Is anyone using a pre-paid cell phone?

[question everything]

I have been using one for five years now. Started with AT&T, now Cingular. Cost me $100 per year and the amount left can be rolled over if I purchase new time before the expiration day which is due later this week.

I really do not use cell phone that much, only when I am not at home and really need to call someone. Also convenient when out of town, instead of paying the exorbitant fees that hotels charge. It is a simple Nokia phone, large in today's measures. No camera, no GPS, no text message, just something to make a call..

But now I got a text message from them that the plan would end next March. I have not called them, yet, to ask whether something else would be offered. I am not going to purchase any plan at, say, $40 a month with all the bells and whistles.

I hope that someone else is offering a similar plan.

Does anyone know?

Thanks

[qnr]

1. Well, I use TracFone, it's ok, though I've never liked how they handle

the voice mail (though the problems might be due to my model of phone). I really don't use the phone much, just have it for emergencies.

[question everything]

2. Thank you. Will look into their services (nt)

[Reciprocity]

7. Same here with TracFone. We mostly use it for ordering take out.

[Reciprocity]

11. We buy time for a year at a time and have done this for three years.

It's about 25 cents a minute. Which is about $8.00 a month for 250 minute a year and you can always buy more time if you need it, we always have time left over. This year we had 644 minutes to roll over.

[lildreamer316]

3. In case you can't find a prepaid you like, try Cricket.

I too have a basic phone I've had for 4 years. Local calls unlimited, 500 ld min.; and right now I can between here and Charlotte. However, you don't have coverage outside of your immediate service area. Depends on your needs. I pay @ %60 a month, but both hubby and I use it. Compared to what others pay, it's definately worth it.

Amped mobile has a good deal too...

[jobycom]

4. I've used Virgin Mobile for a while

I bought it a couple of years ago, for emergencies. I moved into an apartment last year, so I upgraded to a contract phone as my only phone and gave the VM phone to my daughter, who promptly lost it.

It's a good service. You have to buy time every 90 days, at least, or the phone expires, but it's pretty cheap. I think now it's 18 cents a minute for a minute to minute plan. They also have daily and monthly rates with no contract.

They sold me a replacement for the lost phone for a fraction of the retail price, and will switch the minutes and the old number over to the new phone when I get it (just ordered it Saturday). Smooth web page, lots of good specials (like, you can buy $25 worth of minutes and get a free phone).

Anyway, I've been happy with them. Check out virginmobile.com.

[REP]

5. Another Vote For Virgin

We used Virgin for a couple years; never had any problems. When we had it, you had to deposit $20 every 90 days. The only reason we switched was we needed a Bluetooth phone and at the time, they didn't offer any.

[question everything]

6. Thanks, will look at them, too.

Seems that their coverage area is the same as Sprint, so I suppose the coverage would be OK in most major cities.

[Dem2theMax]

8. I have a Verizon pre-paid plan.

$15.00 a month. I usually pay for two months at a time. It works out to about 6 hours of phone time for the two months.
And I hardly ever use all of it.
(I only use the phone when I REALLY need it. I'm not a 'phone' person. LOL.)
The time rolls over, just like on your plan.

No bells and whistles, although I do have text messaging for 10 cents a message.

And if you are talking to another Verizon customer, you don't use up any minutes at all.

My phone is a Kyocera/Verizon cell phone. Works like a charm. Has GPS too.

Good luck on finding the right company for you. Pre-paid is the way to go. Cheap, but when you need a phone, you've got one.

[question everything]

12. Thanks. I am going to seriously look at other companies

Cingular is really asinine.

When I called I was told that all I needed was new phone.

So I went to the store to find out that if I want to stay with the pre-paid, the covered area is not as extensive as their "contract" one.

Right now my old Nokia rests on a cradle in the car where it can be charged and it has a speaker, so if I do use it while driving, it is hands free. Pretty soon this will be the law everywhere. But their new phones were kinda tiny that I am not sure I can find a similar attachment for them.

They sell another one with an ear piece but... I would have to sign on their contracts. I am not going to pay $30 a month for a service that I do not need, when the $100 a year is more than enough.

I have time until the end of March. I will purchase minutes for 90 days and then will look around.

Really creeps.

[LeftyMom]

9. It's not what people typically think of as pre-paid

My phone's through metro PCS. I have thier highest plan (unlimited mins, unlimited domestic LD and some extra features) for $45/mo, but thier basic plan is unlimited minutes for $30/mo. You pay the month in advance (why I'd say that it's a pre-paid plan) and don't have to do any credit check or anything like that.

You do have to pay for the phone though since there's no contract, a cute little entry level nokia is about $100, you can get a really cool camera phone with some bells and whistles for $150 or so.

I know that's more than what you're paying, but if you don't have a fax or something hooked up to your land line a cheap cell package with plenty of minutes might be cheaper than maintaining both. I know it made more sense for me.

[question everything]

10. Yes, this is a lot more for what I need

Yes, I do use land line. One has a fax, the other can be taken outside and the third... a simple land line that will be the only one that works when electricity is out (and the one to use to call the electric compnay..)

And power outage can disable cell phones as was in NYC several years ago, not to mention that even at home - mine of of family members - one does not always get good reception.

Anyway, the problem may have been over blown by me. I called Cingular and it appears that all I need is a new cell phone... I can have a Nokia for $39.95. Seems that my five year old bulky simple phone can no longer carry all the bells and whistles offered, whether I want them or not. Like trying to use DOS software to surf the Internet, I suppose..

Funny. I am an avid fan of "24" and at one episode the innocent hikers that got entangled in a major terrorist chase were told to remove the batteries of their cell phones so that they could not be located via GPS. And I remember thinking that I did not have this problem. Ah, the days of innocence.