Pay As You Go Phones?

[Chocolate Rose]

I have a dumb phone and am considering switching to a smart phone. I've used Net 10 pay as you go forever (after being with Verizon for several years). I don't want a monthly plan, I just want a pay as you go.
It looks like my best choices are Net 10, Trac Phone and Straight Talk.
Does anyone use Straight Talk? What are the pros and cons? Any other suggestions, comments, opinions?

[Liz CA]

I have Straight Talk. It usually works fine - reception areas are okay in CA in most places. Mine is not a fancy Android or iphone even though you could get one of those and still pay only $45 a month but you have to buy the actual phone of course.

I am currently on the $30 a month plan which includes ample texting and phone calls - I never use up my allotted quota but then I am not hanging on my phone for everything. Texting is the main thing and I text liberally without hitting my limit.

 

Overall good product. When you do have to talk to customer service, it can take a while because they are out of the country and don't all speak flawless English but they try.

[gardenmom5]

my boys use ting.  it runs off sprint.  the minimum is $6 per month (no contract)  - but you can add and subtract as you use things so your monthly bill varies.  they call them "buckets" for data or texting in addition to phone minutes.

 

you can check their rates here;   https://ting.com/rates

[Erin]

My husband has a pay-as-you-go with Verizon.  I think most people have a smart phone, though he currently has a sorta-smart phone.

 (Remember those?  He has weather, basic Bing, and Facebook and that's about it lol)

 

I have a pay-as-you-go with our local cell carrier.  I picked up a close-out iPhone on eBay and put it on the Everything Unlimited for $50 a month.  It functions exactly like my plan did, minus the nationwide data option.  

[MeAndTheBoys]

I dropped TMobile and switched to TracFone maybe 3 years ago and it has been great in my area.  I usually just load it with a bunch of minutes that last me for months--probably averages $10-$15/month. (I don't make many calls on my cell phone--but I text a good bit.  We still have a landline and I try to make all my calls there)

 

I upgraded to a "kinda smart phone" 2 years ago, a blackberry style, that has a keyboard to help with texting and a simple internet interface.  I don't really use the internet out much unless I can connect to wifi because it's pricey and very primitive--but if there is wifi, I use it to check email and facebook.  It's hard to really look stuff up on the internet because the browser is so odd.

 

Tracfone sells a few smart phone models for about $100--I'm debating now whether we want to drop our landline and get a regular monthly phone plan or if I want to stay with tracfone and just get a nicer phone--I'd like to have a better browser for the times I do need it and I'd like to be able to keep an electronic calendar like Google calendar or some other app that could synchronize with my laptop.

 

Tracfone has been good, but I'll be following other options that people discuss--

 

Betsy

[coffeegal]

We've used Platinum Tel or ptel.com for several years and been very happy with it. :001_smile: 

[Hypatia.]

We switched from Sprint to Ting and have been really happy with it, I wish we had done it much sooner!  We went from a little over $150 a month bill for two smartphones to just under $50 a month.  We added on another smartphone as a home/kids phone (for when one is away at camps) since it ended up being so reasonable.

[Arcadia]

Hubby is using a Nokia Lumia (windows smartphone) that he bought for $50 from the Microsoft store. We have AT&T pay as you go plan which we pay only on days we use the phone. I was gifted an old iPhone and I'm also on the AT&T pay per use plan so most months I use up a few dollars.

We have plenty of free wifi hotspots here so we do not need or use a data plan.

[Chocolate Rose]

Thanks for all the comments so far!

Liz, I'm glad to hear that you are happy with Straight Talk. The person I talked to at the store seemed to think it was the best way to go. But, their phones were pricey than Tracfone and Net 10. I've heard that there customer service is based in India and can be very frustrating, so that's something that worries me.

Kristen and Hypatia, I've never heard of Ting so I'll have to check into that.

Betsy, thanks for your comments on tracfone.

Coffeegal, I've never heard of Platinum Tel, either. Have to check it out.

 

[G5052]

Also Republic Wireless.  That's probably my next step.

