Posted on 09/17/2005 8:51:30 AM PDT by mtbopfuyn
I know nothing about prepaid phone cards. I need to get a cell phone for teens to use ONLY in an emergency and to call home. Would a prepaid card be the way to go? Do I buy a cell phone and then buy the card or what(hey, I said I know zero about this)? What do I need to ask the company? What about extra or hidden charges? What's a super cheap, but reliable phone card?
Just a quick online check I noticed Tracfone has many dissatisfied customers. ConnectTo site gave me visions of a Nigerian money scam so decided it's best to ask FR friends.
My daughter had a Virgin mobile flip phone -- about $100. We purchased a $30.00 phone card ea month, but I think those are good for 90 days. I believe the charge is 25/min for the 1st 4 ea day and 10/min after. Service has always been reliable and affordable. It's worked out well for us.
She has proven responsible enough for an actual monthly plan, and my son is now on this prepaid deal.
I did forget extra charges. 10/ea incoming and outgoing txt msg -- which kids seem to love.
I love Virgin mobile. My credit card’s hit for about $16.50 every 3 months. I hardly use it, but it’s automaticly topped up with another $16.50 if I run low on minutes and need it. http://www.virginmobileusa.com/
Thanks for the info. I talked to a friend who just got Virgin. They're pleased but haven't used it long enough to know if there are dead areas. However, their kids have been using Tracfone and haven't had any problems calling home from school and out of town games so that's good news. Out here in the boonies, our Cingular service doesn't work half the time and reliability is a huge concern. I think we're going to go with Tracfone for kid use. For our use, since we don't use many minutes, we're going to drop Cingular and try out Virgin prepaid to see how it works in this area.
Thanks again!
I also use Virgin Mobile. It's a great deal with no commitment, very reasonable pricing, and seems to have a solid coverage area. Better than a phone card, since you don't need to locate a phone in an emergency.
Virgin Mobile is the ONLY way to go....if they use more than the card permits, then make them pay for the card...that way your phone bill doesn't go thru the roof...
I did this with my kids, so when they found out that the motormouths were paying for new cards, they shut it down fast....
Good luck!
I see most are using Virgin. Am being swayed...
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