I am planning to do some traveling this summer and am going to need a cell. But I do not wish to sign my soul to the devil with a contract. Does anyone out there have any favorite pre-paid phones and plans?
thanks
;) ;)
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I am planning to do some traveling this summer and am going to need a cell. But I do not wish to sign my soul to the devil with a contract. Does anyone out there have any favorite pre-paid phones and plans?
thanks
;) ;)
I have heard that Trac Phone is very good. You get free long distance and free voice mail. You can look them up at Tracphone.com and they are available at Target starting at $49.99.
Good luck!
~Piper
My girlfriend uses a TracPhone.
Know that minutes are about twice as much as a regular phone, but if your not on the phone all the time, it can be cheaper than a contract phone.
You also have to use it like once a month or something like that.
She is pleased with it though.
I had an at&t wireless prepaid a year and a half ago using a nokia phone. There weren't any bells and whistles like the new phones out now but I never had problems with dropped calls and text messenging. very reliable phone and service. I got my phone at 7-11. ;)
Does prepaid offer nationwide service?
The prepaid services have agreements to use other systems equipment. Just like the discount landlines use other carriers; networks that they bought at bulk rates. I can't swear but I was told Virgin uses Sprint's network.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sapphire link=board=1;threadid=9533;start=msg113966#msg1139 66 date=1085537538
I've have to use these, because my credit is so bad. I'll explain best i can.There are to different types you can get; at least in CT; in terms of technology. the older TDMA or GSM. My understanding is that the TDMA's (older phones) won't be availible for purchase much longer because everything is GSM now(newer phones). The towers will still be up for the use of the TDMAs though.
Examples of TDMAs if you want to avoid them: Nokia 5165 Nokia 3360. There are more, these two come to mind right now.
From my experience, wireless services also usually offer a prepaid option, like Sapphire's. You would have to ask them specifics on any type of long distance or travel package. Shop around, some are def better then others. I don't know what you have near you; At&t, Cingular, Verizon. These are a few where i am; we use Cingular.
This has been my experience with pre-paid overall. It's worth it to me right now. My service also provides text messaging, voice mail, call waiting, and caller id. but i think most pre-paids offer those now.
I hope this was helpful and not confusing. good luck, and happy traveling.
Alexis
I got a pre-paid cell when I went back to dancing so I could keep in touch with regular customers. I never work the same days week to week, so it's helpful for them to be able to call me to see when I'll be in.
Anyway, I got a T-Mobile pre-paid at 7-11 and the fucker didn't work. I went round and round with T-Mobile and finally just took it back to 7-11 for a refund. T-Mobile was NOT helpful at all and they treated me like an idiot because I bought a cell phone at a convenience store. I went and got a Virgin phone and I love it. Their customer service is fabulous and I have had no coverage issues. It's a bit expensive, but worth it to me. Rates are 25¢ a minute for the first ten minutes each day, then 10¢ a minute for the rest of the day.
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/
What may be the best prepay phone for you may depend on what part of the country you live as each company has a different coverage area. Some stiff you for roaming charges worse than others too.
Also be aware that those airtime refill cards have expirations on them ranging from 30 days to 1 year. Usually your best off by buying the most expensive card that particular plan offers.
Here are links to some of the more popular prepaid phones below:
Alltel - http://www.simplefreedom.net/SimpleFreedom/Home.htm
AT&T Wireless - http://www.attwireless.com/personal/prepaid/
AT&T Wireless Go Phone - http://www.attwireless.com/personal/gophone/index.jhtml
Virgin (uses Sprint network) - http://www.virginmobileusa.com/
Verizon - http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/s...PrepayOverview
T Mobile - http://www.t-mobile.com/prepaid/overview.asp
TracFone - http://tracfone.com
I got a KMart flier in the mail today and they have a nokia tracfone on sale for $39.99 good till 5/29. That's a pretty damn good price.
Currently I have a contract with sprint and they suck ass. I think they've got the worst customer service in the industry. I always have problems too with being "out of range", text messages don't go through, or I can't access my texts because of some BS "error" message. But damn they have cool phones. 8)
HeavenLeigh I've heard terrible things about T-Mobile as well.
edited to add I've had great experience with Nokia and Sanyo brand phones. Excellent phones. I would not recommend a Samsung.
