| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 1/29/2008 12:59:23 PM | I also use a TracPhone. $15 to buy the phone, airtime cards ranging from $20 upwards and they have a 90 day value I believe.. The more minutes you buy, the less cost per minute.When I bought mine they had a deal where you got 240 minutes and 1 year activation for $99. No monthly bills, no contracts, no hidden fees.
Even if I used all my minutes in that 1 year(I didnt) the phone is still active for 1 year. That means when you add more minutes, it also adds an extra 90 days to that 1 year timeframe for each airtime card bought.
So for me, it costs a max of about $100/year to have a working cel phone strapped to me at all times.
The key is whether you are going to be a cel phone addict, or just use it when needed. | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 1/29/2008 2:24:14 PM | | I believe their great OP if your using them to meet people online. The only issue I had was that you can't port the line to a regular phone number. Because its leased through the phone company. I'd say it would be best to use them in the short term. And if you like the person and talk on the phone alot. Then give them another number. Unless you can afford to pay for loading minutes like that. | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 1/29/2008 4:04:10 PM | TracPhone seems the way to go, they run all kinds of deals, too. I bought the largest card the store sold -- 400 minute card and they doubled the minutes for the lifetime of the phone -- future card purchases too -- this seems to be the way to go.
So I got 800 minutes for $129, phone was on sale for $10 -- charger & longlife battery and everything included. (except headseat or earphone) I got some minutes with the phone and 90 day activation then the card gave me another year so all said and done that averages out to $139 for 15 months. That's less than $10 a month and I haven't had to spend a dime on it since the day I walked out of the store.
No hidden fees -- These people who say regular plans are cheaper and they are spending $40 a month are nuts unless they LIKE having their face glued to it. I don't.
After having an expensive PDA busted in my pants pocket I liked the idea the phone was inexpensive. In case I ever do break it by accident. 10-15 dollars and its replaced, not a hundred or two or four. I love its one less bill I don't have to look at monthly and at a glance at the phone I know how many minutes I have left and when I need to reup.
I gotta say as some one who has been to college for electronics I am pretty impressed with the phone's design, too. No bulky plug in transformer, no flipping it open, li ion battery which though small and light can last up to 2-3 weeks between charges, beeps when done charging, autoshuts off (which was a huge nuisance with other inexpensive rechargeable items! Accidental overcharging thus killing the battery! ), lantern mode, calculator -- all kinds of extras I will never use or figure out. Even PW protection. It's a whole lot of product for just ten or fifteen dollars. It's even eliminated the need to carry a watch which they now say is the mark of how technologically advanced you are -- how you check the time. | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 2/3/2008 2:12:37 AM | The next day after making that post I lost my phone in the early AM. Later I called it and the person answered and returned it.  Pretty nice considering they could have just used the minutes left on it. I gave the guy a reward.
But it reinforces my faith in humanity that there still are many decent people out there. | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 5/25/2008 7:50:49 PM | Just bought a T-Mobile prepaid phone...
No camera on it...
Paid 50 bucks for the phone and got the 100 dollar card...that is the one that does not expire for a year now.
Now I hafta figger it out...
Just ask my kids...MOM never upgrades...this is gonna shock em...muhahahahaha
earthen | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 9/5/2008 8:33:59 PM | [Does anyone who uses a TracFone or GoPhone or another prepaid cellular phone program have any recommendations or concerns to be wary about in choosing a phone and a program? Appreciate any help!
~ Panda /quote]
I have been using TracFone for several years. I am very pleased with it. It meets my needs. I am not one who spends a lot of time on a cell phone, so Tracfone is just right for me. I had a contract with Verizon for over 2 years. I was using less than 100 minutes per month, so my money was going to waste. | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 9/5/2008 11:15:18 PM | About a year or so ago, TracFone was running a special- free Motorola C139 phone and a 60 minute card- doubled- for $20.
So, 120 minutes and a free phone. I got 3 of them. Plus 20 bonus minutes when I activate each phone, so another 60 minutes. That's 420 minutes for $60 = 7 cents a minute. Each 60 minute card has 90 days of minutes, and minutes roll over as long as I add additional minutes before the end of service date. And, I ended up with 2 extra phones.
