What is a PrePaid Cell Phone?
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive December 2004:
What is a PrePaid Cell Phone?
Do you just pay a flat fee that includes the phone as well as the minutes? And then it lasts as long as the minutes last and then it's worthless? Can you add minutes to it or do you need to buy a new phone? Do you ONLY pay ONCE, when you buy it, or is there still some sort of monthly fee?
I rarely use my phone, yet I pay a ridiculous fee each and every month. It would be great if I had a phone like a prepaid phone card, where you pay upfront and then never again unless you want more minutes!
Anyone know about these? And where do you buy them? Thanks!
I went to prepaid for the exact reason you are describing. I was paying $30/month and only used my phone if I was running late or had to cancel something. I never just "chat" on my cell phone and keep it turned off 90% of the time.
I got my at Tracfone. Since I use a cell phone so rarely I also don't care about the latest, tiniest, coolest phones. If I want to take a picture then I use a camera, not a phone.  So...I got the old standard refurbished Nokia "brick" for $19.99 which included like 100 minutes or something.
There is no monthly fee, but you do have to buy some minutes, even if you haven't used all of your minutes up, every 2-3 months. When you load minutes the date of renewal for minutes is on your phone when you turn it on. If you don't buy additional minutes every 3 months, then you lose your service. You can get it hooked up again, but you'll get a different phone number. I have a rider on my phone that if I forget to buy minutes then it will hold my number and I will be charged a flat fee of $7.95 for letting my minutes/time lapse. You can buy minutes online, at gas stations, places like Walmart and Target, etc. You can get a cheap refurbished phone or a top of the line phone with all of the bells and whistles. It has been a great option for me so far and you can buy minutes in increments as small as 30 or 30 minutes per 3 months.
I used to have a prepaid cell phone, I will tell you the things I *do* remember.
No monthly fees that I can remember only the one time deal purchase price, so you keep the same phone just add minutes, which you buy in a store they looks like a gift card and have different amounts of minutes on them for different prices.
You buy these little cards with a code on the back and you put the code into your phone (I can't remember if you call an 800 number or what) and it puts the number of minutes you bought onto your cell phone.
Maybe someone can remember more details like how you get the phone activated and stuff, but that is all I can really remember, it has been 2 years.
We just bought our 12.5 yo a prepaid or *pay as you go* phone for Christmas. We use Alltell and bought it there. The phone we got him cost $15.00, turning the service on cost $30 (approx.), and the minutes cost 25 cents per minute. When he runs out of minutes the phone will not work. So no running up a phone bill. We got him this type of phone on purpose (obviously since he is only a preteen!!) He will learn to *watch* his minutes and he will learn to use his allowance to buy more minutes ($10 is the minimum you can buy at one time)...
We could have just bought him a phone and added another line to our acct for $9.99... But we dont want him to have that much freedom. He needs to learn the phone is to call home to check in, call home to let me know he is ready to be picked up, or call home in an emergency, or he can use it to call his Dad (my ex), etc... We can purchase his minutes in the store or over the phone-- they just add them to his acct and there is no calling card to deal with.
They had monthly plans available for prepaid starting at $29.99 per month I think. These plans make your minutes cheaper. But we didnt want him to have alot of minutes or a bill for $30 every month.
BTW-- he has no idea he is getting this for Christmas. He thinks we wont buy him a phone until he starts driving (approx3-4 more yrs). I have talked so negatively about kids and cell phones, etc... He will be so shocked!! lol I think we will turn it on and hide it in the tree Christmas morning and at the veryyyyyy end of opening gifts I will call his phone and let him figure it out. ;) I am so evil. lol
That is all I know about it. ;)
It's been pretty well described above! We had a Tracfone quite a few years ago. We bought it at K-mart I believe. Then we would buy the phone cards to refill the minutes.
We used it more than we thought we would and we ended up spending quite a bit on phone cards. So we decided to just go with a regular plan. ($35 a month for unlimited calling & long distance is free too)
I husbands mom has a Tracfone and she's had it for years. She rarely uses it and she is very happy with it.
I have had a tracfone for about 3 or 4 years now and have been very happy. Check momsview under the prepaid cell link also, I usually try to give feona the codes that if you purchase a card you get extra minutes. I usually pick up the minutes on ebay, they are cheaper than retail. Just as always be careful with who you are buying from. I use my cell phn so rarely that I couldnt justify paying for a "real" phone. I figure it costs me between $10 and $15 a month to have and it gives me the security that if something happened that the kids or my dh could get ahold of me or I to them.
I have a Trac Phone also. I'm not a big cell phone user, and it's perfect for me. DH takes it when he goes out, since I have OnStar in my car and he doesn't.
We have had prepaid with TMobile for about 6 years now and I wouldn't have it any other way. We renew our minutes every couple of weeks and talk as much as we want. We never spend of 40.00 per month even when my husband is travelling and uses the phone alot.
My ds wants a phone for Christmas and I think I am going to stick with TMobile prepay for him as well. I just don't trust the "FAMILY PLANS" and sharing minutes,etc. I don't think that my dh and ds would adhere to the # of minutes alloted.
My phone is a nextel radio phone paid for through my job and I love it. I love the phone and the bill.....mainly because it never comes to me lol
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