Posted on 08/01/2006 7:07:10 AM PDT by 2Jedismom
Freepers, I value your opinion.
I need a cell phone. Not one to use every day, one that I only use in case of emergency, like if I get lost or my car breaks down. I am considering one of those kinds in a package at Walmart with a pay as you go deal. I know they're more expensive per minute, but I will hardly ever use it.
The other day I got lost on the way to a friend's house. I had no AC in my car and it was 101 degrees outside. I had to stop and get out and find a phone to call her and I had just driven right by her house. A cell phone in that situation would have been perfect.
I am deaf in one ear and I find it uncomfortable to talk on the phone *anyway* so chatting on this phone would not happen.
So, any tips or suggestions on what to look for in this kind of cell phone? Anything I should steer clear of?
I use my cell phone as you do - rarely. I use Virgin pre-paid. It's .25 per minute (after 10 minutes in a day it drops to .10 per minute) and you only have to put more money in every 90 days. The minutes roll over, you don't lose them. I can have my phone for as little as $80 per year. Works for me!
Look for a pay-as-you go phone with rechargable lithium batteries.
Nicad batteries don't last as long on a single charge.
That's the reason I have it. I'm not a chatter either. I want it for emergencies or just for convenience. You can't find payphones anymore these days & when you can you may not want to get out of the car. I always have way more $ on it than I need. But that will come in handy if I ever need to use it extensively. Like when the power is out at home. No problems with the phone & customer service is excellent.
Thank you! This is just the kind of info I was looking for.
pbear8: Are you required to put money in each 90 days? If so, how much?
You answered my question! $20 Thanks!
Does it ever reach a limit? Like $500 or something?
(I hope that isn't a totally ignorant question!)
Each member of our family has a cell phone. The disadvantage is cost. The advantage is that none of us ever needs to know where someone is to get ahold of them, we only need to call the number. A family member might be on the coast and not in a hotel. No call needs to be made to a hotel, and no need to call a "pager." Just dial the number. But each plan has its selling points. You can start with pre-paid and no contracts, and if it doesn't meet your needs, you can always go to a different plan.
If you're not going to use it much, get one of those pre-paid plans.
They've added some different plans recently that seem to be good deals if people use it a lot. I've stayed with the basic plan as long as I've had it. 25 cents a minute for the first 10 minutes of each day. Then the rest of the day it's 10 cents a minute. Texting I believe is 5 cents.
That's the way I'm leaning...
Ok! Thanks so much!
2J--OB and I have had a TracFone for about 3-4 years now and it works great. You add $20 worth of minutes every 2-3 months, and as long as you stay "up" you keep your same phone number and your minutes continue to accumulate. They run specials occassionally and you can get a phone for as little as $20, nothing fancy, but it sends and receives calls. OB has SSD too, and the phone works well for him. LSA
SSD?
SSD = single-sided deafness
Oh! LOL! Right.
I don't have any trouble on regular phones...I just don't like it. I feel like I loose some awareness of the jedis, because my good ear is occupied!
Tracfone.
$10 a month. Can't beat the deal. $18.95 for 60 minutes every two months.
The time rolls over if you keep the phone active.
My wife uses a regular cellphone from Alltel but I'm going to get another Tracfone for her when the contract expires. Walgreen has a sale on a nice one right now for $20. You get 10 minutes up front and 30 more if you register it on the internet as I did.
The time is registered in "units" which mainly means minutes locally but is meaningful in you go outside the local area as then two "units" are then calculated.
Tracfone uses the lines is existing carriers throughout the nation.
I just slip mine in my shirt pocket whereever I go so I can reach my wife or others as needed. That's all I ever needed anyway.
If you are a yakker, then of course one of the other plans will be more desirable but I don't have a cell phone glued to my ear so this one is fine for me. My $0.02.
Worked out great for us....
I also think that you might check into Cricket..there in T-Town.
Best FRegards,
If you would learn to shoot that bow with the other hand...you might not have hearing loss
/S
Trac Fone is probably best for you, they even have a card that you can get, although it's more expensive and has more airtime, but it pays for a full years service. You end up spending more upfront, but don't have to worry about your time running out every 60 days.
For more info goto http://www.tracfone.com/
I use the pre paid Boost Mobile phone, because it has the NEXTEL walkie talkie built in. For more info on Boost goto http://www.boostmobile.com/
>>Virgin Mobile is not bad. I've never had a problem with it. You have to add $20 to it every 90 days.
I'd recommend them too, and actually I think they have a deal where if you do Auto Top Up it might only be $15 for 90
days.
>>I always have way more $ on it than I need. But that will come in handy if I ever need to use it extensively.
same here--still cheaper than NON-pay-as-you-go phones if
you're not the type to use it a lot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.