Not All Prepaid Phone Cards Are Created Equal
AT&T Offers Tips to Keep Military Families Connected This Father's Day
San Antonio, Texas, June 14, 2006
As Father's Day approaches and military servicemen and -women abroad want to connect with their fathers and loved ones back home, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) announced that it is reminding families to use prepaid phone cards purchased through military exchanges to help ensure that service members receive the best value for the calls they make — and so they can easily make calls from the phone centers located throughout Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF).
As announced today, AT&T, in partnership with the United Service Organizations (USO), is also donating 10,000 prepaid phone cards, valued at $90,000, for military members overseas in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. The first handouts of the prepaid cards will begin on USO entertainment tours scheduled for the weeks surrounding Father's Day. These are the first of more than 30,000 cards that AT&T and the USO will distribute to the military in 2006.
According to the USO, prepaid phone cards traditionally are one of the most popular items that troops request. These cards make thoughtful gifts for military fathers and families of military servicemen and -women stationed away from home this Father's Day.
Some military members may find it difficult or costly to phone home when well-intentioned loved ones send prepaid phone cards that have not been designed for use with the AT&T phone centers in OEF/OIF. This can delay connections and add unnecessary additional per-minute charges. Also, it is important to note that prepaid international rates can differ widely from domestic rates.
With Father's Day fast approaching, AT&T makes the following recommendations for ensuring a successful connection and supporting many military families this holiday:
TIPS FOR CONNECTING MILITARY FAMILIES WITH PHONE CARDS:
- Be sure to send cards purchased through the Army Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). These cards are designed to work from the more than 60 phone centers built and maintained in OEF/OIF. They provide the best value for military members stationed there.
- Through the "Help Our Troops Call Home" program, any individual may purchase or send phone cards by calling (800) 527-2345) or logging on at www.aafes.org and clicking on the "Help Our Troops Call Home" link. More information is also available at www.att.com/military.
- The program offers prepaid phone cards that can be earmarked for individual service members or distributed to "any service member" through the Air Force Aid Society, American Red Cross, Fisher House Foundation, Navy-Marine Corps Relief, United Service Organization (USO) and Soldier & Family Assistance Center (SFAC).
- The AAFES site is available to the general public and provides access to the only cards designed for use with the private communications network built for AAFES and used in all AT&T phone centers in OEF/OIF.
- Make a donation in Dad's name to an organization that helps connect military families by phone or Internet.
- In addition to the options provided through the "Help Our Troops Call Home" (AAFES.org), military supporters can also donate in Dad's name to programs that fund free prepaid phone cards and video calls for military members.
- Two additional organizations that help connect families with phone cards include USO Operation Phone Home®, (800) 901-1501 or www.uso.org, and VFW Operation Uplink, (800) 479-5228 or uplink@vfw.org. Both have connected millions with their loved ones via AT&T Global prepaid phone cards in recent years and continue to rely on public donations to fund their efforts.
- Military supporters can also donate in Dad's name to The Freedom Calls Foundation, (718) 797-9154 or www.freedomcalls.org, to help support live video conference calls for families of military members stationed in Iraq. Through its Operation Hometown Link program, The Freedom Calls Foundation enables military families to access videoconferencing facilities across the country in order to interact over its satellite network with servicemen and -women stationed at four military bases in Iraq, and it provides more than 1 million minutes a month in free phone calls to military personnel stationed in Iraq.
For more than 85 years, AT&T companies have remained dedicated to supporting active military personnel, their families and veterans through charitable contributions, event and program sponsorships, hiring of military veterans and maintaining policies that support reservists when called to duty. Since 2000, AT&T has donated more than $6 million worth of free prepaid phone cards to military members and more than $2 million to projects supporting service members. The company has also built more than 60 calling centers for military members stationed in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. More information is available at www.att.com/military.
About AT&T Inc.
AT&T Inc. is one of the world's largest telecommunications holding companies and is the largest in the United States. Operating globally under the AT&T brand, AT&T companies are recognized as the leading worldwide providers of IP-based communications services to business and as leading U.S. providers of high speed DSL Internet, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. AT&T Inc. holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which is the No. 1 U.S. wireless services provider with 55.8 million wireless customers. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and AT&T products and services is available at www.att.com.
© 2006 AT&T Knowledge Ventures. All rights reserved. Subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. provide products and services under the AT&T brand.
About AAFES
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) is a joint command of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, and is directed by a Board of Directors who is responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and the Air Force through the Service Chiefs of Staff. AAFES has the dual mission of providing authorized patrons with articles of merchandise and services and of generating non-appropriated fund earnings as a supplemental source of funding for military Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs. To find out more about AAFES' history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http://www.aafes.com/pa/default.asp.
About The Freedom Calls Foundation
The Freedom Calls Foundation is a Public Charity building a communications network dedicated to providing state of the art video conferencing, telephone and internet services to enable our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to keep in touch with their families and loved ones at home, free of charge. The Foundation provides services to more than 30,000 soldiers and marines free of charge 24 hours per day and the Army has requested that the foundation install 8 additional facilities in Iraq and 2 in Afghanistan in the coming months. The Foundation is authorized by the Secretary of the Army to provide communications services to the troops and their families and recently received a Commendation from the Army and a personal letter of appreciation from MAJ GEN Taguba.The Freedom Calls Foundation is supported by donations of corporations and the American people on the foundation's website www.freedomcalls.org
About the USO
For more than 65 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners AT&T, BAE Systems North America, Clear Channel Communications, Military Channel, The Coca-Cola Company, S&K Sales Co. and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Other corporate donors, including the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-0600), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at www.uso.org.
About VFW Operation Uplink
Launched in 1996, Operation Uplink is an innovative program that provides free prepaid phone cards to active-duty military personnel and hospitalized veterans. Through the generous support of VFW and Ladies Auxiliary VFW Posts and members, and other caring citizens, Operation Uplink has already distributed more than 7 million prepaid phone cards — representing more than 105 million minutes of phone time.
