I bought a Lycatalk voucher from a shop - I usually buy an 0800 calling card, with a pin - and use it immediately - dial 0800 number and put in the pin, and I can talk around the world.

With Lyca talk I HAVE to register to get an account
1. the voucher does not say this, it just has a customer services number.
2. When I call to register, I am asked for ALL my very PERSONAL information
my question is what possible use does Lyca Talk have for this infromation except to sell it on to others - they will never send me an account, I am using a voucher from a shop????

3. they asked for address (And it has to be a valid address as I tried to give a fake one and they are checking on a database!!!) and then my BIRTH DATE - this is often used as security on your bank account and should NOT be given to other companies
4. They then insisted that I provide the phone from which I will make all my calls - so I cannot use the card from a landline AND a mobile, I have to chose. They cannot enable my account without me giving one of these numbers, when I explained that to call home and my family, I sometimes can call from the office (the 0800 number!!) and sometimes from home and occasionally when its urgent, from my mobile, Shailah just kept insisting that without one number she could not enable an account and I would not be able to use the voucher.

BEWARE people - what are LycaTalk doing with all this information? They don't need it!!! Its your personal informaiton and its almost certainly being stored somewhere, we don't know who Lycatalk are, there's no information on their address etc on the voucher and the call-centre is obviously in India, so they can do what they like as there are no data-protection rules in India!

I am returning the voucher to the shop unused, as I don't want this kind of trouble.
Globaletalk card is very very good value and you don't have to register - try and get one of their cards in stead!!!