Simple cell phone plans -- your suggestions?

[TheMrs]

I'm currently shopping around for a new cell phone plan for DH and I. We've been with Verizon for 13 years, so I'm really clueless on what else is available out there. I'm hoping to find some here that have cell phone usage similar to ours so that you can tell me what plan you use and what you like/dislike about it.

Our current phones are simple...no camera or email anything. We don't text ever and I would really prefer if the phone/plan didn't even have that option. All we use the phone for is to make and receive calls when we're away from home. I will also sometimes get an occasional voicemail. I like the Caller ID feature, but that's it.

For usage over the last year, I average around 207 minutes a month and DH uses an average of 39 minutes per month, so we don't need a mega-minute plan. We don't want to enter into a contract with anyone. I have this fear that we're going to sign up with a new company and not get good reception anywhere. I want to be able to dump a company quickly if I can't ever get good reception.

I want to be able to keep my number that I've had for the past 13 years.

So, based on all that...anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks!

[MoonRiver]

I use tracfone. Can't really tell you about the plans as I just got the cheapest service they offer. Very seldom do I use over 50 minutes a month.

[unioncreek]

I use Net10, their connected to Tracfone someway. I get 200 minutes a month for $15 plus tax I seldom use that many. There's no contract so you can end their service when you want. The have a pretty good variety of phones also.

Bob

[deb]

Originally Posted by TheMrs

I'm currently shopping around for a new cell phone plan for DH and I. We've been with Verizon for 13 years,
<snip>
For usage over the last year, I average around 207 minutes a month and DH uses an average of 39 minutes per month, so we don't need a mega-minute plan.
<snip>
I want to be able to keep my number that I've had for the past 13 years.
Thanks!

Number portablity allows you to move your cell number to which ever carrier you wish.

If you move your number away from VZW, you will need to pay for a full month of VZW service even if you leave 1 day into your billing cycle.

How much are you paying for your monthly service? If you are paying under $46/month for 2 phones then you're on an old plan and you won't find a new plan cheaper than that.

If you like your VZW current coverage, then I would suggest that you look for a company that buys time on VZW's network and then resells it as prepaid service. How do you go about finding this company?
First look at the coverage maps...do they match VZW's coverage map?
Are the cell phones offered by the company CDMA phones?
Google to see who sells the service to the prepaid company

deb
in wi

[TheMrs]

Originally Posted by deb

Number portablity allows you to move your cell number to which ever carrier you wish.

If you move your number away from VZW, you will need to pay for a full month of VZW service even if you leave 1 day into your billing cycle.

How much are you paying for your monthly service? If you are paying under $46/month for 2 phones then you're on an old plan and you won't find a new plan cheaper than that.

If you like your VZW current coverage, then I would suggest that you look for a company that buys time on VZW's network and then resells it as prepaid service. How do you go about finding this company?
First look at the coverage maps...do they match VZW's coverage map?
Are the cell phones offered by the company CDMA phones?
Google to see who sells the service to the prepaid company

deb
in wi

Our current plan with Verizon bundles our two phones together and gives us 1000 minutes per month to share. With all taxes and fees, we pay $67 a month. I know we have to be overpaying because we aren't ever coming close to using our allotted minutes.

I am pleased with the reception we receive through Verizon and we've never had any trouble with them. I'm just looking to save some money.

Thanks for your input!

[foxtrapper]

I've used trac for years now, and have been very happy with it. Cheap and excellent coverage just about anywhere east of the Mississippi in my experience.

Very basic, very cheap. As in about $12 a month.

