I’ve had that plan for at least 7 years. Works for me since I rarely use a cell phone, but want one for emergencies. And approximately $7 a month is reasonable.
I don’t see that plan advertised anymore, can find no reference to it on VM’s web site.
But I guess I am grandfathered in since it still works except for one problem…They keep turning my phone off because I am over a $400 account balance. I call them (very hard to reach a live person) and they will turn my phone back on …for a while.
As far as I can tell from the last VM rep. I talked to. (Each rep. has a different solution),
What I have to do is use up about $100 on my account so I can get below a $400 balance to keep my old plan. When I get down to about $380, it can then be charged to my Visa, and as long as I keep using up $20 every 3 months, I can keep my old plan.
So that is what I am doing. I call my home phone each day, leave both receivers on live for about an hour. I’ve got another 4 hours to go at 20 cents a minute.
The whole thing seems a little ridiculous to me. The only other option was to switch to a $20 a month plan, the cheapest now offered…Why would I want to start paying 3 times as much for a phone I rarely use?
Anyway, getting a little longish here, …why can I find no info about VM’s old $20 every three months plan? When did they stop offering it? Is my guess true that I am grandfathered in and they would love to dump me for a much more expensive plan?
I have that plan too. As far as I know, they still offer it–they just don’t call it a “plan” any more.
If you pay attention to the Virgin Mobile phone cards, they can be used for any type of plan. I just bought one, and it says, “Adds money to any Virgin Mobile account.” The card can be used to add 90 days of service on the basic plan OR 1 month of service on the 400 minute/month plan.
Incidentally–how in the world could you possibly end up with $400 on your account, unless you pre-paid a huge balance at the very beginning? You make reference to “approximately $7 a month”–which very nearly balances out the $20/90-days minimum.
I still have that $20-every-90 days deal for 200 minutes. Have had it…off and on for about 10 years. A years or so ago I was using much more time and switched to that $20 for 400 rollover minutes per month. Several times I’ve had to call to get the account… unscrewed up. Just the other day I got a text from them saying add $20 or lose the account. Did that but they still told me to buy a minute pack. So anyway… I’m back on the $20 for 200 minutes every 3 months. However, I’ve got about 950 minutes in the bank from my rollover months. Also, I’ve got $35 in cash that I’ll probably not consume sending about 10 texts per month.
They may still offer the $20 for 3 months/200 minute deal, but you’re right. I don’t see it listed on their website.
Anyway… for the low minute user, it’s still the best deal I’ve found. Under $7 per month. Also, my experience with them is… if you call them and whine… they’re quite accommodating.
Yes, I just was converting the $20 every 3 months to what it would be approximately per month…
I think it’s been 7 years. So $20 every 3 months is $80 a year times 7 years equals $560 I put in. Before I started forcefully bringing the total down I had a balance of $480.
So I did use the phone a little bit. Sits under my car seat in airplane mode ready for the few times I used it.
I think no matter what the VM reps tell me when they turn my phone back on (for just a few days usually), their computer soon recognizes the overbalance and turns me off again.
One rep told me he would turn my phone back on and deduct $20 from my $480 balance and told me to just call in every 3 months and they could keep deducting the $20 until I was back to $380.
Sounded great until my phone went dead again a few days later. Called in again and a different rep said no way they could do that. He recommended just using up the time myself. And he turned my phone back on. I know I have a few days of a working phone.
I think I’m stuck with the last advice I got from a VM rep.
Am now down to $414. Only another $35 to waste till my account will work properly.
Just have to do it before my July 21 payment date. This is really going to work. Seems like an awful waste of money, but consider the good side. Most plans, if you don’t use it, you lose it on a monthly basis.
So Virgin Mobile is still a good deal for me. If I had to spend $20 a month (GASP…$240 a year for a cell phone I rarely use). I wouldn’t own one.
And I do like it sitting under the front seat of my car to use when I’m traveling to tell relatives when i will arrive for a visit or if my car breaks down (which has happened over the years a few times), so I can call AAA.
That alone is worth about $7 a month for me. No way it is worth $20 a month.