TALK news...current price 17 1/4.....;) Jo
Tuesday January 4, 8:27 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Talk.com, Inc.
Talk.com Signs Strategic Marketing Agreement with
First USA(R) Bank
Talk.com to Offer High-Quality Telecom Services through World's Largest Issuer of Visa(R)
Credit Cards, First USA Bank with 65 Million Cardmembers
RESTON, Va., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Talk.com (Nasdaq: TALK - news), the leader in leveraging the power of the
Internet to bill, service and market telecom services to its growing customer base, today announced it has signed a strategic
marketing agreement with First USA© Bank, NA, the largest issuer of Visa© credit cards in the world. This agreement,
Talk.com's largest marketing pact to date, establishes Talk.com as the selected provider of long distance services -- at great
low rates -- in a marketing program offered to First USA's cardmembers. First USA has 65 million cardmembers and is a
subsidiary of Bank One Corporation (NYSE: ONE - news).
According to the terms of the agreement, Talk.com will offer its cost- effective, convenient telecom services to First USA's
cardmembers via online and direct mail promotions. When First USA's cardmembers select Talk.com telecom service, they
will immediately benefit from the convenience, savings and value of Talk.com's high-quality long distance offerings. In
addition, First USA cardmembers will be able to pay their Talk.com bills automatically with their First USA credit cards,
providing added convenience.
Speaking about today's announcement, Talk.com Chairman and CEO Gabe Battista explained: ``This agreement represents a
winning combination for Talk.com, First USA and our respective customers. The First USA agreement will provide Talk.com
with an opportunity to accelerate the growth of our customer base and advance our company's objective of having 50% of
net new customers originate from new sources that complement the growth generated through our relationship with AOL. In
addition, this new agreement represents a pivotal expansion to the delivery of Talk.com-branded telecom services.'
Concluded Mr. Battista, ``With both companies sharing such a strong commitment to value-added services, the biggest
benefactor of this new marketing agreement will be the consumer.'
About Talk.com
Talk.com is the industry leader in telecommunications that uniquely taps the reach and efficiency of the Internet to market its
telecom services and to support its customers. Monthly phone costs are billed automatically via credit card, and billing
records are available online in ``real-time,' allowing consumer and business users to closely monitor telecom charges. In
August of this year, Talk.com was ranked as one of the highest in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates, the
global leader in quality and satisfaction measurements. Talk.com broke new ground when it signed its marketing agreement
with America Online (NYSE: AOL - news) and further established its leadership position through marketing partnerships with
other prominent entities, including Prodigy, Wired Digital, E*trade, CDNOW, Metris and DSI. In addition, the company
recently announced it gained accreditation from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to
become a registrar of domain names on the World Wide Web.
The Company is further differentiated by its high-end Lucent-switched telephone network, user-friendly interface, proprietary
online billing system and convenient service - all provided with among the lowest consumer long- distance rates in the country
featuring five cents per minute interstate calls.
For further information, please visit the Company online at: www.Talk.com.
``Safe Harbor' Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release
regarding Talk.com's business which are not historical facts are ``forward-looking statements' that involve risks and
uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained
in the forward- looking statements, see ``Risk Factors' in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently
ended fiscal year.
SOURCE: Talk.com, Inc.
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