How to be sure you are making a call via cheap international calling app MOREmins

Cheap international calling app MOREmins. Mantas Bardas photo

As we all lead busy lives, it is not a crime to get distracted or forgetful about things. But it is a real pain for us to know that our clients sometimes forget a simple action of opening MOREmins app before making an international call.

The result is dismaying: a huge bill from your mobile operator for a relatively short call abroad.

All MOREmins users know that this app has one distinctive feature. In the beginning of a call MOREmins credit balance is being checked and afterwards the client is informed how many minutes he/she will be able to talk. This message is a confirmation you are calling with MOREmins.

But we would like to give you one more piece of advice. Use your phone with a hands-free kit to be sure you are calling abroad via MOREmins app.

The phrase “Call via MOREmins” is displayed on a phone screen during the whole conversation. So you can't make an error.

The app has two distinctive features to let users know they are calling abroad via MOREmins.  Mantas Bardas photo

Also you will kill two birds with one stone because health experts advise using wired headsets to place more distance between the phone and the head.

Hands-free device reduces the amount of radiofrequency energy exposure to the head because the antenna, which is the source of energy, is not placed against the head.

And, last but not least, talking this way allows you to move freely and use a spare pair of hands for simple tasks and errands. ;)

New Cheap International Calling App

Hey MOREmins friends!

We would like to share some good news with you! MOREmins has released a new cheap international calling app. 

It works without internet and converts your local minutes into cheap international ones. 

People who live in Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, United Kingdom and USA can use our app. 

Download MOREmins cheap international calling app for iPhone: https://goo.gl/e4qbiM. And for Android (Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei etc.): https://goo.gl/wtDMuJ. 

Feel even MORE joy calling your dearest ones who are abroad!

Cheers,
MOREmins

www.moremins.com

Sky Garden in Walkie Talkie Building

Although London's Walkie Talkie has been voted the ugliest building in Britain, which has melted cars and caused great gusts of wind, we still have decided to visit its Sky Garden.

And it did not disappoint us at all. 

Actually, we had a perfect opportunity to admire the views of London.

If you would like to visit the Sky Garden, make sure to book free tickets here well in advance as they sell out very quickly. Also do not forget to bring an ID with you.

The 37-storey office building is in the City of London. It is officially called the 20 Fenchurch Street skyscraper but has been nicknamed 'The Walkie-Talkie' because of its distinctive shape.

Tips for Choosing Your Cheap International Calls Provider

One of the main criteria in choosing international calls provider is a low price. 

But we've noticed that customers get tricked by one marketing sentence that sounds something like this: "calls to country x - Yp/min."
The truth is that usually the number Y does not show the full price of a call.

But to know that before ordering a service people have to read terms and conditions. And we all hate small letter texts.

So what hidden or additional fees we should look for when choosing cheap international calls provider?


1. Connection fees. 

2. Minimum call charge. 

There may be 30 seconds, 1 minute, etc. minimum call charge. So if you finish your call after 10 seconds, you should know that you will pay more than that.

3. Are your calls rounded up? 

Are you charged by seconds or by minutes? It is a very important question to find out.

If you pay by a second, after a 30-second call you will pay for 30 seconds.

But if your calls are rounded up to the nearest minute, after a phone call that lasted the same 30 seconds, you will be charged as if you have talked for 1 minute.
 

4. Credit/ balance validity period.

You might get thousands of bundled international minutes. But if your credit expires after one month or even after three months, you should consider if there is a point in ordering it. This leads us to the next point.
 

5. How many minutes will you really use up?

6. Account top-up fee.

Usually we think that we top-up our accounts for free but it is not always the case. For example, we came upon providers which ask you to pay 4.99 EUR for topping-up your account by 3,5 EUR.

7. Minimum top-up amount.

Sometimes you have to top-up relatively large sums of money to get low international rates.

8. Access number charge.

Cheap international calls may be provided via access numbers. You have to dial an access number manually (for example, when using calling cards) or an access number may be automatically dialed for you (for example, when using international calling apps).

Cheap international calls provider does not charge you for this part of a call, but your
mobile network operator might do.

Usually calls to access numbers are included in your mobile network operator's inclusive minute bundles. But in some cases your mobile operator might charge you for calling to premium rate access numbers (usually they are not landline numbers).

Our advice is simple - check your detailed phone bills and find out if your calls to access number are included or excluded (charged additionally) from your bundle.

