The Localphone Blog

We’re pleased to announce that you can now pay for your Localphone calling credit with Ukash for all top-ups of £10 / $10 / €10 or more.

Ukash is a cash payment system that lets you make payments online without a credit / debit card or bank account. You can buy Ukash vouchers from local retailers in over 20 countries, as well as on-line or with your mobile in certain countries.

Next time you want to purchase your Localphone calling credit simply visit Your Dashboard and select 10 or more from the “Quick Top-up” amounts in the sidebar. On the next page click on the Ukash logo at the bottom and fill out your voucher details.

For more information about Ukash, and to find your nearest merchants, please visit the Ukash website.

If you have any questions, comments or other feedback please don’t hesitate to let us know.

2008 has been a great year for Localphone, and in this entry our CEO shares his vision for 2009. First though, some tips for payments and support over the holiday season…

Support Hours Over the Holiday Season

The Localphone Customer Support office will be closed Thursday, 25 December and Friday, 26 December 2008, in observance of Christmas and Boxing Day. This office will additionally be closed Thursday, 1 January 2009, in observance of New Year’s Day. Finally our support lines will close early on Wednesday, 24th December and Wednesday, 31st December, and will be unavailable after 1pm GMT.

Support phone lines will be closed on these days, in addition there will be limited resource available to respond to email queries, only urgent queries will be responded to.

Tips for Faster Payment Processing Over the Holidays

On the dates mentioned above any payments that are flagged for security review may also result in a longer processing time. Here are some steps you can take to avoid delays:

• Go to your settings page and ensure your address is up-to-date, and is the one associated with your debit / credit card.
• When using the Localphone or Paypal checkouts please make sure you fill out all the required fields accurately to ensure that no details are flagged as invalid.
• Make sure you verify your payment details. When you use the Localphone checkout system with a new card we may split the payment into two random amounts that add up to the total. We then ask you to check your statement / contact your bank to find out one of these amounts and enter it on the site. This proves to us that you own credit/debit card, and helps us to combat online fraud.
• If you are using a Paypal account to make payments, make sure you verify your account with them instead. You can find out how to do that in their Verification FAQ.

A Message From Our CEO

As we approach the end of 2008 I felt it appropriate to share with you my vision for what I believe 2009 will have in store for you as a Localphone customer. We will of course continue to offer great rates and as we grow we will demand even better prices for you from our suppliers. We will continue to improve the quality, coverage and reliability of our services so we can truly continue to be a next-generation telephone company. In 2009 we plan to extend our range to include some of the following services:

We will improve our VoIP offering so those of you who want to use your computer or SIP device to make calls at Localphone rates can do so without paying to make a local call, and can do so from anywhere in the world where you have access to a broadband Internet connection.

We will introduce ways in which your family and friends can keep in touch with you without incurring the costs of making an international call.

We will be launching personal conference rooms that will allow family, friends or business contacts to call a local number and have a low cost conference call.

In short we will continue to innovate and bring you services that not only save you money but also change the way you communicate.

I hope that 2009 is a great year for all of you and thank for your support in 2008.

Paul Cusack
CEO

In response to customer requests we are now offering Paypal as an alternative payment processor for all orders of at least £10 / €10 / $10.

You may wish to use Paypal if you have an American Express card, or another card we previously didn’t accept. Those customers without a debit or credit card can make purchases directly from their bank account with Paypal.

If you do opt to use Paypal please make sure you have a verified account to ensure your order is processed quickly. You can find more information about verification in the Paypal Help Center.

The Localphone Checkout is completely secure, fast and safe, and remains the preferred option for most customers. With our payment processor you can also opt to enable Auto Top-up for your convenience, and can place orders for less than £10 / €10 / $10.