Telna

Bottom Line

Telna (Est. 4.8 cents per minute) has higher-than-average domestic long-distance phone rates but is the most affordable plan if you make a lot of international calls or you call Alaska or Hawaii frequently from the other 48 states. You can call some countries for the same rate that you'd pay domestically. Reviewers say a great advantage of Telna is that users are charged per second, while other companies charge in increments ranging from six seconds to one minute.

Plans and Pricing

Increments of one second. Although its domestic rate is higher than ECG's, you can call many countries (including Australia, Germany, Japan and the U.K) for the same per-minute fee. Unlike its competitors, which charge in increments between six seconds and one minute, Telna's increments are of one second, so you pay only for the actual call time.

There are no monthly fees or minimum usage charges. However, you must pay your bill automatically each month with a credit card or direct debit. You have about three days to review your online bill before your card is charged. Telna also provides a special access number that will allow you to make international calls with your cell phone.

Customer service

Paper billing extra.While most users who review Telna's service appear satisfied, more than a few note inconsistent sound quality, and some users say customer service isn't great. Another drawback is that there's no pay-by-check option, although you can request a paper bill, which will cost you 99 cents per month.

Customer service is available through phone and email, and you can download the rates tables as well as other useful documentation from their website.