9. Will you need internet for any part of your call?

That's right! Keep in mind, that internet costs as well;)

Customers get tricked by one marketing sentence that sounds something like this: "calls to country x - Yp/min." 

Have a nice day!

MOREmins

www.moremins.com

What is the Difference between Roaming and International Call?

We have noticed that people still do not know the difference between international calls and roaming. This is why it is easy to confuse rates for your mobile calls. 

Let us shortly remind you the difference between these two terms.

An example of roaming: you live in the UK and subscribe to UK mobile operator. Roaming is when you make calls and receive calls while traveling abroad. Usually this happens during holidays abroad or short business trips abroad. 

An example of an international call: you live in the UK and subscribe to UK mobile operator. When you call from UK to another country you are making an international call. 

MOREmins is a service for people who want to make cheap international calls. MOREmins app converts your mobile network operator's local minutes into international ones for a small fee.

These days subscribers of mobile operators get hundreds of free local minutes. If you cannot use up all your free local minutes, it is worth to consider converting them into cheap international ones. 

It is also worth mentioning that MOREmins app works without internet, so you can make your calls on the go.

But let's come back to roaming. Sometimes we get more complicated questions regarding it. One of them is really popular.

Example: you live in the UK and subscribe to UK mobile operator. Your friend also lives in the UK and subscribes to UK mobile operator. One day your friend goes abroad for a short vacation.

If he/she still uses UK mobile phone abroad, it does not cost you more than usual to give him/her a call (because you call from UK number to UK number). 

On the other hand, your friend pays for receiving your call because he/she receives it when traveling abroad (roaming).

We hope you'll find this information helpful.

Cheers,

MOREmins

www.moremins.com

Need Some Ideas When to Use MOREmins Calling App?

Have a nice week!
MOREmins
moremins.com

Weekend in Central London

Call your dearest ones to share your weekend stories!


 

Happy weekend everyone!

Cheers,
MOREmins
moremins.com

Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House

For those, who are wondering what to do in their free time this week, we advise visiting 2015 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House.

The exhibition lasts until the 10th of May, so you don't have a lot of time. And it is worth hurrying up as you will see the works of winning and shortlisted photographers of the world's largest photography competition.

We hadn't bought the tickets in advance (the entry is £ 8.50), so we waited in a line for nearly half an hour to get in. But if you are in a good company, time flies!

The exhibition is big and interesting, so make sure you have at least a couple or more hours to admire the photos.

Some of them are so amazing, that you find it hard to believe that they are not paintings!

Others give you an urge to travel more or submerge you in deep thoughts about the problems and issues the world has to face, such as Ebola crisis in Africa, bloody events in Ukraine, poverty or global warming. 

This year's Sony World Photography Awards, which is in its eighth year, attracted a record-breaking numbers of entries, with 173,444 images submitted from 171 countries. The winners were announced on 23 April. 

The Sony World Photography Awards has five competitions: professional, open, youth and mobile phone. Each of them has a number of subcategories. 

See winning images here.

Also renowned Magnum photographer's Elliott Erwitt's career is represented at Somerset House as part of the Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition.

7 Key Skills of Successful Business Leaders

The 6th president of  US John Quincy Adams    

John Quincy Adams, who served as the sixth President of the United States from 1825 –  1829, once said: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Eager to learn about leadership skills, MOREmins attended Steve Gilroy’s workshop on the 7 Key Skills of Successful Business Leaders.

Mr Gilroy, the chief executive of world’s leading chief-executive organization Vistage International UK, asked each participant to use a simple scoring sheet which gave a clear picture of our strengths and weaknesses as business leaders.

During the workshop Mr Gilroy outlined seven leadership skills that are essential for success of your company:



1.   Know your NUMBERS.

2.     Create a shared VISION.

3.     Get the RIGHT PEOPLE on the bus.

4.     Get your staff ENGAGED.

5.     Make the whole business CUSTOMER-CENTRIC.

6.     LEAD (don’t manage).

7.     Take care of YOURSELF.

8.     __________________?   Yes, you guess it right: add one more skill you think is important!

Important question: are you working ON the business or IN the business?

·       Talking in more detail, the first skill means you have to know all the stats and facts about your business extremely well: profits, clients, future consumption, competitors, changes in technology, etc.

·       Company’s vision is also very important. Vision has to be known to the smallest details and shared by all employees, not only a leader.

·       Thirdly, successful companies put the right people in the right jobs. Easier said than done, right? MOREmins have found an interesting article by Amy Rees Anderson regarding this topic in Forbes.