I gave a phone to my son and the other one to my ex.
A few weeks ago, I signed up for the "value plan" that extends the service date if I still have minutes- about $5 for an additional 30 days, only charged if I have remaining minutes and haven't added any (that happens to me a lot, I run out of service time before I come close to running out of minutes).
The C139 is a good basic phone for carrying around for emergencies. It isn't much good for anything but making phone calls, but we're talking basic phone service, right? If you have to have a phone glued to your ear by all means get one of those wonder phones that does everything and comes with a nice calling plan. I like to be "off the network and under the radar" as much as possible, TracFone offers basic phone connectivity and what amounts to disposable phones, so it works for me.
Latest good deal from TracFone is a Motorola W270 phone with a "double minutes for life" card for $30. By itself the card sells for $49. It's a good deal if you intend to keep the phone long-term.
Prepaid works for me. It isn't for everybody, but I use less than $10 worth of minutes a month, so I don't need a "calling plan," just a good cheap phone. | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 9/6/2008 8:45:07 AM | | I have a prepaid TracPhone that was given to me as a gift to keep in the car for emergencies only. What I liked about it is that you can get a year's worth of minutes for a reasonable rate and not have to worry about adding minutes every few months. ALso, I am one of those people that forgets to charge my phone and since I drive some distance occasionally its nice to know that I have a back up in the car if I should need it. I also like just being able to pop into Wal-Mart or online to buy the minute cards and they have been given to me as gifts too which is always appreciated! Good luck! | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 9/6/2008 2:02:46 PM | T mobile here too
It cost me $100 for 1,000 minutes and which did not expire for a year. Left over minutes were rolled over if you re-upped at least a day before your expiration date.
You can buy smaller blocs of minutes, also. I think they are the cheapest, have the best customer service, and absolutely the best reception -- in any city I went to.
Cost me about $70 for one of a small choice of phones, startup, and minutes. Bought $100 worth of minutes to put me in their “gold club” and only $10 last year to make sure the 500 minutes left rolled over. No monthly charge, minutes cost the same regardless of where or when used, even for distance, except outside the US. No contract either.
Show me where else I could get 2+ years of service with half my minutes left for less than $200. Not problem free, its hard to hear on sometimes, but who doesn't have that problem. Att used to bill me $25 a month for long distance I never used, till I had that shut off, dam ripoffs.
And had a friend tell me his daughter just rang up a $700 bill recently, good God, the only thing I used a phone for at her age was to find out if friends were home so I could come over and talk. I'm not a cheapskate either but I'd rather line my own pockets than the azzholes who constantly feel the need to find sneaky ways of relieving me of hard earned cash. | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 9/6/2008 2:22:40 PM | i have a GOphone. was good for the time being. waaaaay better than nothing. with my new job, i will tell my GOphone to gooooooooooooooooooooooo | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 9/12/2008 7:06:11 AM | | I used to love my tracfone when it worked in Canada. Now they're telling me that it won't work outside the US. I go to Canada all the time so now I need a new cell phone. | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 9/12/2008 8:45:38 AM | When I moved to my present address, I asked about getting phone service. The local phone company wanted a $250 deposit for LOCAL SERVICE ONLY, no long distance.
Forget that noise, I got a cheap prepaid cell phone.
Service was lousy, and I was charged "roaming" for calls made from my home... I don't recall the name of the company, but it was forgettable.
I found an "internet phone company" (VOIP) that was affordable, at half the price of Comcast (Lingo). No problems at all, but when the power or the cable service goes out I lose my "landline."
Enter Tracfone.
I got a great deal on minutes and a free phone. I bought 3 of them, $60 for the lot.
I only use the cell phone(s) when I can't use my landline.
I don't drive around with my cell glued to my ear, so my cell expense is negligible; I signed up for the automatic service date extension, which charges me $5 a month when I still have minutes but my service date is up.
Probably not the best landline service, probably not the best deal on "minutes," probably not the best cell phone, but the combination is ideal for me. | |
|
| prepaid cell phone programs
Posted: 9/12/2008 5:38:23 PM | | Have you tried checking Consumer Reports? Go to the library and ask the librarian how you can look it up. They will help you out. | |
|
Home
login 
