What kind of cell phone should I get? (Full Version)

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WhiteRoseBlessings -> What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/28/2008 9:12:59 PM)

I don't want to get a month-to-month plan; I'm hoping to get something that is on a usage-only basis. I imagine that I'll only use this cell phone while traveling (and even then, very minimally); however because of a new career that I will be entering, I will be traveling quite a bit and pretty much all over.

What are some of the companies that I should look into? I'm not into all the bells and whistles; I just need a basic phone.

For those of y'all who have a pay-as-you-go type cell phone, what have you liked and disliked about it?

For those of y'all, who have had both the above type plan and also the monthly rate plan, what are the pros and cons in regard to how the different plans compare to each other?


Thanks!
[sm=redhairsmile.gif]




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Chrystal-J-007 -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 1:49:56 AM)

I have a pay-as-you-go phone. I buy "time" at the store or gas station.
I like it cuz I don't have to worry about getting a monthly bill and I only buy as much time as I use. My minutes are good for a year.
It is more expensive than a contract phone if you talk a lot on the phone. In my case, I only talk about 2 hours a month on my cell (I have a home phone and do most of my 'chats' on that.)



Mr.Dawgfan -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 2:47:54 AM)

A plan that has the best calling area network, free nights-weekends, No overages and roaming charges. Low monthly rates,and a year to year contract. There are some services that have unlimited calling,and nationwide calling. Ours is called Mobi... I have one,and no complaints as far as I am concerned..



BlessedAngel1983 -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 8:00:20 AM)

I have a prepaid cell. One of the better ones I think. I use Net10. It is only 10 cent a minute. You buy as you need. You have a certain amount of time to use it, but I find that I can usually use them all before the date runs out. You can buy a new phone for like $30 and it includes 300 minutes along with it. You can then purchase at the store or online. I'm very happy with it. I've used it for years.



stateofgrace -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 9:50:55 AM)

We tried a prepaid cell for a couple of years...it is only a good choice for those who talk for a very limited amount of time, and in most cases I'm aware of, minutes do not roll over past a certain purchase period (so, talking too little is expensive as well as talking too much!).

I think you can still get a monthly plan in the $20-$30 range, and likely a free phone with a two year contract. For many people this would be more cost efficient. Look for no additional charges for long distance (also something that the prepaid plans may have an extra charge for), free nights and weekends, perhaps free mobile-to-mobile on the same carrier (if family and/or friends are on that carrier). Also, if you travel a lot try and find a carrier that covers the area you're going to be in. Look also at any possible roaming charges (also check these last two out on a prepaid plan).

As far as the phone itself, I'd recommend something inexpensive unless you really want a PDA-type-smartphone like the iPhone or a Blackberry. You'll be paying a lot up front for one of those, and extra for internet access every month. With a contract, you should be able to get a phone with bluetooth and possibly a camera for little to no cost. Bluetooth is a good idea if you're on the road a lot, because you can get a wireless headset.



WhiteRoseBlessings -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 9:52:21 AM)

Thanks y'all for your replies. [:)]


Terri . . . when the minutes run out, you then buy a new phone - is that correct? And if so . . . when you do buy a new phone, do you then have a new phone number?





~ ~ ~ ~ ~


To clarify my OP a bit more, I am specifically looking for names of companies that are pay as you go (or prepaid) . . . so that I can research them.

I have Net10 down on the list.

Any others?



WhiteRoseBlessings -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 10:10:07 AM)

crossposting . . .

quote:

ORIGINAL: stateofgrace

I think you can still get a monthly plan in the $20-$30 range, and likely a free phone with a two year contract. For many people this would be more cost efficient. Look for no additional charges for long distance (also something that the prepaid plans may have an extra charge for), free nights and weekends, perhaps free mobile-to-mobile on the same carrier (if family and/or friends are on that carrier). Also, if you travel a lot try and find a carrier that covers the area you're going to be in. Look also at any possible roaming charges (also check these last two out on a prepaid plan).
Liz, really? $20-$30? Do you have any specific companies?

Is that $30 max or is that before additional fees?

I was with Verizon for two years, and I had the most basic of plans with nationwide roaming. I was paying $39.99 for the plan; and after insurance and taxes and stuff, my monthly bill was $51.77.

Except for one month when I actually went over my minutes, I usually only used about half of my allotted minutes.

If I could get a "monthly-fee" plan for $30 max, I would consider it, but an additional 30% (roughly) in insurance and taxes is more than I want to pay.