[AmandaVT]

I've been happy with straight talk for the most part. The service is great  - we live in a tough service area for most carriers. The phones we bought are Samsung, and they run on the verizon network here. I love having no contract. Their customer service is terrible, so if you have any problems, it's most unpleasant. I will say, my phone is a beast. I have one of the cheaper Samsung Galaxies and it has fallen more times than I can count. Generally it falls from the counter to the tile floor. Once it went flying as I was taking it out of my pocket and bounced on the concrete. It has two small cracks on the display, but aside from that it still works great.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the comments so far!

Liz, I'm glad to hear that you are happy with Straight Talk. The person I talked to at the store seemed to think it was the best way to go. But, their phones were pricey than Tracfone and Net 10. I've heard that there customer service is based in India and can be very frustrating, so that's something that worries me.

Kristen and Hypatia, I've never heard of Ting so I'll have to check into that.

Betsy, thanks for your comments on tracfone.

Coffeegal, I've never heard of Platinum Tel, either. Have to check it out.

 

Haven't read all the replies, but just an FYI about Straight Talk.  You can use a TMobile or AT&T phone as long as it takes a SIM card.  You buy a SIM from the ST website and can use a phone from either of those companies.  Dh and I are currently using a used iPhone 4s and a Samsung Galaxy S3 with AT&T SIMS through Straight Talk and have had great service.  We picked them up used off a local FB swap board and had no trouble activating them.

[Lucy the Valiant]

I switched from StraightTalk to TracFone because (for the way I use my semi-smart phone) TracFone is about 1/2 to 1/3 the price (of even the low-cost StraightTalk).

 

I use my phone for texting & occasional conversations (4-5-6 a week?) and quick calls here or there; the phone itself was $16 and I pay approximately $12-15/month (I buy a prepaid card that lasts about 3 months). StraightTalk was $30/month.

[fdrinca]

Absolutely Ting. We don't use it, but I finally convinced my MIL to switch from her standard carrier (AT&T, but they're probably all about the same). Her bill for two smartphones comes in around $30/month. Before her bill was near $200? Something outrageous.

If you're pretty diligent about using WiFi and have moderate phone usage, it's super cheap.

 

Kristen at the Frugal Girl tipped me off: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2014/02/lower-smartphone-bill-21month/

 

[TracyP]

I have had the $30/mo Straight Talk plan for three years now. My cheapo phone is still working and I get great reception. DH needed to upgrade to a smartphone for work, so he just bought a Samsung Galaxy 3 and will pay $45/mo for unlimited talk, text, and data. The phones can be spendy upfront, but you make up the cost pretty quickly. We are very happy with Straight Talk. BTW, I love that when they say $30/mo, they mean $30/mo. Not $30 + taxes and fees that will end up costing you $45/mo. :tongue_smilie:

[elegantlion]

We have Virgin mobile. They use Sprint towers, we had Sprint previously and there was no change in coverage. We only have dumb phones, but they have pay as go. I pay $20 for ds's phone and $30 for mine.

[goldberry]

We are way overpaying with Verizon right now (1 smart phone, 2 dumb phones = $165 per month).  When our Verizon is up in October we are planning on switching to one of these plans mentioned here.  (We also have Metro PC here).  My only concern is coverage and travel.)  Do Straight Talk and other pay-as-you-go plans give you the same coverage on the road?

[TracyP]

We are way overpaying with Verizon right now (1 smart phone, 2 dumb phones = $165 per month).  When our Verizon is up in October we are planning on switching to one of these plans mentioned here.  (We also have Metro PC here).  My only concern is coverage and travel.)  Do Straight Talk and other pay-as-you-go plans give you the same coverage on the road?

 

I don't know if this is current, but 3 years ago when I got my Straight Talk phone they went off Verizon towers. The only places I have reception problems are places where everybody has reception problems.

[sparrow]

You can choose what towers you'll use by looking at the model numbers on the phone. Model numbers that end in "C" are CDMA and use Verizon and Sprint towers. Model numbers that end in "G" are GSM and use AT&T and T-Mobile towers.  In our area, we needed Verizon so we chose phones that had the appropriate model number. We've never had any problems and have phones from NET10, StraightTalk, and Tracfone.

