Blackstone Calling Cards - International Phone Cards - Prepaid Cellular
Blackstone Calling Cards & Phone Cards

Program Overview
  1. How do I get started?
  2. Does it cost anything to become an Affiliate?
  3. How long has the program been operating?
  4. Does my Web site qualify for the Affiliates Program?
  5. Can I participate if I live outside the USA?
  6. Can I apply to the Affiliates Program more than once?
  7. How should I design my Web site?
  8. I don't know how to write HTML or use my site development tool, will BlackstoneOnline.com help me?
  9. What sorts of communications will BlackstoneOnline.com send me?
  10. How do I know which products I should feature?
  11. I have more than one URL. Can I register all of them as BlackstoneOnline.com Affiliates?
  12. Can I get multiple tracking ID's?
  13. Can I take the order on my Web site and just send the customer and order information to BlackstoneOnline.com?
  14. Can a nonprofit join the Affiliates Program?

1. How do I get started?

  • Read the BlackstoneOnline.com Affiliates Program Operating Agreement.

  • Sign Up: Fill out a brief online registration form.
    You'll receive an immediate e-mail welcoming you to the program and giving you instructions on how to get started building your store. We typically review registration forms within one to two business days. After your site has been approved, you'll receive another e-mail with your assigned Affiliate ID and detailed instructions on how to enter our 'members only' area called Affiliates Central.

  • Use Affiliates Central to build your store.
    Once your site has been approved, you'll get access to Affiliates Central. You'll also have access to banners and graphics, helpful merchandising tips, and 24-hour online reporting so that you can build your store and keep track of your earnings online any time.

  • Start Earning
    You'll automatically be eligible to earn referral fees for sales generated by your links once your site has been approved. You'll always have access to your earnings and traffic reports through Affiliates Central. The reports will show you what your visitors are buying, how much they are buying, and what your earnings are on those purchases. With that information, you can optimize your store and make the most of your relationship with us. Referral fees are paid at the end of each quarter.

2. Does it cost anything to become an Affiliate?

No, there are no fees of any kind for applying to and participating in the BlackstoneOnline.com Affiliates Program. There is no charge to apply and there is no minimum sales requirement or sales quota you must reach before earning referral fees with our program. You start earning right away.

3. How long has the program been operating?

Our Affiliates Program started in May 2002.

4. Does my Web site qualify for the Affiliates Program?

Most Web sites will qualify to participate in the program; however, we may reject Web sites that we determine are unsuitable. Examples of sites that would NOT qualify for participation include:

Sites that promote sexually explicit material
Sites that promote violence
Sites that promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, physical disability, sexual orientation, or age
Sites that promote illegal activities
Sites that violate intellectual property rights

5. Can I participate if I live outside the United States?

No, you can not participate in the Affiliates Program if you live outside the United States.

6. Can I apply to the Affiliates Program more than once?

You may submit more than one application, but if you need multiple ID's for tracking reasons we recommend that you apply once and then simply write to affiliates@blackstoneonline.com and request the number of tracking ID's you need assigned to your account.

7. How should I design my Web site?

Every Affiliate site is unique, and we don't provide any kind of standard template for you to start with. That's because in almost every case, successful Affiliates will have a pre-existing Web site or idea for a Web site in mind when they join the program. You should try to make your recommendations or links to BlackstoneOnline.com look and feel like the rest of your site. If you don't yet have a Web site, your options are endless and we encourage you to give the site its own unique personality. We'll give you many suggestions and tips on effective ways to earn referral fees from your Web site in Affiliates Central.

8. I don't know how to write HTML or use my site development tool, will BlackstoneOnline.com help me?

Even though we won't be able to help you build your Web site or help you learn HTML, we've made linking to us easy through our 'member's only' area called Affiliates Central. Within Affiliates Central, building your links is a breeze using Quick-Link-Creator, our automatic link generating tool. You can automatically build many different types of links. From individual product links to specialized subject page links and customized search boxes, we'll have links that will enhance your site and earn you referral fees. If you want to learn HTML, there are a number of good books on the subject.

9. What sorts of communications will BlackstoneOnline.com send me?

We will occasionally send you email messages that include merchandising tips, site news, special offers for Affiliates, and important updates on Affiliates policies. These messages will include up-to-date information on opportunities that can benefit Affiliates.

10. How do I know which products to feature?

You should recommend or refer visitors to products that relate to your Web site's content. If your site is focused on a particular calling area, you might start with products that offer the best rates for that area..

Keeping your store up to date means adding more items and possibly removing some as time passes. You should also keep track of trade journals, news groups, and press coverage that pertain to your topic of interest. We will also give you our "new and notable picks" for the most popular titles each month through our Affiliates Newsletter. You'll be able to access the Newsletter through Affiliates Central.

If you don't want to suggest any particular titles, you can link directly to our home page or a Search Box to your Web site. You will earn referral fees on all qualifying items sold to visitors originating from your site. Please remember that the referral fees are 3% for general links to our home page.

11. I have more than one URL. Can I register all of them as BlackstoneOnline.com Affiliates?

You have two options:

  • You can sign up once for all of your URLs. If you choose this option, you will see all of your earnings and traffic reports for all of your sites in one report that you can access online at Affiliates Central. You will have one Affiliates ID, and there will be no way for you to know which of your sites is generating the most sales.

