Importance

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for phone card billing wherein phone cards comprising PINs associated with a specific account credited with a predetermined number of units are sold to phone card clients without any prepayment for the value of the phone card units. The phone card client is not required to pay for the phone card units unless and until a corresponding phone card PIN is activated for a first time by an end user, thereby reducing the phone card client's initial financial burden of prepaying for phone card units, and eliminating payment by the phone card client for phone card units that are never used by an end user. When an end user uses a phone card by dialing a special number and entering a PIN, a call processing computer connected to a special exchange verifies the entered PIN prior to connecting the end user's call. The call processing computer periodically and automatically downloads entered PINs to an invoicing computer system which automatically bills appropriate phone card clients for the value of the phone card units when a corresponding phone card PIN accessing these units is activated for the first time.

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First Claim