 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407896,00.asp

 

[AmandaVT]

I don't know if this is current, but 3 years ago when I got my Straight Talk phone they went off Verizon towers. The only places I have reception problems are places where everybody has reception problems.

 

Yes. Our Straight Talk phones use the Verizon towers which is the best coverage in my area. Other phones use either AT&T or Sprint (I forget which). I have Verizon coverage with my Samsung, which is great. 

[gardenmom5]

You can choose what towers you'll use by looking at the model numbers on the phone. Model numbers that end in "C" are CDMA and use Verizon and Sprint towers. Model numbers that end in "G" are GSM and use AT&T and T-Mobile towers.  In our area, we needed Verizon so we chose phones that had the appropriate model number. We've never had any problems and have phones from NET10, StraightTalk, and Tracfone.

 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407896,00.asp

 

this is great - and very useful.  even though t-mobile has a huge presence here, we have no reception in our basement through their towers.  (verizon is fine. ds who uses ting/spring is fine.)

[ThisIsTheDay]

I had my Straight Talk smart phone for two years and was very, very happy with the coverage. The service, as mentioned above, was not perfect, but the reps made a real effort, which I appreciated.  Mine was a month to month plan, not what the PP is asking.

 

But to the other comments about Straight Talk in general--my phone died, and ST did not have a phone I wanted.  I ended up with a Virgin phone and plan.  While I love my phone, my coverage was better with Straight Talk. It's not terrible now; it just is what it is. 

 

My ST phone used Verizon towers; my Virgin phone uses Sprint.

 

Dh will be using Republic Wireless when his Straight Talk phone dies.

[ChristyB in TN]

We have Virgin and are very happy. We all have iPhones and pay $50 month each for unlimited talk, text and data, no contract. Such a nice switch from Verizon! They were tacking on new fees constantly!

[elegantlion]

the other thing I like about Virgin - not sure if it's the same on other plans- is that your monthly fee is your monthly fee. Mine adds sales tax, so my $30 plan is $32.25. There are not a slew of other misc fees each month. 

[Chocolate Rose]

I'm loving all the responses. They're really helping me clarify what I want. When I was at the store, I was told that Straight Talk, Tracfone and Net 10 all utilize Verizon towers. That's definitely what's needed in my area. My Net 10 phone works just fine, but, I want to be able to utilize the internet from my phone which means upgrading to a smart phone. This also means that I won't be using wifi to do this for the most part. One of the reasons I don't want a contract is that I don't want any company messing with my bank account/credit card to get paid. I want to pay them rather than them just taking the money each month.

This is all so new to me that I thought you had to buy the phone that was specific to your carrier. I don't want to spend a fortune on a phone, but I want one that will work and is easy to read. Any suggestions? (still considering Straight Talk, Tracfone and Net 10).

[Joyofsixreboot]

Just saying I use ATT and I pay them. No access to my bank.

[ThisIsTheDay]

. One of the reasons I don't want a contract is that I don't want any company messing with my bank account/credit card to get paid. I want to pay them rather than them just taking the money each month.

 

With Straight Talk, Virgin, and T-Mobile month to month, we've had the option to set up autopay or pay on our own each month.  My dd chooses to pay hers each month. With any of them, I believe we could take our other accounts off of autopay at any time.

 

[Erin]

One of the reasons I don't want a contract is that I don't want any company messing with my bank account/credit card to get paid. I want to pay them rather than them just taking the money each month.

 

:confused1:  I've had several contracts and didn't have to sign up for Auto Pay.

 I just mailed off the bill, same as anything else...

[shawthorne44]

So, if someone bought an iPhone that had WiFi, could they use the prepaid-by-the-minute SIM card to make phone calls?  And the WiFi for internet?  

I only use about $10/month in minutes, and every monthly plan has at least that much in taxes added on. So, I've stayed with the dumb phone.  

 

[mysticmomma]

Following

[Erin]

So, if someone bought an iPhone that had WiFi, could they use the prepaid-by-the-minute SIM card to make phone calls?  And the WiFi for internet?  

I only use about $10/month in minutes, and every monthly plan has at least that much in taxes added on. So, I've stayed with the dumb phone.  

