Cell phones: Can anyone help me find good prepaid phone/plan?
Can anyone help me find good prepaid phone/plan?
by WindWaker99 - 11/28/07 7:19 PMOk, so here's the scoop. I'm a teenager who has been using a Boost mobile prepaid phone for about a year now, and the service and phone aren't as reliable as I'd like them to be. The main draw was how incredibly affordable the prepaid plan was; 10 cents a minute, and 10 cents to send a text. That was it. Minutes don't expire for 3 months.
Unfortunately, I don't have service as often as I need, and the phone itself is starting to get kind of worn out as well. (I bought it off a friend...)
Here's what I'd like: A good new phone around the $100 mark, and a plan that will cost me about the same amount as my current one does. 10 cents a minute, 10 cents to send a text, free to receive, no activation fee or daily costs.
So, I need to find a new prepaid phone and plan that will work for me. At first I thought I knew what I could do; I was under the assumption that T-Mobile offered a prepaid Razr, which is a phone I liked, and the plan seemed pretty much the same. Now, however, upon going to their web-site, it appears they no longer offer the Razr as a prepaid phone. The phone I was looking at for T-Mobile, the Black Stripe, looked like a great phone, and I thought my search was over, but from my research it seems to have gotten some pretty harsh reviews.
I then checked Verizon, and they seemed to charge an arm and a leg for both their phones and plans, so I scratched them off the list. I checked AT&T, and I can get a Razr from them for $130, which isn't too bad, but then I read something about a daily access fee...a dollar every day I make a call. That's ridiculous.
Now, I don't have to have a Razr, it's just that it's a popular phone, and I know it's good. Provided the phone looks cool and sleek, and is around $100, I'm game.
So, can anybody help me out? I feel like I've looked high and low. I can't afford a monthly plan, nor do I want to commit to one. Prepaid really is my only option, but I can't seem to find a provider or phone that works for me. Can anyone recommend something?
Thank you very much!
Prepaid phone plans
by vfrny00 - 11/29/07 6:37 AM In reply to: Can anyone help me find good prepaid phone/plan? by WindWaker99Have you looked at Virgin Mobile? Check it out at Virginmobile.com Check their coverage maps to see if your area is covered,if so it could work for you.
That might not be a good idea
by PudgyOne - 11/29/07 10:13 AM In reply to: Prepaid phone plans by vfrny00If I recall correctly, Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint network. Boost uses the Nextel network, also owned by Sprint.
You could look into ATT Go phones, T-Mobile or Verizon. They all have prepaid. You have to figure out what you need it for.
The area where I lived, I could get away with Virgin Mobile. I didn't use a phone much. I could also get away with Boost. Some of the other plans are a little more for the pocketbook but also have better networks. Phone cal also make a difference. I had my wifee's phone sitting next to mine. I had a signal, she didn't.
As fot ATT go phone plan,
fees were IF you paid a dollar a day, calls were .10 a minute and unlimited FREE minutes to talk to another ATT customer.
All other fees were .25 a minute if you didn't take that plan.
As for messaging with ATT, I think at this time, they are charging .15 for each incoming and outgoing text messages.
More on ATT's terms and conditions can be found here.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/legal/plan-terms-prepaid.jsp#pyg
Rick
virgin mobile reply
by kit_cat - 11/29/07 5:12 PM In reply to: Prepaid phone plans by vfrny00NO! Stay away from virgin! They are horrible! There service can suck!
Perpaid Phone Plan
by Jaffe1926 - 12/1/07 2:42 PM In reply to: Prepaid phone plans by vfrny00If you only want to use the phone for emergencies and very short calls At&T (Cingular) has an unadvertised Get-go plan. Price $100 per year, 25 cents per call. Phone free on a rebate. One must ask for the plan. My wife has this and as long as one renews all time not used is rolled over to the next period. My wife has over $265 in calling time accumulated over a three year period so we use it for more then emergencies.
Alltel has an emergency plan that cost $80 to initiate. This includes $20 of calling time. Cost is 15 cents per min. Phone is free with a rebate. One must make a call once a month to roll over unused time or there is $4.50 penalty. This is the least costly plan we could find but it is the least flexible. If use strictly for emergencies after the first year it can be maintained for a mere $20.
Hope this information is helpful
S. Jaffe
jaffe1926@hotmail.com
Maybe an unlocked phone?
by R. Proffitt
- 11/29/07 11:44 AM
In reply to: Can anyone help me find good prepaid phone/plan? by WindWaker99
For instance a pay as you go phone we have uses a SIM card. I see we can move this card to a new phone and keep going.