KuKu -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 10:20:31 AM)

My tracfone does in fact have rollover minutes. I buy 120 minutes for $30, and then have 3 months to use them. Since I usually don't use them all, in 2 months, I buy more, and so then I have extra minutes, plus 4 months (3 plus the one I had) to use them. Before I got a new phone, and sold the other to my nephew, I had over one year built up before my minutes would expire. I hadn't bought minutes in a while LOL, and I didn't even have to worry about it.

The minuses I have found are that you have to pay to listen to voicemails (the same cost per minute as a phone call), and a somewhat limited service area. It's not horrible, and I'd guess it's because I buy the cheaper phones, but basements, etc can cause problems[;)]. I've traveled with it, and not had any problems in airports, on trolleys, etc. It didn't do so well across the border though LOL.



WhiteRoseBlessings -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 10:32:45 AM)

Very interesting, Kuku.

Thanks; I'll put it down on my list.



BlessedAngel1983 -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 10:34:38 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: WhiteRoseBlessings

Thanks y'all for your replies. [:)]


Terri . . . when the minutes run out, you then buy a new phone - is that correct? And if so . . . when you do buy a new phone, do you then have a new phone number?






No, you just buy a minutes card or buy minutes online. You keep the same phone and number. Just make sure you keep it active.



christsstar -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 10:34:53 AM)

All of the big companies do pay as you go.

Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.... in addition to other smaller companies.

If you go to their websites and research their coverage, you can see if you can call who you want. Look at features too. Does it use more minutes to call someone in a different state? I've never gone pre-pay before, so I don't know all the details. With a contract service, there are times you get "free" minutes and times you use your peak minutes. And you get free minutes to certain people ... usually within the same company. I would check to see if any of the pre-paid services offer those types of packages when you buy your minutes as well.



KuKu -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 10:39:54 AM)

I missed the 'what if' question.

With tracfone, if your time is up, you lose the minutes, but you still have a 90 day window to reactivate and keep the number. It is just on 'pause' until you add minutes.



WhiteRoseBlessings -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 10:43:30 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: christsstar

All of the big companies do pay as you go.

Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.... in addition to other smaller companies.
Oh. I didn't realize this (obviously).


Christine, when you say "free minutes to certain people", do you mean people who use the same phone company or can I specifically list people?

Everyone that I can think of that I would might need to talk to while traveling all use different companies. LOL



christsstar -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 10:47:37 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: WhiteRoseBlessings

quote:

ORIGINAL: christsstar

All of the big companies do pay as you go.

Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.... in addition to other smaller companies.
Oh. I didn't realize this (obviously).


Christine, when you say "free minutes to certain people", do you mean people who use the same phone company or can I specifically list people?

Everyone that I can think of that I would might need to talk to while traveling all use different companies. LOL


Yes. Does that help??

NO? OK. I'll explain.

With Verizon, Sprint and AT&T most plans (if not all) have unlimited calling to anyone in the same network (I can call anyone on Verizon for free anytime of the day).

With T-Mobile (and some others, but I don't know if they are national or not), htey have what they call a Top 5. You list 5 phone numbers that you call the most and you can talk to them for free anytime. Now this means you can't talk to anybody else for free. So if I list my mom, dad, sister, Josh and you, I can't call my brother-inlaw, even if he's on T-Mobile. I'm not sure of all the details, as I don't have t-mobile. But that's my understanding of it.



WhiteRoseBlessings -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 11:04:12 AM)

GREAT explanation! Thanks!

I'm putting T-Mobile down on my list to check out.



Qtman -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 11:14:22 AM)

Your favorite store [sm=heart.gif]Wal-Mart[sm=heart.gif] has what is known as a To Go Phone. One I like is the AT & T Samsung. It is a flip phone and very light. You purchase minutes through the store. When you use up those minutes you just go in and purchase more minutes.

I was kidding about Wal-Mart. Other stores do the same thing.



KuKu -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 1:45:22 PM)

Christine, Tracfone requires no contract or monthly fees. That is one of the reasons I went with it. Is that also true of the other 'regular' companies now?



christsstar -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 1:58:02 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: KuKu

Christine, Tracfone requires no contract or monthly fees. That is one of the reasons I went with it. Is that also true of the other 'regular' companies now?


Anything that's not pre-paid will require a contract up front. If you like your phone enough, you can manage to live through the contract and just pay month to month, but that's rare. They offer significant discounts on the phones when you sign a NEW 1 or 2-year contract. The longer the contract, the cheaper the phone. However you can't get a new phone at the discounted new-contract rate until you are eligible for an upgrade, which with most companies is a few months before your contract expires. Then you sign a new contract and are committed to them for another 2 years.

