"I have a student who will be studying abroad.  What would be the best card for me to purchase?"

While ZapTel offers a number of different phone cards to fit any calling need, there is one in particular that has been created just for study abroad students.    It is called the Study Abroad Student's Choice. 

Here are the details for this card:

-  Available in $5, $10, and $25 cards, and are rechargeable from $5 to $100.  (Please note that purchases under $15 have a small processing fee added to the price of the purchase.)

-  Same PIN works for calls to USA or from USA so parents can call you too if you can be reached by telephone.  Many times, it's less costly for us to call our students than it is for the students to call us.  My favorite suggestion is for the student to call and say "Hi mom!  I'm here - call me right back," and then we can call them back and save money at the same time.  This has been a great cost saving tip for many study abroad parents.

-  One click printing of your phone card with just the information you need to take with you. Check out Print-n-Go.

-  Straight rate billing - If you talk for 5 minutes you pay for 5 minutes -- no extra fees of any kind added by the carrier. (Note that some countries may add their own fees - we try to note these for you on the access number list).

-  Online account management - just sign in from anywhere in the world to see current pin balance, check access numbers or dialing instructions, or to top off your card. Or get your parents to do it for you!

To see all rates for the Study Abroad Student's Choice card, click here.

To view other global phone cards from ZapTel, click here to do a rate search.  Select the country your student will be calling from and to so you can review all the cards ZapTel has to offer.

A common question I hear from parents is can my student use their cell phone with their phone card while they travel abroad.  My honest answer is maybe.  It really all depends on what the mobile carrier allows.  Some mobile providers choose to block phone cards from being used mainly because they want you to use their service for the international calls.  Other providers may impose a higher rate per minute or surcharge if you use a phone card.  This is where the student calling in to mom and dad to call them back seems to be most helpful and cost saving.  To know for sure it's best to check with the mobile provider first before using a phone card from your cell phone.

Coupon for Week of March 17th  

Through March 23rd, receive a 5% discount on any purchase or recharge of a Study Abroad Student's Choice phone card from ZapTel. Use the following code to receive the discount:

STDYABRD

Enter the coupon code on the Review Your Order page, and be sure to click the "Add Coupon Code" button on the page to apply the discount. Offer expires at Midnight Central Time on March 23, 2008.