Terms and Conditions, you should contact customer service immediately and send your claim to us in writing by registered mail. If a mistake was made on your bill we will credit any over billed amount to your account or give you a refund.
Don't loose any time if you suspect a mistake, since we can only accept billing disputes within 30 days of sending your bill.
I've recently heard stories about telecommunication providers going out of business. What about Telna?
3U Telecom has always been a profitable company since its first day in business back in 1997, and our profit before taxes and amortizations for Q3 2002 was over 3 million dollars. Our IPO in 1999 has also given us access to substantial funding to sustain our growth, and by permanently monitoring our costs, we make sure that we will be around for years to come!
To prove our financial strength, we believe that we need to give our valued customers access to our financial reports. You can view those reports by clicking here.
Why would Telna be able to offer lower rates than anybody else?
With over one million customers worldwide, Telna is able to negotiate lower purchase prices thanks to a huge volume of monthly minutes. Telna also owns its own international network, which allows us to route your phone call to the place in the world where our costs for that destination will be the lowest.
By maintaining low operating costs, and refraining from expensive national marketing campaigns, we need less mark-up, which results in some of the lowest rates available for our customers.
Is Telna's service available in Canada?
Not at this time, but Telna will be available to Canadian residents in the near future.
Does Telna use "telemarketing" techniques to prospect new customers?
No, Telna does not use any telemarketing techniques. We are as annoyed as you are, when telemarketers call us in the middle of our dinner. Plus, why would you believe someone who calls you to tell you that can save on your long distance? Isn't that what they always tell you?
We think customers should realize for themselves the savings they can achieve by using Telna's long distance service, and therefore we only use non-invasive marketing methods.