The monthly fees are your plan rate. A standard rate for a non-family plan is about $40-$50. Some are more, some are less. It depends on extras that you want and how many minutes. TXTing is extra, mobileweb is extra, etc. But with Verizon, a basic 400 minute plan with unlimited long distance, unlimited nights/weekends, and free calling to all Verizon users is $40 plus taxes.

That's the clincher. Taxes. Taxes will increase a base price of a bill significantly. Sometimes as much as $30. If you get a contract, ask those sorts of questions.

Which brings to mind, Sharon-Marie ..... will you want to be able to txt??????? I know you've enjoyed it in the past; would it be something you would do again? If so, if you get a pre-paid phone, look into the txting on it. If it uses minutes, buy it extra, etc.



stateofgrace -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 1:58:52 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: WhiteRoseBlessings

crossposting . . .

quote:

ORIGINAL: stateofgrace

I think you can still get a monthly plan in the $20-$30 range, and likely a free phone with a two year contract. For many people this would be more cost efficient. Look for no additional charges for long distance (also something that the prepaid plans may have an extra charge for), free nights and weekends, perhaps free mobile-to-mobile on the same carrier (if family and/or friends are on that carrier). Also, if you travel a lot try and find a carrier that covers the area you're going to be in. Look also at any possible roaming charges (also check these last two out on a prepaid plan).
Liz, really? $20-$30? Do you have any specific companies?

Is that $30 max or is that before additional fees?

I was with Verizon for two years, and I had the most basic of plans with nationwide roaming. I was paying $39.99 for the plan; and after insurance and taxes and stuff, my monthly bill was $51.77.

Except for one month when I actually went over my minutes, I usually only used about half of my allotted minutes.

If I could get a "monthly-fee" plan for $30 max, I would consider it, but an additional 30% (roughly) in insurance and taxes is more than I want to pay.



Let me check on this. Our entire plan was only around $100 for four people/four phone lines, including taxes, before I increased the minutes.

...OK, in our area, Sprint and TMobile have individual plans for $29.99/mo. They are at this time the least expensive.



WhiteRoseBlessings -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 4:30:08 PM)

Thanks for the info, Liz.






quote:

ORIGINAL: Qtman

One I like is the AT & T Samsung. It is a flip phone and very light. You purchase minutes through the store. When you use up those minutes you just go in and purchase more minutes.
Sam, I appreciated everything about your post except for the questionable language; of which I've edited out, and kept the good information.[8D]




quote:

ORIGINAL: christsstar

Which brings to mind, Sharon-Marie ..... will you want to be able to txt??????? I know you've enjoyed it in the past; would it be something you would do again?
Actually, Christine, my fascination with texting was very short-lived. LOL In fact, I took it off my plan well over a year ago.



BelovedHandMaiden -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 8:19:36 PM)

I personally think its better to do a contract. My problem was I would forget to add minutes or forget when the deadline to add them was and I'd end up with a dead phone. And you must realize that if you are using your phone in your job (as tour director), its a tax write-off. But I'm sure you know that.



christsstar -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/29/2008 8:23:44 PM)

I got a coupon in the mail today about pre-paid cell phones. Threw it away though. I think it's a local company.



Focusing -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/30/2008 12:03:34 PM)

What kind of cell phone should you get? One that works and serves your needs of course! [:D]

LOL ... I have had the same one for over two years. I'm used to it, it has all the functions I need, and I can type and send a text message without having to look at it. [sm=icon_smile_yikes.gif] (I know. That is a very scary thing to think about. But I don't ever do it while driving!)

However. If I were on the market to actually purchase a new one, there are a couple really super cools ones. Like the one where the picture flips depending which way you are holding it. Don't ask me what brand it is, because I dunno. I just appreciate what my friends have without feeling a need to go out and buy one myself.



christsstar -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/30/2008 12:06:50 PM)

quote:

I just appreciate what my friends have without feeling a need to go out and buy one myself.


That's a very admirable quality.



myka -> RE: What kind of cell phone should I get? (9/30/2008 12:48:37 PM)

We have prepaid phones only. Both Virgin Mobile and Go Phone (ATT). We really like the fact that we don't have monthly bills and just pay for what we use. Both phones have rollover (as long as you regularly add $ to your account before a certain amount of time), they also have txt packages as well as other features. They have different prepaid plans, also; the go phone has a plan where it costs $1/day that you use the phone combined with free calling to cell phones in the ATT system.

The reason we have two different carriers is that most of the prepaid phones have limited coverage, and while we were traveling, we needed one with coverage where we were.

Usually, the contract plans have a wider coverage area.



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