Pay as you go cell phones - pros and cons?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Pay as you go cell phones - pros and cons?

Posted: 8/14/2005 8:23:12 AM EDT

Anyone tried these? my verizon plan is so expensive.

Posted: 8/14/2005 8:25:18 AM EDT

[#1]

I have, and when you run outta time, your pretty much fucked, you cant even call 911 without having atleast 1 minute.

Pro: If your in the middle of a call when you run outta time, they wont terminate the call, i know my Verizion used too...

Thats all I can think of right now...

Posted: 8/14/2005 8:26:43 AM EDT

[#2]

Another bad thing is that the Pre-paid cards expire 30 - 90 days after you activate them!

It is a crock! Stay away!

Posted: 8/14/2005 8:49:32 AM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
Another bad thing is that the Pre-paid cards expire 30 - 90 days after you activate them!

It is a crock! Stay away!

Get the right deal with Tracfone and its good for a year.

Posted: 8/14/2005 6:05:12 PM EDT

[#4]

A pro is they are ready to go when you get them for me. Living down here in Grenada for schooling you have to wait like a month or two for them to put in a phone line to your place. So cell phone is a must and pay as you go has better rates than prepaid.

Posted: 8/14/2005 6:21:43 PM EDT

[#5]

I've had one of the T mobile pre-paid phones for about 5 years and it's great. I don't yack on the phone all the time and just use it occasonally. I can buy a $25 card and it usually lasts me around 3 months. I think $25 gives me around 150 minutes.

Posted: 8/14/2005 7:29:19 PM EDT

[#6]

Around here, you have to pre-buy the minutes in $30 blocks...you may as well have a regular cell phone at that point.

Posted: 8/14/2005 7:38:25 PM EDT

[#7]

The time is more expensive
no monthly required expense

if you don't call very much you could come out ahead
I use mine like a voicemail and a pager mostly
and only make calls that are really for "convenience"
some of my friends have gotten large minute contracts
and drastically redefined what an important call was
(they use them constantly now)

Posted: 8/14/2005 7:40:36 PM EDT

[#8]

If you are going to be talking all the time then don't get it. Get a regular phone with monthly bills. If you don't talk often then it is fine. I spend $30 per month on mine.

This was my 100th post.

Posted: 8/14/2005 7:56:08 PM EDT

[#9]

Con: minutes are more expensive then they are with a contract.

Pro: No contract, no debt.

Posted: 8/14/2005 8:29:01 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
I've had one of the T mobile pre-paid phones for about 5 years and it's great. I don't yack on the phone all the time and just use it occasonally. I can buy a $25 card and it usually lasts me around 3 months. I think $25 gives me around 150 minutes.

+1

I've had mine almost a year. It great.

Posted: 8/14/2005 8:55:23 PM EDT

[#11]

I use the Virgin wireless plan.

Pro: You only need to put $20 worth of airtime on the phone every three months and unused airtime accumulates.

Con: You buy the phone, air time is 25cents per minute, outgoing text messages are 10cents each, and coverage isn't the best.

For $7 a month I get a cell phone that meets my needs of making convenience calls. After 30 months of use, paying the minimum of $20 every 90 days, I have appx a $55 balance (220 minutes).

If you just need to make a few calls a month it's the best deal going that I know of.

Posted: 8/14/2005 9:00:49 PM EDT

[#12]

I use a TracFone... It's ok, except when you are talking to some chic. Then $300 in a week will kill the fun, but it's ok. Better to pay it up front than end up with some sky high bill you can't afford screaming "WTF?!?!!?"

It's working for me, of course, YMMV.

Posted: 8/14/2005 9:07:07 PM EDT

[#13]

You get ripped on time compared to monthly plans.

I was going to set up a land line. Basic local service w/o long distance, call waiting and caller ID were about $28 a month including a $36 activation fee. Went to Costco and got the "basic plus" t-mobile service for $29 a month including call waiting, caller id, etc... with all activation fee's rebated and all accessories free. Cant beat that with a stick.

Go T-mobile. They have the best prices, plans and options for the money.

Posted: 8/14/2005 9:10:34 PM EDT

[#14]

The ONLY advantage I had in getting one was the fact that there was no contract involved.

Other than that, mine had crappy reception, was expensive as hell (because I tend to talk a lot, or used to), and the company that I went through only had that huge brick of a Nokia phone to offer (this was back in 2000).

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Pay as you go cell phones - pros and cons?

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