When I was dealing with T-Mobile, I got the distinct impression that they were not interested in helping me because I was *only* a pre-paid customer. As soon as I said "pre-paid", they started treating me like a second-class citizen. My thinking is that since they can't get any more money out of a pre-paid customer, their interest in assisting goes down. I could be wrong, but that's the feeling I got. That's why I ended up going with Virgin, they only offer pre-paid.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sapphire link=board=1;threadid=9533;start=msg114316#msg1143 16 date=1085628477
Oh, and I *heart* my groovy-cool Kyocera Slider phone.
Slightly off topic, but I have a Verizon contract. Expensive - but not half the trouble I hear about from Sprint customers. One time I was in the middle of the cornfields of Iowa with a broken down car. Call went right through!
As for Prepaid phones I think Tracfone is the way to go. My friend has a Tracfone with a NC number that she bought while traveling when her phone broke and it works everywhere she's gone since she left there, and she lives out west. She uses it now as her backup phone when she can't get service or whatever and the cards are good for a long time.
As far as sprint is concerned, customer service is horrible, but once you get em on the phone don't get off til they give you what you want or keep calling until they give you so many free credits you don't have to pay your bill for a month or two. As for service range and call quality my smack brand new phone didn't work on the left side of my dorm room for a year but when I went to the Cayman Islands and was sitting on a tour bus the damn thing rang. It rang and it worked all over the Caymans, Mexico and the upper part of Central America and it was NOT on roam and I wasn't charged any different for the calls. Guess what else? Only sprint customers had service that could be used like normal and didn't have to place international calls. My solution was to let my contract end, choose not to renew it (not even for that fabulous 10% they keep offering to renew), and keep the service.
I had Sprint for 3 years. They sucked ass the entire time. I hated that company. One month my cell phone bill was over $300...because of roaming charges...and that was when I was working downtown Chicago. Dropped calls, calls that didn't go through, dead air, bad reception. And customer service was a pain in the ass. Once operator I spoke with was rude and obnoxious. When I told her that if Sprint didn't take care of my problem, I was going to drop them, she said, "good, fine. I'll transfer you to the cancellation department." The folks on the cancellation line begged and pleaded with me to stay. After about 45 minutes of bitching and reporting the other operator, I got a free $400 phone. Dropped them 2 months later for the same roaming problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Devastating Divyne link=board=1;threadid=9533;start=msg114363#msg1143 63 date=1085639502
My SO has T-mobile. HeavenLeigh, my SO pays out the ass for service from T-Mobile...and they still treat him like he's a peon who has no business calling them with a problem. So, don't take it personally, they treat everyone like that!! LOL Grrrrrr...
We were looking to move over to cellular one. I've heard good things about that company...so...we'll see. Anyone has to be better than T-Mobile and Sprint!
As evidence that with phones YMMV (Your mileage may vary) I have had Sprint as a cell phone service for over 5 years and never had a problem. Sure there are places where the phone switches to roaming, but that is true of everyone--just different places. It is like a car, some of them are great and some are pos's..
My experience with customer service was also favorable the 3 times I have talked to them.
I would talk to the people in the area where you are going for who has a good/bad reputation there. I would also investigate a cheaper alternative if it is functional--phone cards. The cost per minute for a phone card can be a sixth to a tenth (or more) of a prepaid cell phone. If you have an answering machine at home. Just check your messages 3-4 times a day for incoming calls for a dime. There are almost no up front fees and you can call the 800 number from any phone. Consider it if the trip is your primary reason and not just a emergency safety line issue.
I got a FREE PHONE from www.tracfone.com with the purchase of 100 minutes ($29.95). It's reconditioned but it works wonderfully. Plus, you get an extra 10 min for activating your phone online AND you get a coupon for more minutes free. So, basically, I got a phone and 140 min and service through mid-Sept for just 30 bucks! Not too bad so far (except for that it used to read "roaming" from my house and roaming costs you 2 units per minute--double the non-roaming rate).
oh yeah, and I forgot to add that it has free voice mail, caller ID, etc.
HOLY CRAP, SCGirl!!!!
Yeah, so after a month in this forum I JUST THIS MOMENT realized what your avatar is. LOL, I'm such a dork!
yeah it looks like an android clitoris.
ROTFLMAO :rotfl:
they're a pain in the ass
I have the AT&T Go Phone, I used to use the Trac phone, too expensive. The AT&T plan gives free weekends and nationwide long distance and the minutes cost less than any other plan, but I think every geographic location has different plans and varying prices.
By the time you spend buy more and more cards, It seems cheaper to get a regular cell phone.