International Calls? No Problem. International Giveaway of a 32gb iPad 2? Also No Problem (With Vonage)!

I lived in the UK for two years and you know how many times I used my mobile phone to make calls home to the USA? Ummm, ONCE. After a lot of hemming and hawing, I finally managed to figure out how to sign up for some cheap-o international calling number plan online, got the text confirmation, typed in my pin and made that one call. I tried using it several other times in the following months, only to find that my £10 credit had disappeared! And then I stupidly topped up another £5 only to find that none of my calls would connect.

I WISH Vonage's Time To Call app had been around while I was there because it is ridiculously easy to use and you only pay when you use it.  And, to make it even easier, you pay for your calls through your iTunes account, so you don't have to worry about signing up with a credit card online and then dealing with special numbers to call. Best of all? You can not only call internationally from the States and Canada using your iPhone and 3G network, you can call from anywhere in the world via wi-fi. 

Fortunately, since I am still flying back to the UK on a pretty regular basis to visit friends and get my anglo-fix on, I will now be able to use my US iPhone to call home when I'm in wi-fi zones instead of sweating an expensive international calling plan or buying a pay-as-you-go phone while there.

Also, did I mention that it was easy? 

Before I get to the part where I tell you all about Vonage giving you a chance to win an iPad 2 32gb tablet, I'll tell you how you can make an international call from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch via the Time To Call app.

First:  Download the Time to Call™ app for iPhone
Second: Select the country you want to call
Third: Tap the Buy button on your screen and dial the number you want to call – no service plan is required and your call is billed directly to your iTunes account
Fourth:  Call mobile or landline numbers and talk for up to 15 minutes
· For a limited time, each download includes a FREE call of up to 15 minutes to landlines and mobile phones in any one of 100 countries. Activate your FREE call to take advantage of this offer. No purchase necessary.**

Wait. Was that too hard?  Here it is again, even easier:

So go download the app now. I'll wait. OK, now you are all set up and the next time you are out of the country and think, "Oh, crikey! I need to call home!" you can pat yourself on the back for remembering to download the Time To Call app and then use it as soon as you're in a Wi-Fi zone.

A few more nuts and bolts that are important to note:

• Pay per call and talk up to 15 minutes to 100 countries for $1.99 or less¹
• For an additional 90+ countries, talk up to 15 minutes for $2.99 to $9.99¹
• FREE download
• No need to be a Vonage home customer
• The app will be available for Android phones soon!

OK. So here's the part you were waiting for: Vonage is giving away an iPad 2, 32gb plus a $15 iTunes card (the prize will be in the form of $715 in iTunes cards) to one lucky reader of Bitchin' Wives Club. And I am so happy to tell all my BFF's in England, France, and around the world that this giveaway is open to them, too. Because that is how Vonage rolls, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much.

You do need to do a couple things before you are eligible to win, of course.

• You must leave a comment telling me where you dream of calling home from with the Time To Call app . (I dream of calling my husband and kids from a wee chalet in Switzerland, where I imagine myself on a writing sabbatical among the evergreens, the mountains, and pristine streams and lakes.)
  
• You must also "Like" Bitchin' Wives Club on facebook. I know you really "Love" me,  but I can't figure out how to hack facebook to change it.  I am making it very easy for you to do this one: look over there in the right-hand sidebar  ----> and then click the Like button in the facebook box or click the thumbs up at the bottom of the post. OR, you can follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway. If you are uninspired, you can use one of these handy tweets I made for you:

 Don't even think about entering to win this iPad2 b/c you'll ruin MY chances! Via @theBitchinWife & @Vonage bit.ly/njLPFf #TimeToCall

Or:

I'll cry if you win & I don't, but I'm still compelled to tell you about @theBitchinWife's iPad 2 giveaway. bit.ly/njLPFf #TimeToCall

Just let me know in your comment whether you Liked or Tweeted and you will be entered.

If you're feeling unlucky and like you should cover every karmic base at your disposal to get your mojo on, you could go Like Vonage on facebook, too. AND follow @Vonage and then tweet like crazy about this giveaway with the hashtag #TimeToCall.

If you are super-ultra-motivated (and who isn't when it comes to winning an iPad?) you can also go to Gear Live Venturus and Gear Live for two more chances to win. And then after that, you can go to http://www.callsfromsmartphone.com/  to check Vonage's giveaway schedule, because they are giving away iPads almost every day until the end of August! 


Some conditions apply (because they always do) and you need to be aware of them: if you win a prize on one of the other websites running this promotion with Vonage, then you can’t win again in the whole competition. Depending on where the winners live they may receive the Apple iPad 2 32 GB WiFi, or the equivalent on a local Apple Gift Card to use at the Apple Store online.


Disclosure: Vonage gave me $30 in iTunes gift cards to review the Time To Call app. Vonage is supplying the prize for this giveaway, but I am running the show for the giveaway. The contest ends at midnight on August 26th, 2011 and a winner will be selected at random. There will be only one entry per person. I will know if you didn't really tweet or facebook me, so don't get cheeky. Mwaahaaahaa!




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*****THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED*****

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Congratulations to Hannah, aka @hannahmdy, of Sheffield, England. Her comments didn't register with DISQUS so they can't be seen below, but came through the Blogger comment system and the time stamp confirmed her as the winner.

Congratulations Hannah and I hope to hear from you via the Vonage Time To Call app very soon!