Posted on 08/11/2013 2:06:57 PM PDT by djf
OK, I have a cell phone even though I basically detest them, a necessary evil I suppose.
I used to have T-Mobile, but whatever backbone they were on, I got crap reception in my living room. I could walk out into my front yard in the rain and get five bars, but almost zilch in my house.
So I dumped them and lost a bunch of minutes, switched to Net10. Different carrier. Xlent signal in my house and all around.
With Net10 you buy Minutes AND service days. You can't, afaik, buy just one or the other.
I use it very rarely, and have it with me when I drive, have it for emergencies, that sort of thing.
As a result, I got TONS of unused minutes. Minutes up the wazoo!
I would like to keep the phone and the carrier (Net10) but DONATE the minutes to someone who might need/use them, in particular service people or their families, or veterans.
Has anyone heard of such a thing? I called Net10 and they were somewhat ambiguous about transferring the minutes to another phone, I'm not sure if it means the phone number has to be transferred with the minutes, or how it works exactly.
Seems to me it would be a simple accounting entry. If anyone has heard of a project or plan that helps you do this, please let me know!
If not the same, check with tracphone for who they're using in your area.
Yep.
What you'll get will be a new sims card for your phone if it will work. Net10 or Tracphone should be able to tell you if it will work.
Well, we know there are a couple NY politicians who would be thrilled to the gills if they could get more minutes!
It burns through a lot of minutes sending all those pics...
What a world we live in. Who’d a thunk it?
How do you do that? I have the same problem with T-mobile - no signal indoors.
It’s just never going to work for their bottom line that way I’m afraid.
Service days cost money, too. Your phone is on the network and able to receive calls/texts, etc.
Turn on wifi; that said, you might need a smart phone in order to do so.
The whole “swapping sim cards” is a great idea in theory, but in practice, not so much.
While on Net10, I bought a new Motorola phone (flip top) to replace an older non-flip Moto phone.
I did everything right according to what I had heard, but the new phone just would not recognize the old SIM.
Ended up having to call them and go through about 25 minutes of typing in #9%%%253xYzyadayadayadayada... or whatever gobbledygook they call it
My Tracfone LG840 connects to WI-FI also. I believe it is the only available Tracfone model that does (as of a few weeks ago). Always stopping at McDonalds, libraries, etc., now.
No, it is very mobile -— connects to any public hotspot.
Not really, it takes advantage of existing infrastructure to increase the number of locations. In addition it is still wireless and if you move far enough from the router it switches to normal operating mode.
Net10 will work with a former ATT iPhone 4 phone that has been unlocked by ATT (you can ask for this when you complete your contract). Then, you have to screw around a bit, get a net10 SIM ($15), get a tmobile SIM (very cheap on eBay), and follow some posted on the Internet directions; then, get on the net10 forum and ask the net10 customer service people to fix up your phone. This seems like a lot of trouble, but I have found their service “good enough” for a reasonably intelligent user, they use the ATT network, and the savings are very considerable, particularly if you have bill as you go for the prepaid cards. EVEN WITH getting on my wife’s service, I could not get as good of a deal through ATT for unlimited text/phone and 1.5GB/month.
Having had to travel to all corners of the country for many years, I found that Verizon gave me the best coverage everywhere nationwide. I’m not sure about T-Mobile in that regard. Don’t think it would be worth the six bucks a month to find out.
For future reference:
I have Tracfone, which also owns Net10 (IIRC).
I found that I can add 90 days of service with 60 minutes for $20 and then get a special offer of a year of service as an add-on for about $50. Thus, I am adding on 60 minutes plus 15 months of service for an average of about $6/month.
The above seems to be only available via the Tracfone website. I don’t know whether the Net10 website has a similar offer.
I use my phone very little, so this works out better than a landline. And, I don’t have to hassle with adding more service time or minutes or contracts for 15 months.
That is a very good analogy.
Thanks!
I had a radically different concern than yours so had a radically different option that I chose. I am an expatiate living in Canada and USA cell rates for international were killing me.
Solution! Took some wrangling with AT&T but my USA cell number (under contract) is now billed as a gaming device, which effectively deactivates it, and I have s Canadian cell with unlimited CA and USA calling for $30 flat rate add on. USA cell rates are a ripoff by comparison.
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