·       Another skill shared by successful business leaders is getting one’s staff engaged. Mr Gilroy emphasized, that if you want your employees to be enthusiastic and to do more than they are asked for, you should know what really motivates them and make allowances for different generations. He also advised to undertake regular employee engagement surveys.

·       In addition to this, a business must be entirely focused on customer. At this point during the workshop a huge correlation between employee engagement and customer engagement was emphasized.

·       A leader must also honestly answer one important question: are you working ON the business or IN the business? And the right answer is: I am working ON the business because a leader’s job is to delegate tasks and coach others to succeed. A leader has to make sure that the five points mentioned above are achieved to the max.

·       Also you must take care of oneself professionally and personally. Mr Gilroy mentioned that business leaders are notoriously on a bad diet.  But it’s all about balance in life. So your health should not be forgotten: exercise, relax, have a good night sleep, eat healthily. 

·       And finally, what would you add as a skill no 8? MOREmins team had a short discussion about it, but could not reach one decision. Persistence? Strong belief? Share your opinion with us!

 

Successful companies put the right people in the right jobs. Easier said than done, right? Photo:picjumbo.com

 Cheers,

MOREmins

Roza Otunbayeva: ‘I Have Broken the Vision that Women Can't Run the Country’

Roza Otunbayeva is the first female president of Kyrgyzstan.

There are so many exciting things to do in London that sometimes we wish there were more days in a week. For instance, it is always worth to check London School of Economics’ public events which are mostly free of charge and open to general public.
 
It is an opportunity to hear well-respected professors, businessmen and even meet the world leaders at these events if you are lucky (and fast!).  Just keep in mind, that sometimes you are required to book a free ticket in advance. 
 
MOREmins was excited to attend a public lecture of Roza Otunbayeva who was the first female president of Kyrgyzstan in 2010 - 2011.

She was also the first woman to head a country in male-dominated Central Asia, so her insights were particularly interesting.
 
Mrs Otunbayeva's lecture was part of the project Above the Parapet, which seeks to capture the experiences of high profile women who have shaped public life.

In the beginning of the lecture Mrs Otunbayeva emphasized, that she came to LSE to talk about her own journey, not about politics. But of course it was impossible to avoid this topic as her career in politics and diplomacy started decades ago.

Kyrgyz woman took power after bloody street riots in April 2010 which ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Mrs Otunbayeva served as a president of Kyrgyzstan until December 2011 when a newly elected president was sworn in. It was the first peaceful transition of power in Central Asia and Mrs Otunbayeva earned international plaudits for agreeing to relinquish her seat.

"LSE main entrance" by Umezo KAMATA - Own work.

The former president of Kyrgyzstan Roza Otunbayeva during her public lecture at LSE.

Now the leader works for her foundation, where among other issues, she pays a lot of attention to women’s mentorship and their rights. 

During the public lecture at LSE Mrs Otunbayeva said that she put forward a lot of women candidates to high positions when she became a president. In her belief “it is a job for every woman leader” to do.

"Women can make a peaceful resolution of many things. Women are patient. Women have intuition. Women have something as a seventh feeling. (...) I want to see the future of my nation secular, bright, open for women, for girls," Otunbayeva said during her public lecture at LSE. 

While answering the questions from the audience about how she dealt with difficult situations during her political career, Mrs Otunbayeva said: “It was difficult, it was not easy. From women someone would expect hysterics or very emotional reaction to something in a time of fire, in a time of intensive conflict.  It seems to me that, what I have done, I have broken the vision that women can't run the country, that women can't be at the helm of the situation when the situation is very bad,"  talked Mrs Otunbayeva.

Find the podcast of this event here.

All the best,

MOREmins

Tower Bridge Waking up at the End of Earth Hour 2015

Some of Britain's most iconic landmarks plunged into darkness for an hour on the 28th of March.

Here is a short video of Tower Bridge at the end of Earth Hour 2015.

A Glimpse of London from the 72nd Floor

The Shard is the tallest building in EU.

If Londoners have guests, they should consider bringing them to the Shard's Viewing Gallery. The tallest skyscraper in the European Union offers amazing views of London on the floors 68, 69 and 72.

What is also important, there is no rushing or jostling - you can take as much time as you need to look around London from the top floors of the building. And with the help of specially-designed telescopes you can pick out and get more information about London's landmarks, although the views are not live.

The tower's observation deck was opened to the public on 1 February 2013.

