Frequently Asked Questions

How does Talk America offer such low rates?
Talk America is an independent telecommunications service provider .We do not have the high advertising costs of a major carrier, so we pass along the savings to our customers. It also allows us to spend our money to provide better service.

What is the referral program about?
Talk America relies mainly on their satisfied customers to get the name out. All active local and long distance Talk America customers in good payment standing may refer new Talk America customers and receive a credit of $20 for each new local telephone customer who pays a minimum of 90% of their first invoice and $10 for each new long distance telephone customer who pays a minimum of 90% of their first invoice. The credit will be applied to the referring customers invoice and unused portions of the credit will be carried over to the following months billing statement.

How will I know if I'm switched to Talk America?
You can check online here, or simply call (toll free) 1-700-555-2055 and listen for "Talk America or The Phone Company."

Does Talk America offer service to residential customers?
Yes. However, Talk America Customer Support hours are oriented towards business customers with hours from 7:00 - 5:00 pm M-F with after hours, weekend and Holiday emergency support only. Internet support 24/7.

Does Talk America make me use the Internet (Voice over IP) or dial-around numbers (800) with PINs to connect my calls?
No. Many other service providers offering "unbelievably" low rates make their predominately residential customers use confusing 800 dial-around numbers before making a call. Or, they insist on their customers using their home computer and the Internet (Voice over IP) for poor quality, unreliable long distance service.

Who is the underlying carrier for Talk America?
All customers are provisioned to Talk America. Talk America utilizes it's own or AT&T 100% fiber-optic network which uses the world's first integrated global IP-based network, and has approximately 100,000 route miles, reaching 27 countries and more than 200 major cities.

How do I know if Talk America is registered or approved to provide Long Distance Service?
We are registered and approved to provide Long Distance Phone Service with the State of Michigan, the State of Ohio and the Federal Communications Commission.

Click here, and scroll down to the T's to view Talk America approval and listing.
http://www.cis.state.mi.us/mpsc/comm/clec/itspreport.pdf

Under what name will the charges appear on my phone bill?
Talk America. Customers will receive a separate statement directly from Clear Rate.

What are the billing increments? (Businesses)
The length of your calls are measured (and billed) in 6 second increments. The minimum length of each call is 60 seconds.

Is there a minimum usage fee?
No. Unlike many, if not all, of our competitors, Talk America does not have a minimum usage fee.

When does Talk America Send me a bill?
Calls are billed monthly and invoices sent out by direct mail. Or use our easy Auto Pay at talk.com

Why don't the old telcos (ATT, Sprint, MCI) change their ways?
Their attitude is the result of legacy issues. The old telcos have tens of millions of customers on expensive and confusing plans. If the telcos come clean they have to charge everyone the same price. This would be devastatingly expensive in the short run.

What does it mean to be "billed in 6-second increments" and does this save me money?
6-second increments means that if you talk on the phone for 6 seconds, you pay for exactly 6 seconds. If you talk for 7 seconds, you pay for 12 seconds, and so on. Normally, phone calls are billed in 60-second increments, meaning that you are charged for a full minute of time even if you use only a fraction of the minute.

How long will it take for my long distance service to be switched?
Please allow 7 to 15 days for the switch-over to take effect. Your service will not be interrupted at any time. The entire process will be completely transparent to you. Do not change your long distance with your local phone company unless specifically instructed to do so.

How much will it cost to switch my service?
Nothing. Talk America will pick up all the transfer fees when you switch to them. ??

If I've never signed up for a calling plan, what happens when I make a long distance call?
If you don't remember ever signing up for a long distance plan, chances are you're using a standard-rate long distance plan. Much of the calling public still pays standard direct-dial rates when calling long distance from their office or home. These rates tend to be the highest in the industry. In fact, 60 percent of Americans have basic long distance service and are losing $2 billion a year in savings, according to the United Homeowners Association.

How do the rates for 10-10 numbers compare to other long distance plans?
Although 10-10 numbers may appear to save you money, make sure you read all the fine print before using one. Most of the low-per-minute charge or dime-a-minute savings plans also include a monthly fee, some as high as $4.99 a month, and require a minimum use period of three minutes on each call, even if you talk for only a few seconds. If you don't make a high volume of calls that last longer than three minutes each, this type of program is probably not the right one for you. You may end up spending more than you would by just dialing direct with Talk America plan.

What is a PIC freeze?
If you have a primary interexchange carrier (PIC) freeze on your phone number, Talk America cannot make changes without your permission. To activate or deactivate a PIC freeze, send written notification to your current service provider. A PIC freeze prevents slamming.

Are there significant quality differences between long distance companies?
The primary difference between long distance companies is in their customer service, not in the voice quality of their service.

What are USF Fees and National Access Fees?
The FCC requires all local and long distance providers, including Talk America, to contribute to universal service funding mechanisms. Universal Service Fees (USF) help to make access to telephone service affordable for:

• Low income customers
• Customers located in high cost of service (typically rural) areas
• Schools and libraries
• Rural health care providers
  

The FCC imposed USF (Universal Service Fund) will be charged on all interstate and international calls.

National Access Fees, also known as PICC fees, are FCC mandated charges paid by long distance carriers to local service providers. Beginning in 1998, the FCC required long distance providers to compensate local service companies for use of the locals companies' telephone network (sometimes referred to as the "local loop.") The FCC imposed PICC fee is $0/line Residential; $3.25/line Commercial.