OT: Tracphones/GoPhones need advice

[Kingfisher]

Well my contract with AT&T is finally ending!!! I'm thinking prepaid phone w/no contract is the way to go for my wife and myself. Can anyone chime in with advice on these types of phone/service.

Our phone use is minimal, usually just a few times per week and emergency's.

Thanks!

[Ken Robb]

I think you really need to get info from customers or ex-customers in your area because each company's service varies with location. Even within a metro area in California different phone companies have different "dead" zones but most are installing new towers regularly to improve service.

[alancw3]

i use a cell phone only when i travel or for emergencies. i went with virgin mobil about 6-7 years ago. they use the sprint network. i have never been where i don't get reception. at the time i got the phone for $49 with a rebate for $50 from virgin so it was free (basic no frills phone voice only). i have to pay a minimum of $15/quarter (started at $20 but because of my low use reduced by virgin and is auto charged to my credit card) which can be carried over as unused minutes. minute charge is at .25/minute for first ten minutes each day and then .10/minute thereafter for remainder of day. you can also purchase additional minutes if you use up your allocation and/or accumulation of unused minutes.

i don't know if this plan is still available or not (like i stated i got it about 7 years ago) but it has been a great low cost plan that works for me. basically $60/year cost to me to have mobil capabilities with a reliable network.

[kipjac]

Well my contract with AT&T is finally ending!!! I'm thinking prepaid phone w/no contract is the way to go for my wife and myself. Can anyone chime in with advice on these types of phone/service.

Our phone use is minimal, usually just a few times per week and emergency's.

Thanks!
King, my wife, two kids, and I all used Tracfones. It's a Motorola phone that's pretty basic; it's not a camera, has no web access, and doesn't play music. I use it only when I have to, which is not more than three-four times a week.

We paid approx. $100/person for 400 minutes of calling time, so $400 total for our usage. 400 minutes of calling time will easily last me a year. I rarely text message so that's not a problem. It's prepaid and there's no contract, which is one of the main reasons I chose Tracfone. Most other people with whom I checked pay about $90-100/month for contracts.

Hope this info helps.

[giordana93]

t-mobile to go for me.
I don't use the cell that much, and now pay only $50 to $100 a YEAR. it works in Canada when I travel there (I'm in US), and for me at least, have never really had any reception problems. if you watch the t-mobile site they give free$25 starter cards fairly often and you can pick up a phone for very little. I will never go back to a contract phone. the only reason for that would be to get a "free" phone but if you add up 2 years of service that free phone is pretty expensive, even more than retail of buying an unlocked phone.

oh, and t-mobile has a pretty accurate coverage map, so you can check your area. I'll post them below. and no, I have NO relation to t-m, I'm just a cheap skate who doesn't spend much time on my cell.

hmm, no good deals running these days. check back another day or just use an unlocked phone:
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/prepaid.aspx

coverage map:
http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx

[giordana93]

you might check into att's prepaid too, I think they have it, just to be competitive, and then you could use your current phones (if you had them unlocked, they'll work on t-mobile too, since it is a gsm phone)

[Ken Robb]

I'm glad to hear that dead zones are uncommon in most places. In San Diego I know some realtors who carry 2 phones to minimize areas where they get no service on one or the other. It's the hills blocking signals in some areas depending on where your company's towers are located. I used to have t-mobile while Leslie had Verizon. Driving up and down California from SD to Sonoma sometimes I had service, sometimes she did, and sometimes we both did. In most parts of La Jolla my t-mobile was better than Verizon but I got no service at my home.; When I retired I switched to a family plan on Verizon which provides 90% good service at our home. A few months ago t-mobile erected a tower 2 blocks away so I'll bet t-mobile would be excellent at home now.

[jhcakilmer]

t-mobile to go for me.
I don't use the cell that much, and now pay only $50 to $100 a YEAR. it works in Canada when I travel there (I'm in US), and for me at least, have never really had any reception problems. if you watch the t-mobile site they give free$25 starter cards fairly often and you can pick up a phone for very little. I will never go back to a contract phone. the only reason for that would be to get a "free" phone but if you add up 2 years of service that free phone is pretty expensive, even more than retail of buying an unlocked phone.

oh, and t-mobile has a pretty accurate coverage map, so you can check your area. I'll post them below. and no, I have NO relation to t-m, I'm just a cheap skate who doesn't spend much time on my cell.

hmm, no good deals running these days. check back another day or just use an unlocked phone:
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/prepaid.aspx

coverage map:
http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx


+1.......have been very satisfied with T-Mobile pre-paid service.

[giordana93]

and that's sometimes a difference between the prepaid phones is that they don't have the shared roaming with ATT, so if you don't get a t-m signal, I don't think you can switch over to the att for free roaming, it will only do the t-m. I think that's the norm.

[jhcakilmer]

and that's sometimes a difference between the prepaid phones is that they don't have the shared roaming with ATT, so if you don't get a t-m signal, I don't think you can switch over to the att for free roaming, it will only do the t-m. I think that's the norm.

It also might be regional, but during some travels, I've noticed that my phone tells me when it's using another companies signal.....but I still have service. You might want to check, because they possibly could be charging extra minutes when using another companies signal.....I have plenty of minutes, so I've never looked into it.

My service has been just as good as any others that I've seen in my area.....

[rePhil]

Our cell phone use is minimal too. I have had a TracPhone for about 3 years.
Picked up my bare bones Nokia for $2 at a dollar store. $90 a year with 400 minutes with a 200 bonus minutes. I think I have accumulated around 1200 minutes.
My wife just bought a Motorola flip phone for $20 It has a camera and text capabilities, which cost per use. She says it's cheaper the her ATT pay as you go.
My only concern is limited coverage in some areas. Check the coverage map.
It's a far cry from my photography days when I would easily burn through over 1000 minutes a month. I really don't miss those days