  • You can submit an application to our program and then write to affiliates@blackstoneonline.com to request the number of tracking ID’s you need assigned to your account.

12. Can I get multiple tracking ID's?

Yes, to get multiple tracking ID's, submit our online application, and then write to affiliates@blackstoneonline.com and request the number of Tracking ID's that you need. These Tracking ID's will be assigned to your account, and you'll be able switch between IDs online when using our self-service Web site, Affiliates Central.

13. Can I take the order on my Web site and just send the customer and order information to BlackstoneOnline.com?

No. Our frequent catalog, pricing, and availability updates are all part of our integrated catalog and ordering software. By using our system to quote availability and take orders, you ensure that your visitors get the most up-to-date information and ordering options available from BlackstoneOnline.com. In addition, a customer's contact and billing information is crucial to our ability to offer the best customer service of any company on the Web. Let BlackstoneOnline.com, the experts in e-commerce, take care of everything, and then sit back and enjoy the immediate value you add to your Web site by participating in the Affiliates Program, the largest and best program of its type anywhere.

14. Can a nonprofit join the Affiliates Program?

Yes, we encourage nonprofits to join our program. 
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Referral Fees and Payment

  1. How much does BlackstoneOnline.com pay me in referral fees?
  2. Which products qualify for referral fees, and how are these fees calculated?
  3. How much do I earn from sales of products other than calling cards?
  4. When and how do I get paid?
  5. How does BlackstoneOnline.com track orders coming from my Web site?
  6. Does BlackstoneOnline.com have an online reporting feature so that I can keep track of my earnings and traffic?
  7. Will I earn referral fees for personal orders that I make through my Web site?
  8. Can I get store credit instead of a check?
  9. Do I have to meet sales quotas or performance tiers before I can earn fees?

1. How much does BlackstoneOnline.com pay me in referral fees?

You'll be paid up to 3 % for links that you feature on your site. For any sales generated through search box, home page links, or subject page links, you'll be paid 3% in referral fees.

2. Which products qualify for referral fees, and how are the fees calculated?

Referral fees are earned item by item:

  • You earn a referral fee on each qualifying sale, as long as the customer accepts and pays for the item.

  • The referral fee is 3 % of the selling price.

  • See the complete text of the Operating Agreement for details.
    Each item you include in your store will be sold by BlackstoneOnline.com to your visitors at the same price offered in the BlackstoneOnline.com catalog. Any discount offered to our customers will also apply to customers who follow special links from your Web site. Because prices fluctuate, it is not recommended that Affiliates post price information on their Web sites.

    3. How much do I earn from sales of products other than calling cards?

    There are no earns for other products than Prepaid Calling Cards.

    4. When and how do I get paid?

    We will pay you referral fees on a quarterly basis. Approximately 30 days following the end of each calendar quarter (March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31), we will send you a quarterly report and your choice of a check or BlackstoneOnline.com gift certificate for the referral fees on earned products that were shipped during that quarter, less any taxes that we are required by law to withhold. Although the Operating Agreement states that if your accrued fees for any calendar quarter are less than $100.00, we will hold payment until the total amount due is at least $100.00 or (if earlier) until the Agreement is terminated, as a service to our Affiliates, accounts with cumulative earnings in excess of $25 will receive payment.

    If a product that generated a referral fee is returned by the customer, we will deduct the corresponding fee from your next quarterly payment. If there is no subsequent payment, we reserve the right to send you a bill for the fee at the end of the following quarter.

    5. How does BlackstoneOnline.com track orders coming from my Web site?

    An Affiliates ID is assigned when you sign up through our online form. Links from Affiliates Web sites to BlackstoneOnline.com use a special format that includes this code. Every time a customer follows one of those links to our site, this unique URL tells us which title to display as well as which Affiliate sent the customer to us.

    6. Does BlackstoneOnline.com have an online reporting feature so that I can keep track of my earnings and traffic?

    Yes, once you've been accepted into the program, you will have access to our "members only" area, Affiliates Central. There, you'll be able to view your earnings at any time. These reports not only show you what you earn, they also show you how much and what exactly your customers are buying, which will help you determine what sells well from your site.

    7. Will I earn referral fees for personal orders that I make through my Web site?

    As stated in the Operating Agreement, we do not pay referral fees for personal orders. The nature of the marketing agreement between BlackstoneOnline.com and its Affiliates involves the payment of referral fees for referring new customers. It is important that we are paying for new customers and not simply providing Affiliates additional discounts above and beyond the already discounted items offered by BlackstoneOnline.com.

    8. Can I get store credit instead of a check?

    No, payments will be made only by check, in US currency.

    9. Do I have to meet sales quotas or performance tiers before I can earn fees?

    No. Unlike many other Affiliates-style programs, we do not require our Affiliates to meet sales quotas or performance tiers to earn their fees.

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    Blackstone is a patented distributor of phone cards & calling cards for the purpose of international & domestic long distance phone calls.  This site provides instant calling card, phone card, and wireless recharge PINs delivered via email. Blackstone is a pioneer in the prepaid industry and developed the Touch-n-buy (www.touch-n-buy.com), a instant calling card & prepaid wireless delivery machine. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your instant international phone cards, calling cards or prepaid wireless product please contact us.
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