I’m thinking about getting a cell phone again, now that I’m doing a little better financially. I’m debating getting a pre-pay cell phone (the ones you can get at Wal-Mart or Target), and want other’s opinions on them. I don’t really plan on using it for just chatting around, just the occaisonal phone call while I’m not at the house to set up plans, and for emergancies. I also don’t like the idea of signing contracts (even though I do get the phone cheaper) and paying for a bunch of minutes, but only using a few of them. I do realize there are companies that offer roll-over minutes, but that brings us back to the whole contract thing. So, am I missing any huge draw-backs to pre-pay, besides it costing a little bit more per minute than the other alternatives?
There was a thread a while back about this, but I can’t find it right now- I currently use a Virgin Mobile phone, and I love it. The cost is 25 cents a minute for the first 10 minutes of each day, 10 cents a minute thereafter. I get voicemail, text messaging (free to receive, 10 cents per to use), and no roaming charges. The rate is the same no matter where in the US you call (I don’t know about international) and they also have a great 411 service that gets you a live person that will tell you directions to get places (that’s REALLY come in handy a few times- once when I was lost and driving), movie times, local information, etc. The phone has a few games, a calculator, a tip calculator/bill splitter and other tools.
I’ve had it for 1 1/2 years and am very pleased with the phone and the service. I average about $20 every 6 weeks or so on it, and I love not getting a bill with any surprise charges. I use it very little for talking, but it’s nice to have it there when I need it.
Oh, they also have cute ringtones for $1 each. I have the Spongebob theme now.
(I got the “Party Animal” phone, the equivilant of this one: http://www.virginmobileusa.com/catalog/phoneDetail.do?skuId=VMKE43KYKITK7N )
The only weird thing is that it’s geared toward a young crowd, so the manual is written in teenager-ease and the customer service voice thing is a computer named “Amber”, with a really annoying voice. If you have to call customer service, as soon as you can you just say “Live advisor” and “Amber” goes away, which is good.
I think it depends on how often you’ll be using the phone. I typically don’t spend hours on the phone with people, but I wanted to have a phone with me in case of an emergency. So I picked up a Tracfone from Wal-Mart (I think it was about $68). I need to buy more minutes every 60 days, which costs me about $9.50 a month. The minutes roll over each time you buy a new card.
It’s definitely not something you’d want to get if you make a lot of phone calls – my brother switched from the Tracfone to another cellphone provider for that reason. However, if you’re just need a phone for emergencies and don’t want to enter into a contract, it’s not a bad deal.
I love my prepaid phone. They even have different plans for oyour airtime usage for mine.
I have an evenings and weekends pacakage which costs me only 5c/min after 8pm and before 8am (and all weekend). During the day it costs me 39c.
The normal plan is 33c/min anytime.
Also free VM, CD, and CF which I like. You should shop around for the prepay company that best suits your needs. I love my prepay so much I even sitched the landline.
Highly recommended. It costs me maybe $10/month. Cheaper than a regular phone or a regular cell plan.
A while ago I bought an AT&T Free2Go phone online here http://www.attwireless.com/personal/prepaid/. It’s the cheapest I’m aware of. $99.99+tax gets you the phone and $10 of air time.
In addition, there’s a $40 rebate through the end of June.
My usage will be similar to the OP’s.
The minutes now expire in 90 days but will roll over if you buy more before the expiration.
If you get it at an AT&T Wireless store, you get a Nokia 1260. This is similar to the 2260 but with a green screen, no vibrating alert, and no simple calculator.
As it happens, I went to my local Walgreens the other day and at the camera counter they’re selling the same Free2Go package with the Nokia 1260 but for only $89.99. You’ll probably have to do the whole setup yourself, of course. It’ll get done for you if you order online or buy at the Wireless store.
One small note: as I understand it, AT&T is in the process of selling their wireless operations to Cingular and usage terms may change. But with the rebate, you’re only risking $60-$70.
If you are in a T-Mobile service area:
http://www.t-mobile.com/prepaid/overview.asp
Also includes e-mail text messaging (free inbound). You may also want to check into what specific cellular services work well in your area. T-Mobile is GSM. Where I happen to live, AT&T Free2Go won’t work because it is TDMA. Virgin resells Sprint PCS, so it only works in Sprint PCS areas.
Check out this Prepaid Comparison Chart. Of particular intrest is “Lowest Monthly Cost” and “Roaming Area.”
Also, if you find yourself using the phone a lot, some wireless service providers allow you to switch from pre-pay to post-pay (barring a credit check).
Hey thanks, Monkey, that was pretty useful. I think I’ll be going with Virgin when I decide to start out, but if something prohibits me from using that, then AT&T looks like the second best option. Appreciate it!