I'm looking for a good prepaid cell phone and SERVICE.
I want to keep a cell phone in my bay boat at all times. I don't need a fancy phone, hell I cant figure out how to use all the functions.

I just need a reliable service, basic phone.

I won't talk on the phone but 100 minutes a year, at best.

Recommendations?

The cheapest prepay I've heard yet is the Virgin phones purchased online, as low as $20 for the phone and as little as $20 minimum minutes purchase every three months.
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The catch with prepays is that the coverage can be really poor, or (if it has to constantly connect through other systems) the cost per min can get really a lot higher than you expect. Search around online and study the coverage of any company you consider very carefully.

The upshot of the monthly plans is that they charge a lot more, but the service coverage tends to be a lot better.
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trac fon(e)

Verizon has great coverage.

Quoted: trac fon(e)

My friend only used prepaid and loved trac fone

Quoted: The cheapest prepay I've heard yet is the Virgin phones purchased online, as low as $20 for the phone and as little as $20 minimum minutes purchase every three months. -------- The catch with prepays is that the coverage can be really poor, or (if it has to constantly connect through other systems) the cost per min can get really a lot higher than you expect. Search around online and study the coverage of any company you consider very carefully. The upshot of the monthly plans is that they charge a lot more, but the service coverage tends to be a lot better. ~

+1 and on Virgin Wireless the unused minutes keep rolling over and accumulating.

Last May (2005) when I made my usual, every three months, $20 minimum purchase the system set the next "top up" date to May of 2006.  I'm still working off of the minutes that had been accumulated over the prior 12 months or so that I had the phone.

I helped a friend pick his out, and NET 10 beat them all by far.  TracFone didn't even come close.

$30 for 300 minutes, have to purchase every two months, minutes roll over.

Thanks for the input Gentlemen!

My T-Mobile pre-paid has been great.  My wife has Virgin Mobile which is also great but more expensive.

GunLvr