# Prepaid cell phone services **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 15, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-cell-phone-services/411819 "2007-07-15T02:48:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-cell-phone-services/411819/1 "2007-07-15T02:48:22Z")
I’m pretty tired of Tracfone. They won’t accept my debit card when I try to buy cards online. (My bank said the transaction was accepted on their end so it’s Tracfone’s fault.) Their customer service is only open 9 to 5 on weekdays, so it’s pretty damn inconvenient to call them. They also keep hitting me for bullshit charges, like sending me text messages every time I get a voice mail or even check my voice mail and charging me for it. I tried to send text messages that didn’t go through but I think I was still charged for them. I’m ready to move on. So I’m wondering how the other services fair. I’ve looked at Boost Mobile and they seem to be a better deal than Tracphone. There are so many aspects to these services though. Here are my needs. I rarely use my cell phone. I have VoIP at home and I rarely talk otherwise. I do need good coverage though. My current cell phone won’t get reception in a lot of places in the area. I want to buy cards as seldom as possible. Every 180 days or less would be preferred. I expect my minutes to roll over too. I don’t care about fancy hardware. If it does voice and text messaging and maybe some simple games, I’ll be happy. So what do you guys say about prepaid cell phones. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-cell-phone-services/411819/2 "2007-07-15T03:24:38Z")
I buy my Tracphone cards at the grocery store (because it earns me money off on gasoline) or at Kmart, so I’ve never had a problem…I can use the card as soon as the cashier swipes it and I enter the code. There I can pay any way I want, and I’m at the store anyhow. I’ve never gotten charged for the messages they send me, and I don’t use the voice mail feature…you want to leave me a voice mail, call my home number. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-cell-phone-services/411819/3 "2007-07-15T03:25:29Z")
Check this out. It’s a chart that compares the rates and so forth of the major providers. The site also has links to some coverage maps, which you may have to take with a grain of salt since they come from the providers. The two major technologies are GSM and CDMA. TDMA is less common. Which is better depends on your area, but I think that it’s still worth getting a phone that has analog backup (the AMPS system) especially in rural areas. GSM phones with AMPS are extremely rare, but there are a lot of CDMA phones with it. Verizon calls them “tri-mode.” [http://www.cellguru.net/prepaid\_compare.htm](http://www.cellguru.net/prepaid_compare.htm) (Tracfone uses different technology depending on the locality.) I’ve had good coverage from Verizon, but they now charge $30/month minimum for prepaid, though I have a $15 plan grandfathered in. Also I’m not happy with the current selection of phones, not so many good cheap ones anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-cell-phone-services/411819/4 "2007-07-15T23:52:58Z")
I use Virgin Mobile, and I think they’re ok. I don’t talk much on the phone at all, so I buy prepaid cards at Target. One bonus: every now and then, they have a sale on the cards. So you can occasionally get $20 worth of calls for $15 or $16. Unless I have an emergency or something, I just have to top up a minimum of $20 every 3 months. ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-cell-phone-services/411819/5 "2007-07-16T07:12:22Z")
My SO has been pretty pleased with Virgin, and very displeased with Tracfone. The same payment problem was happening to her with Tracfone. I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find a provider that will let you go 6 months without buying a card. 3 months is the maximum I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-cell-phone-services/411819/6 "2007-07-17T00:49:04Z")
That chart by **riker1384** is pretty much exactly what I was looking for. It seems there’s a catch with any of the companies. I’ll have to think about this for a while.