Liz CA Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I'd like a prepaid cell phone plan up to $30.00 a month. I make very infrequent use of it and I don't text. I want to buy some cheap phone and have a cheap plan to go with it. Researching it online drives me crazy with all the options I don't care for. Just give me a company name and a plan, PLEASE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagel270 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 For a few years I had a Tracphone. I bought a year card that came with enough minutes for me. It was about $100 a year, and they have phones starting at $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSDCY Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Tracphone. My husband got one from Walmart 2 years ago and he is happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oops, duplicate account :/ Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Walmart has plan in that price range..Straight Talk...weve used it for years and have never had a prob...its great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 T-Mobile. I use about $50/month, but I text and use the phone a lot. I suspect you could easily get by with $30/month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classics4us Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 In my town, Walmart has the best pay as you go services. Sorry I don't have a package or phone name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Virgin Mobile has a $25 plan that includes 300 minutes, unlimited data and unlimited texting. You can get 1500 minutes plus the data and texting for $40. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Tracfone 'cause they have cheap phones. You can get a $30/mo plan from T-mobile and others but you need to buy a phone. The simplest way to go is Tracfone and they use the 'big name' carriers for service so it is just as good. Buy a double minutes for life card too. Saves going forward. You can have minutes roll over automatically for about $6/mo too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Walmart has plan in that price range..Straight Talk...weve used it for years and have never had a prob...its great. I love straightalk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 go buy a tracfone...that's all I've ever had! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I have AT&T pre-paid. My phone cost about $50 and I get a $25 card every month or so. Very simple and easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 (edited) NET10. Much better coverage than other pay as you go plans, and it's cheap. I get 1500 minutes for about $100, and they last 6 months for me. I have lost minutes because I don't use them all up before the expiration date, but then I don't really enjoy talking on the phone. Even with lost minutes, I spend less than 10 cpm. The minutes are cheaper on the internet than in stores - 6.67 to 7.5 cents per minute vs. 10 cents per minute with the cards in the stores. With tracfone, we got charged long distance even when we were at home. We called several times and they told us it was fixed, but it wasn't. Total rip-off. With both Virgin Mobile and Tracfone, the coverage area is poor. Neither gets service where my mom lives (net10 does), and service was patchy close to our home even though we live just outside a decent size city (Raleigh, NC). Edited May 10, 2011 by LizzyBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 We are happy Tracfone users for the past 7 years or so. I accidentally put my husband's phone in the washing machine, so he had to get a new one last month. He got this one for about $14 last month. I loved it so much, I went and got one, too :001_smile:. Mine was marked $9 by accident and Wal-Mart gave me that price. I love that it has a camera! I can also access weather and news on the phone and all for less than $9/month because I don't use it very much. I have started texting because it is cheaper than making calls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Tracfone. Cheap and simple. We paid about $40 for our cell phone and it came with "double minutes for life." So, for $140 (phone + 1 yr of service + 400* minutes that doubled to 800 minutes) we're good to go. Last month I added minutes/service time because our service end date was approaching and it rolled over the 200 leftover minutes from last year. Nice :) * I think it was 400 minutes for $100. Something like that. It's been awhile since we bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I haven't read all of the replies. I use my cell phone like you, and I have a GoPhone with AT&T. I put $25 on it which lasts for 3 months, and I have the 25 cent/minute plan. So it costs me $100 per year. The cheapest Gophones are the refurished ones that you can buy on their website, usually for $10 with free shipping, but sometimes you can get the phones for free if there is a special on the website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 (edited) The best, IMHO: http://www.consumercellular.com -- it's actually NOT prepaid, so you don't have to fiddle with adding minutes. But can be very, very cheap, has some basic free phones, and does not require a contract. We're not using them now, but have in the past and they are great. I've used Tracfone, too, and I MUCH prefer Consumer Cellular because you don't have to stay on top of adding minutes. IF you choose CC, PM me for the phone number of some friends I know that use them -- if you do, both you and they will get $10.00 off your next bill. Did I say I love Consumer Cellular? :001_smile: ETA -- I just checked their plans and they're offer more than they did before. Now you can get 100 minutes for $15/mo and 300 minutes for $20/mo. (in addition to several other options). It's not THE cheapest, but it is inexpensive. And not having to sign a contract, while also not having to buy minutes and add them, is wonderful. Edited May 10, 2011 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I make very infrequent use of it and I don't text. I want to buy some cheap phone and have a cheap plan to go with it. For infrequent use, the Basic Plan from Virgin Mobile ends up costing about $7/month, and their cheapest phone is about $20. You have to top-up $20 every 90 days (which can be done automatically), so it's roughly $80 (plus tax) per year. Virgin's customer service is fantastic, and they use the Sprint network, so if Sprint has good coverage in your area (zoom in on the map) you'll be fine. DH and I have used this plan for 5 years now and have been very happy with it. The phones/plans are cheap enough that we even have a third, spare phone that can be used by the kids or by family who are visiting from the UK. We're only paying about $20/month total — for all three phones. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anita in NC Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 NET10 I pay $30 for 60 days of service and 300 minutes. Unused minutes do not expire. They have them at Target. You can get a phone with 300 minutes for around $30, so it is like getting a free phone. I rarely use my phone but is nice to know that I have it and I can also use it for calling my folks in the UK at a rate of 15 cents per minute which is fine because I have tons of minutes I'll never use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 (edited) Virgin Mobile. I have the plan that you top up every 90 days. It's $.20 a minute but I only have it for emergencys. You can pay $20 amonth for 200minutes. DS pays $25 a month unlimited text, internet and 300minutes and....Here's why I like them. We just had a F5 tornado come through our communty and ds and I received a text from virgin mobile a few days later, they gave him 1 month free service and me 500bonus minutes. I am sure other companies did the same this but I have never had issues with Virgin Mobie, their phone and internet service stayed clear the longest the hours after the storm. Neighbors with big name servers were spotty at best leaving many without communication ability. I found out that the worse of the storms were not over because ds still had his virgin mobile internet ability. Edited May 10, 2011 by lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny_P Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 T-mobile. I use a cheapy phone from Target (totally bare bones) and buy minutes as needed- I manage to eek out about $30 over two months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mktkcb Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I did this same research a couple years ago. With due respect to all the recommendations, Tracfone and T mobile are bottom line THE cheapest with respect to length of activation and cost per minute. T mobile edges out Tracfone, though, unless you are continually on the prowl online for discount codes for tracfone. You can get a cheap under $20 phone, and then get a $100 pay as you go card, and it will give you a year activation, with 1000 min. Which comes out to 10c per minute, and approx 83 min/month on average. Unused minutes will roll over at the end of the year as long as you get another card of any denomination. If by "infrequent" you mean *really* infrequent, and know that you'd only use maybe 40 min in any given month, then maybe the Virgin Mobile plan would be right for you, as it is around $80 per year, but you only get half as many minutes as they charge 20c per min. I've seen a lot of prepaid plans that sound cheap, but like Net 10 for example, the activation is only for 6 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I agree with TracPhone. When my dh was purchasing a cell phone for me, he went to RadioShack and they recommended TracPhone because it has the best signal for our area. It's worked well all over the country, though. So, I'd recommend going to RadioShack, but if you don't want to do that, then go with TracPhone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I use Net10, 1000 minutes, 6 months, $108 (including tax). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I use Net10, 1000 minutes, 6 months, $108 (including tax). You need to buy online, because for the same price you get 1500 minutes instead of 1000! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 (edited) I did this same research a couple years ago. With due respect to all the recommendations, Tracfone and T mobile are bottom line THE cheapest with respect to length of activation and cost per minute. T mobile edges out Tracfone, though, unless you are continually on the prowl online for discount codes for tracfone. You can get a cheap under $20 phone, and then get a $100 pay as you go card, and it will give you a year activation, with 1000 min. Which comes out to 10c per minute, and approx 83 min/month on average. Unused minutes will roll over at the end of the year as long as you get another card of any denomination. If by "infrequent" you mean *really* infrequent, and know that you'd only use maybe 40 min in any given month, then maybe the Virgin Mobile plan would be right for you, as it is around $80 per year, but you only get half as many minutes as they charge 20c per min. I've seen a lot of prepaid plans that sound cheap, but like Net 10 for example, the activation is only for 6 months. OTOH, we are spending way less with Net10 than we did with Tracfone or Virgin Mobile. That's why we switched - we were spending too much money. Well that, shoddy coverage, and Tracfone's poor customer service. Depending on which pkg of minutes one buys, the net10 activation can be good longer than 6 months. My dd's net10 phone was given to her by a friend over a year ago, and it was/is activated until sometime in 2012. Edited May 10, 2011 by LizzyBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeannpal Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 OTOH, we are spending way less with Net10 than we did with Tracfone or Virgin Mobile. That's why we switched - we were spending too much money. Well that, shoddy coverage, and Tracfone's poor customer service. Depending on which pkg of minutes one buys, the net10 activation can be good longer than 6 months. My dd's net10 phone was given to her by a friend over a year ago, and it was/is activated until sometime in 2012. For us, we spend way less with Tracphone. I've had a few over the years and always had good service. Net 10, on the other hand, was pricier and the phone stopped working after just a few months. Terrible customer service too as I was told to just buy a new phone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I'd like a prepaid cell phone plan up to $30.00 a month. I make very infrequent use of it and I don't text. I want to buy some cheap phone and have a cheap plan to go with it.Researching it online drives me crazy with all the options I don't care for. Just give me a company name and a plan, PLEASE! Virgin mobile, $25/ month, unlimited web and text. 300 minutes/mo. Smart phone. The calendar feature has been the best thing I have done for our home school (organizationally speaking) in years. ETA: I have a TracPhone, too, had it for years before I went to Virgin Mobile. I am far more satisfied with Virgin Mobile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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