Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Calling Card Consolidator

A device for sucking the left-over balances off pre-paid telephone calling cards
  (+4, -1)
(+4, -1)
  [vote for,
against]

A device where you could swipe in a handful of half-used telephone calling cards, and have the balance refunded in cash, or a new card. It would work by automatically contacting the card vendors and transferring the balances.

[UnaBubba: parents for their kids going to camp or college, tourists, people who travel a lot. bristolz: a first, eh? phoenix: we're not trying to hack the card - see explanatory note.]

DrCurry, Mar 09 2003

Breakage (accounting term) http://en.wikipedia...eakage_(accounting)
A term from accounting for gift cards that have been sold but not redeemed. Generally, any paid-for-but-unused value. [land, Dec 13 2007]

[link]






       This is clever +
bristolz, Mar 09 2003
  

       ...and swipe your debit card to have the balance refunded to your bank account.
hippo, Mar 09 2003
  

       I did it on a vacation to the States.
FarmerJohn, Mar 09 2003
  

       If you can hack the card, why not just add unpaid-for time?
phoenix, Mar 09 2003
  

       [UnaBubba], prepaid cards are used a lot in the western US, as Mexican immmigrants can use them to call to their families down south.   

       [DrCurry], this is definitely worth my croissant.
rudyvalencia, Oct 25 2004
  

       yep, a great idea
P.S. [Unabubba], everyone not using Skype uses them, surely, it costs me 1/2c AU a minute to the UK.
neilp, Oct 25 2004
  

       I like this idea, even though I think that the card vendors, once they have your money, are not going to give it up. These guys make at least some of their money on "breakage" (see link).
land, Dec 13 2007
  
      
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