On a clear day you can see 40 miles out over London. During our visit the sky was cloudy, but we still enjoyed panoramic views.

We bought adult tickets at the place and paid £29.95 each. But if you book them online, you will pay a little bit less.

Also, did you know that 95 percent of the materials used in the Shard's construction came from recycled sources? Or that the most exclusive room at The Shard’s Shangri-La hotel (which occupies floors 34 to 52) costs £14,000 a night (that’s £13 a minute)?

Check The Time Out London blog for more great facts about this skyscraper.

Happy Weekend!
MOREmins

The World is Smaller with MOREmins or... Hurry up Guys!

Hi Android and iOS users,

We have good news for you! There is an opportunity to try MOREmins UK international calling service free of charge. The first 200 new MOREmins subscribers get £1 free credit to call anywhere they want.

£1 might sound like an insignificant amount of money, but believe us, with MOREmins it is not! In many cases (and by cases we mean calling destinations), you can talk for nearly an hour with £1. 

So call your dearest ones who are abroad and even get money to do that. Sounds awesome, right? 

After using £1 free credit, you will be free to decide if you want to call with MOREmins further and top-up your account. No obligations, no pressure. Promised :)

You won't have to sign any contracts because it is pay as you go service. What's more important: here are no hidden connection fees and no rounding up to the next minute. With MOREmins you simply pay per second. 

Register for £1 free credit at www.moremins.com or send us an email with your name, surname and mobile phone number to info@moremins.com. After your account is created, download MOREmins UK app from App Store or Google Play and start calling!

Wishing you happy
Tuesday!
MOREmins

MOREmins Inspiration: LSE Student Entrepreneur of the Year

"What I've noticed is that for every entrepreneur there are ten people in the room and they gonna tell you how you can't do it. So you do have to, sort of, shut your ears a lot of the time," says LSE Student Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Kat Kimmorley.

With a group of fellow young Australians Kat co-founded a social enterprise Pollinate Energy that provides solar energy to urban slum dwellers across India. 

Their mission is a very meaningful one because 25 per cent of India's population have no access to electricity. 

You can read an interesting story about Kat Kimmorley and her "light bulb moment" here. MOREmins is always inspired by such stories.



Have a great weekend!
MOREmins

Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth. And Give Your Vote!

As many other Londoners, MOREmins rushed to Trafalgar Square where a new statue occupies the Fourth Plinth. 

We couldn't wait to see the Gift Horse by German-American artist Hans Haacke ourselves as we heard so many different opinions about it.  And we were absolutely amazed by the synthesis of art and technology.

Tied to skeletal sculpture's front leg is an electronic ribbon which displays the live FTSE 100 ticker of the London Stock Exchange. It really suits the city that was just recently called the financial capital of the world.

According to London Evening Standard, Haacke, 78, "suggests connections between power, money and history - just up the road from Whitehall".

"It is an invitation to make connections, but I don't want to give directions about which connections are to be made," Haacke told the British press. 

The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square was originally intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV, but remained bare due to insufficient funds.

It led to debates that have been lasting for more than 100 years what to do with the podium.

The Fourth Plinth has been occupied by contemporary art sculptures since 1999. 

Gift Horse is the 10th artwork on the plinth. It has replaced blue sculpture of a domestic cockerel or rooster by Katharina Fritsch that was unveiled in July 2013.

See the previous Fourth Plinth artwork in TimeOut London website and give a vote for your favourite one! We already did.

Cheers,

MOREmins

Cat Lovers' Heaven and a Prank

picjumbo.com

These days you could hardly miss the story about Japan's Cat Island. Nearly every news website published the pictures from a mile-long island of Aoshima where more than 120 cats swarm. 

Felines outnumber humans six to one in this remote fishing village in southern Japan.

Click the links below to find out more about this meowy place which attracts many cat loving tourists.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/03/us-japan-cats-idUSKBN0LZ0FU20150303

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2015/mar/04/japans-cat-island-in-pictures#img-1

After checking the websites above an interesting question started bothering MOREmins. Is there an island where only dogs live? 

We didn't search for long to find a strange website advertising an island in the US where only dogs live. Pet owners are encouraged to bring their dogs to this place where permanent residence for our four legged friends is free. http://www.thedogisland.com/rates.html 

But it happened to be a prank (with a very clear disclaimer at the bottom of the page) which gave us a good laugh and brightened up the day.

Wishing you lots of fun!
MOREmins