Telna
Best international long-distance service
- Best international rates
- Best rates to Alaska and Hawaii
- Charges by the second
- Mixed reviews for voice quality
- No paper billing option
Reviewers say Telna (formerly 3U Telecom) 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 4.8 cents per minute that you'd pay domestically. Reviewers say another advantage of Telna is that users are charged per second -- a five-second call is billed as five seconds, while other companies charge in increments ranging from six seconds to one minute. While most user reviewers indicate a high level of satisfaction, 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 for a charge of 99 cents per month. You have about three days to peruse your online bill before you incur a direct debit or credit-card charge. If most of your calling is in the contiguous 48 states, most reviews recommend ECG (*Est. 2.5 cents per minute) or Total Call International (*Est. 3.9 cents per minute) .
SaveOnPhone.com evaluates pricing and customer service for about 350 long-distance plans. PhoneDog.com has the largest collection of consumer reviews of phone plans, especially useful for judging how a long-distance provider stacks up in a particular region. The costs in TollChaser's reviews factor in the service fee, giving the most accurate price per minute of all the comparison reviews.
Our Sources
1. SaveOnPhone.com
SaveOnPhone.com keeps tabs on about 350 long-distance plans to create this top-10 chart. It rates Telna third overall, but this service is best for some, including people who make a lot of international or in-state long-distance calls, and those who make very brief calls. The editors also highlight that Telna has excellent rates for Hawaii residents, something not offered by every long-distance provider.
Review: Long-Distance Phone Service Comparison, Editors of SaveOnPhone.com
2. Phonedog.com
PhoneDog.com is the top spot to find user reviews of long-distance phone service. Telna earns high average scores overall and in four categories from more than 100 reviewers. Some say the connection quality is inconsistent, and there is some disagreement over the quality of customer service. The editors also highlight that Telna has no monthly fees or minimums.
Review: Telna 4.8 -- Unique, Editors of and contributors to PhoneDog.com
3. TollChaser.com
The prices in the TollChaser.com rankings chart include the USF fees that increase the advertised rates. This provides a more accurate picture of a service's actual cost. It ranks Telna (formerly 3U Telecom) seventeenth overall. There's no review capsule here, but there is some helpful statistical data.
Review: Continental State-to-State Long-Distance Phone Rate Comparison, Editors of TollChaser.com
4. 1+ Call Saver
This site receives commissions from some of the companies listed, but it claims to be unbiased. These rankings appear to favor plans without monthly fees, even if the per-minute charges are relatively high. Telna ranks fifth on the chart.
Review: Best Bets: Residential, Editors of 1CallSaver.com
5. Dial-Abroad.org
The editors of Dial-Abroad.org award Telna full marks for its service, highlighting that its billing increments are an unusually low one second increment. Telna's international rates are among the lowest of all the phone services reviewed.
Review: Long Distance Comparison and Reviews, Editors of Dial-Abroad.org
Long Distance Phone Service Runners Up:
7 picks including: Calling-Plans.com, My Rate Plan…
2 picks including: SaveOnPhone.com, TollChaser.com…
Best Reviewed
Long Distance Phone Service
- Best long-distance service ECG *Est. $0
- Best international long-distance service Telna *Est. $0
- Long-distance service, national availability Total Call International *Est. $0
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