Interesting.
It was easy in the UK last Christmas time -- walked into a Carphone Warehouse store. In China this summer, I had a Mandarin speaking native get one for me -- not sure where they went but it only took about 10 mins ;-)
Well even if it expires it can still call 911.
Yeah, it can be a pain in the butt to remember to re-up your prepaid phone every 30-120 days. That's why the T-Mobile 365 day expiration period is good (once you spend $100 in airtime, all future airtime purchases, even ones for $10, are good for 365 days). As pointed out, T-Mobile coverage can leave something to be desired, but they do appear to allow a lot of off-network roaming now, and you can always call 911 no matter what GSM network is available.
7-11's SpeakOut GSM service (on AT&T's network) offers 365 day expiration on their $50/335 minute cards. They subtract a rather high $2.14/month fee, so that'd use up $25.68 of the $50, leaving 163 minutes available from the remaining $24.32 of value.
I have a tracfone, they are great. I get connections just fine and I replenish it every 3 months or so.
If you get a tracfone it is worthwhile to pay the extra $49 at time of purchase to get "double minutes for life", with this plan every time thereafter when you buy minutes they automatically double them. That initial $49 pays for itself after your second replenish.
If all you need is basic communication then I can highly recommend a tracfone.
I, too, have no problems with my Tracfone. Also live in a low reception area where bars are minimal but it is equally bad for wife's phone with Verizon.
My Tracfone is several years old and I would like to get a better looking one but website gives no clues on how to do this. You do not get the hand holding that Verizon or Sprint offer. Also updating minutes is easier on internet than on phone.
With the Double Minutes for Life remember that it goes with the phone. If you get a new phone then you have to pay it again.
With the $100/400 minutes card doubled to 800 minutes (after buying the double minutes for life), and discounted 8% by CallingMart, the per minute cost comes down to 11.5 cents. But even this cheapest cost per minute is higher than the most expensive cost per minute on a carrier like PagePlus which allows you to use any Verizon CDMA phone, including smart phones, and which offers data.
Nice things about Tracfone:
For a seldom used, glove box phone, the 365 day expiration is very nice, though you can get the same thing with a 7-11 SpeakOut phone and pay only $50/year.
Incidentally, tomorrow:
CallingMart.com: Wednesday 8/12/2009 from 11am-11pm EST. 8% Off Face Value for Net10, Tracfone, Verizon & PagePlus . Coupon Code: CM-20090812.
I have Virgin Mobile, which works out to around 8 bucks a month. But with any pre-paid, you need to make sure it has coverage in the area where it will be used. And you can't always trust the maps on the web site. Virgin, for example, is really Sprint system, and has next-to-no coverage down in NC where my sister lives, out at her house. She returned hers and got one of the others. It works fine around SW MI and southern IN, which covers most of the places I use it. I'll probably die with several hundred bucks in unused minutes on it- you can set it to top off automatically as needed (90 days or
You really need to be careful with prepaid services that don't allow off-native-network roaming.
Many of the prepaid services allow you to use any compatible network (CDMA or GSM), sometimes at extra cost, sometimes included. Virgin/Sprint is not one of those services.
Virgin is among the worst prepaid options out there. It has a high price per minute, high texting costs, high monthly minimums, poor coverage with no roaming, and a horrible web site. Maybe now that Sprint fully owns Virgin they'll do something about fixing it.
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in news:h5rq6q$g06$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:
With Tracfone you can buy an entire year for $100. For a little extra you can get double minutes. As long as they don't start using the cell for "yakking", the minutes will last the whole year.
Mark Lloyd wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
It isn't always AT&T. It all depends on where you live and what company Tracfone can contract with. I never had any connection problems with Tracfone. It works just about everywhere, except at my friend's house who live in "the forest" on a mountain.
heh heh
Phisherman wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
It's a combination of minutes and the expiration date. With $100, you get about 400 minutes that will expire in one year. For a little extra you have it set up so that for the life of the phone, you'll get double minutes.
I bought my Tracfone around 2002 or 2003. I've had great phone service.
Frank wrote in news:h5sp5s$vnp$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:
You're going to have to call customer service. The Rep has to give you special code numbers to enter into the new phone and to also transfer any minutes from the old phone.
That's what I have been reading. Would be nice if they automated. My phone works fine, just looks almost antique.
If unused minutes are rolled over then why do you have to add minutes after 90 days?
I believe if you have Verison or AT&T you can get an additional phone on your account for about $10 a month.
When you add a Tracfone card, you get (for example) 60 minutes and 90 days. These are treated as entirely different things. Minutes is airtime (deducted only when you use the phone). Days are the time period your service is active, regardless of use. When that (Days) expires, you have to renew. You keep the unused minutes.
Other companies are different. With my Alltel service, you just add money. Day and usage charges are both taken from a common pool (it's
75 cents/day and 10 cents/minute). [snip]
Is there anything wrong with Virgin Mobile, other than limited coverage area?
I'm wanting to get a phone that works in Brownwood Texas. It's 49 miles off the interstate highway, and neither AT&T or Verizon provide coverage there. According to their map, it looks like Virgin does.
BTW, I don't live in Brownwood, but often visit someone there.
When I had a tracfone, it would seldom get any signal at all at my house in town. It might get 1 bar at some spots in the yard, but that wouldn't last more than a minute or so.
Strangely, I could take it with me into the woods and get 5 bars there. Possibly because my land is close to a rural electric company facility.
[snip]
When I had a Tracfone, I got the 1-year cards (or usually the equivalent online, no card involved).
[snip]
You may get cheaper service but I am not sure it is better service. ... and I like the phone. I hate those cheap little bic lighter sized phones with buttons so small I can't use them and sound like you are talking in a garbage can. I also like being able to manage my phone directory online. He was talking about a phone for his parents, not his kid. They might like the idea that you can dial "O" and get a call put up to anyone in the country without screwing with 411.
This increases often. I first got a Tracfone in 2000 and it was 100 minutes then.
I seem to remember $50. Of course "for line" refers to the life of that phone, which should be a lot less than your life.
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