I have to say kudos to the team at o2’s innovation labs. Kudos gents.
They’ve created an international calling card application that you can download for your app. It’s a really nice idea — and something that I think most o2 customers who call abroad now-and-again should have on their phone.
If you’re a regular caller abroad then obviously, you should buy a special price plan or add-on to help mitigate the costs. However I think most users won’t call abroad enough to warrant an extra £5 or £10 a month on top of their standard price plan.
And when you want to phone the States, that’s when things get tricky as you’re likely going to have to pay lots of cash for the privilege.
Going to the local store to pick up a calling card is an option. But it’s a hassle.
An infinitely better experience is to download the all new o2 International Calling Card app. It’s a genius concept and a beautiful implementation.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1 – Download the app for free
Step 2 – Buy your calling card through the app, using your iTunes account
Step 3 – “scratch” off the panel to reveal your pin
Step 4 – click on make a call and either dial the number or select from your contact list.
That’s right, you scratch off the panel to reveal your PIN! Heh! A very cool addition, that.
I am particularly impressed that you can bill the cost of the card to your iTunes account. Seamless.
I’m going to give this one a go.
The app is free from iTunes and available now.
Let’s have some screenshots then…
The app frontpage:
Buying calling credit with your iTunes account:
Unwrapping and scratch off your PIN! Note — I particularly like the way you can send the card by email/text. Very useful.
To make a call from the app with your credit, just dial the international number and press call…
And once you press ‘call’, the app sticks on the access number for you and places the call.
Nice work o2!
Why do I have to use a calling card at all? If O2 is providing the backend anyway, why can’t I just call the US like I call London and receive the same rates?
Louis, because the propositions/marketing folk would have a heart attack at the concept. Given there’s typically next to no flexibility on this issue from operator senior management, the calling card is the next best thing. 😐
Glad you like it Ewan, Simon & I spent quite a while playing around with the patterns for the scratch panel, I kept walking up to people in the office and asking them to rub the sliver panel on an otherwise white app screen, think they thought I was mad!
Oh yeah and just to clarify one point in your article you don’t have to be an O2 Customer (SIM card holder) to use the app, if your mobile service is provided by O2 then the access number is free but if you’re on any other network its just a standard rate call to an 020 number so should be in your free minutes…
OK Sales pitch over, back to coding the next big thing 😉
Mwp, I think this is the first time I’ve seen an operator do it as applets to a third party?
But surely paying some company to make an app, then paying Apple 30% of whatever revenue made from this is much more expensive than simply reducing the prices?
And billing to iTunes is hardly seamless…the operator bills me for my calls, shouldn’t things like this be going on my bill?
Hi Sam,
I see the app is no longer available on iTunes is this indefinite? What was the reason for taking this down it was a sweet app that just worked, no gimick no hassle, I loved it. Please bring it back!