Bob
Unlocked phone?
by WindWaker99 - 11/29/07 1:49 PM In reply to: Maybe an unlocked phone? by R. Proffitt
I've heard a little more about this recently. What is "unlocking a phone?
Sorry.
by R. Proffitt - 11/29/07 2:28 PM
In reply to: Unlocked phone? by WindWaker99
I only noted the unlocked phone. I didn't write a word about how to unlock a phone. This is widely discussed so just use your search engine to learn more.
Bob
what if?
by wend520 - 12/4/07 11:24 PM In reply to: Maybe an unlocked phone? by R. Proffitt
you go to town and wifee stays home a while then leaves to go else where? who has the sim card?
Virgin is the best bet or XE mobile
by jveltre1300 - 11/29/07 7:44 PM In reply to: Can anyone help me find good prepaid phone/plan? by WindWaker99i had literally all the prepaid services for you XE mobile is your best bet they are an mvno on cingular and they offer a razr and a walkman phone. honestly lean away from the razr because they really can't handle any falls or slight abuse or else the fine inner wiring will snap and lead to a thousand problems and prepaid doesn't get the benefit of insurance.
xemobile is sold at fye and at xemobile.com
the have a small medium and large plan and regular prepaid. no matter what plan incoming texts are free and normal rates are $0.10 a minute. with medium you pay $0.50 a day you use the phone and it comes with 100 free incoming minutes every 30 days whether the phone is used or not where as large is $1.00 a day but you get 250 free incoming calls every 30 days no matter what and the cheapest per minute rate texts are all $0.10 to send and you get rollover minutes.
virgin mobile is really the best of all prepaid because there phones are cool and affordable. the rates are great and you can customize a monthly plan and include text message packages now they have unlimited text package. They have no activation fee and you feel like your on a real service and even though they are on sprint's network you get much better coverage and night and weekend minutes.
verizon costs slot but have modified to 3 different daily access plans and the network is superior to at&t and the customer service isn't a55 holes like on at&t. if you get there largest plan you also get the benefit of $0.02 a minute and now data access with vcast for like $0.35 for 24 hrs i think but i am not sure.
razor 3 phooey
by wend520 - 12/4/07 11:27 PM In reply to: Virgin is the best bet or XE mobile by jveltre1300you have to buy the best razor to get it to work well then buy a clear plastic case to protect it and a flim over the lcd screen. get a pigon send messages on his leg is better.
ALLTEL
by fujifame - 11/30/07 3:13 PM In reply to: Can anyone help me find good prepaid phone/plan? by WindWaker99Get an alltel phone! Alltel has Alltel U, they have pay per day, for $1.00 a day I can get Free Nights and Weekends, Free Mobile to Mobile, and Free texting. Then it is $.10 a minute. You can also choose Free Calls to Your Favorite Number. You can get all these for $1.25 a day, or just two for $.75. Good service area, and quite a few phones, for a good price. Starting at $.99. www.alltelu.com
Prepaid cell phone plans
by jerryjinx - 11/30/07 9:16 PM In reply to: Can anyone help me find good prepaid phone/plan? by WindWaker99Check out Tracphone.com And Net10.com
I-Wireless
by Chris P66 - 11/30/07 10:21 PM In reply to: Can anyone help me find good prepaid phone/plan? by WindWaker99I-wireless has good deal out now I just got a second one for my elderly mother. I bought my new one at frys grocery store but have seen them on ebay with the same plan. It is an LG model the phone is 50 bucks and come with 500 free anytime minutes. It utilizes the sprint network. After the 500 are gone it is .10c per min on nights and weekends and .25 for day calls. Time is lost only if you do not order more minutes for over 90 days. If you order $10 worth at 89 days the minutes roll over. To order more minutes you can use your phone, another regular phone, the internet, or pay for a prepaid card at the register of a huge list of store franchises.
Its a nice phone, free caller id, .10 texting, free text reception, gps activation, web conection, lots of features, very light and small, flip phone with no external antena, 7 days between charges, free battery and charger, etc. Three weeknesses: 1) No camera 2) Not also an mp3 4) no keyboard. Good Luck! Hope this helps.
Virgin Mobile
by pamelad - 12/1/07 1:55 PM In reply to: I-Wireless by Chris P66Two previous votes for Virgin Mobile, two against. I'll add a third vote for it. I've used it for at least three years with absolutely no problems. They offer various minute-by-minute and monthly pre-paid plans starting at $.10 a minute or $14.95 a month. There are no activation fees, no tricks.
The I-Wireless deal Chris P66 speaks of sounds like it might even beat Virgin because of the 500 free minutes.
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