[Le Petit Norman]

I am a tracfone user too. I have a basic need calling and being by my wife, nothing else. I took the double your time option once and now enjoy it. Tracfone make promotion every other month so I buy my time during those promotion to increase my minutes time

[wildwanderer]

We have moved to straight talk which is a branch of Tracfone $30 a month gives us 1000 minute of talk time and 1000 text messages, they use Verizon towers. We also have a second phone tracfone for the person who doesn't have the Straight talk. We imported hubbys number because of work and it has worked out well. Got the phone for free on the website with the first card. Good luck - Thea

[highlands]

We have a Tracfone which we've had for years. Cheap and it works. Nothing fancy. $8 per month or so based on buying the annual minutes plan which is how we do it. We use very little, just for the driver out on the road, so we've accumulated thousands of minutes over the years.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa

[deb]

The Net10, Tracfone and StraightTalk "brands" are all owned by the same company, but each "brand" offers a different kind of prepaid plan & phone choice.

Before buying a Prepaid phone, I suggest you call that company's customer service number and ask them if they will allow you to "port in" your current number. I've ported lots of numbers between regular cell companies, but haven't done it with prepid cell companies


deb
in wi

[Backfourty,MI.]

We pay about 44.00 a month for our cell phone & when our contract is up I'm switching us to Trac phones! I can get a Trac Phone with enough minutes for us for about $100.00 a year.
We still have a land line too & I like having a land line so I won't get rid of that.

[Randy Rooster]

All cell companies are required by law to port your phone which means you can take your old phone number to any company you choose.

[Mid-Atl HS]

I would also like to put in a plug for Tracfone. We have had ours for over 5 years, and it has been reliable. We also have purchased yearly service, and twice now have gotten a 2nd year for half price. Which means we got two years of service for $150. That works out to a little over $6 per month. Also, so long as you keep your service you do not lose minutes. Tracfone is a good choice for someone like me who does not use a lot of minutes. It is probably not a good choice for someone who uses a lot of minutes.
Bob

[marinemomtatt]

We've also been looking at getting new service. We have AT&T and we've hated it because we can't get usable service here at the house without wandering the property looking for bars. We have three lines and it's costing us $118.00 the only problem with dumping AT&T is that we have over 5,000 saved up rollover minutes.
We're looking at returning to Virgin Mobile, we really liked their service and they have some great plans.
I'll look into the Trac phone plans you all have suggested.

[Belfrybat]

I've been reading this thread with interest. Then I went to Dollar General this morning and at the bottom of my receipt is a coupon for a $10.00 phone that has unlimited double minutes for the life of the phone. Now that is a really great deal. Then went to the website and found a one year card with 400 minutes and 200 bonus minutes. With the doubler phone, that ends up to be 1000 minutes for $109.00. Am considering it for myself.

Well, I looked farther down on the Tracfone web page and discovered a 1000 minute one year card. With the doubler, it would end up less than 7c a minute. Sounding even better if someone can afford $159.00 at one time.

[Batt]

I purchased one of Tracfones $10 phones, which includes double minutes for the life of the contract. Then I got a 1 year 400 minute card with a special promo of 200 minutes. The 400 minute card doubled to 800 + the 200 gave me over 1000 minutes for the next year. And any left over minutes will carry forward to the following year, and can be transferred if I purchase another Tracfone. So far I have been very satisfied with the service. I have been unable to find a Tracfone with a qwerty keyboard. 11¢ / minute isn't bad as long as you don't talk too long (>16Hrs).

[Timberline]

We have a Tracfone, too, have had it for several years now. We don't use it a lot, mostly when we're on the road or if phone service goes out at home. Nothing fancy about it, but it's cheap and we like not having a contract.

[weedlady]

We use Consuer Cellular. They use AT&T network I think. No contract. Very helpful customer service. I've been very happy with them.
Martha

[lmrose]

We don't have tracphones here but there are "pay as you go" phones. I bought the cell phone and buy minutes for it. $15 and $20 have to be used up in a month or two. Pay $100 and the minutes are good for a year.If there are minutes left near the end of the year I use them to call long distance before they expire. I only need to use this phone when away the home as there are hardly any pay phones left around town. I consider this an emergency phone and it works for me.

[Patt]

Another Tracphone user, we have had ours for 7-8 years now and all our kids have them too. Never had a problem with lack of service and we average about $10 a month for ours.