 

I'm fairly sure this is exactly how it would work.  If you don't buy data, it shouldn't even be an option for you.  (For example, my local carrier gives me unlimited data ON NETWORK, but if I'm roaming, it won't even pretend to load for me)

And all iPhones have WiFi.

[happypamama]

Friends love StraightTalk.

 

We went with Tracfone for a spare phone for kids; its quality isn't as good as my regular cell (neither of them are smartphones, though), but it does the job just fine.  We have it set so that it automatically renews our minutes every month.

[Angie in VA]

Following. 

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

Hubby has an unlocked Google phone/Nexus 4 with a Straightalk SIM card ($45/mo) unlimited text and data.  Uses AT&T on this type of phone.  Works very well.  Dh "tethered" it to his laptop and was surfing the web this weekend.  It was seamless.

 

Oldest ds has just purchased a OnePlus One phone and uses T-Mobile (100 chat/unlimited data) for $30 month.  It was $350 but has 64 gb of storage and he keeps a lot of music on his phone and takes lot of photos.   He's a technophile and does all kinds of cool things with his cell phones (controls tv's and game consoles, uses almost all voice commands for calls and directions).  I think those are features of GooglePlus, but I'm not sure.

 

Youngest has a Virgin Mobile phone (LG, not sure what type but not very impressive compared to my other two phones) with a $35/mo. plan (300 minutes/unlimited text and data).  He's a very basic user.  There is no front-facing camera with his phone and very little storage, so he wants to upgrade.

 

I live in an area that has Verizon, T-mobile, and At&t, so service hasn't been an issue.

 

The unlocked phones ran about $300-350 each, but they are so much nicer and larger and fun to use compared to the Virgin Mobile phone by youngest has.  A used unlocked Nexus 4 goes for $200+ on ebay.

 

[Nemom]

Great topic & info. I'm kinda dumb when it comes to this stuff. We are paying a fortune right now for three dumb phones and it is time to add a fourth phone.

 

I need three phone plans that are capable of limited talk, unlimited texting, and hook up to wifi at free wifi locations. I do not want or need something that is always hooked up to the internet. I would ultimately like to find some used iPhones.

 

Do any of the companies you are referring to ST, Tracfone, or Ting have a plan like this?

[shawthorne44]

I don't use it, but I know at one time TMobile offered a monthly unlimited texting add-on to their prepaid per-minute plans.  

[sheryl]

Hubby has an unlocked Google phone/Nexus 4 with a Straightalk SIM card ($45/mo) unlimited text and data.  Uses AT&T on this type of phone.  Works very well.  Dh "tethered" it to his laptop and was surfing the web this weekend.  It was seamless.

 

Oldest ds has just purchased a OnePlus One phone and uses T-Mobile (100 chat/unlimited data) for $30 month.  It was $350 but has 64 gb of storage and he keeps a lot of music on his phone and takes lot of photos.   He's a technophile and does all kinds of cool things with his cell phones (controls tv's and game consoles, uses almost all voice commands for calls and directions).  I think those are features of GooglePlus, but I'm not sure.

 

Youngest has a Virgin Mobile phone (LG, not sure what type but not very impressive compared to my other two phones) with a $35/mo. plan (300 minutes/unlimited text and data).  He's a very basic user.  There is no front-facing camera with his phone and very little storage, so he wants to upgrade.

 

I live in an area that has Verizon, T-mobile, and At&t, so service hasn't been an issue.

 

The unlocked phones ran about $300-350 each, but they are so much nicer and larger and fun to use compared to the Virgin Mobile phone by youngest has.  A used unlocked Nexus 4 goes for $200+ on ebay.

what exactly is unlocked?  :)

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

"Unlocked" means that the phone can accept SIM cards from various cell phone service providers.  All of our unlocked phones were purchased from the manufacturer of the phone, not through a cell-phone service provider.  Straighttallk services used to be only available with the purchase of "straight talk" phones.  However, recently, Straight talk, like many cell-phone service providers, have adopted the Bring Your Own Phone marketing campaign. For example, here's a link to t-mobiles (which we use on one of our unlocked phones):

 

http://www.t-mobile.com/bring-your-own-phone.html

[ThisIsTheDay]

Great topic & info. I'm kinda dumb when it comes to this stuff. We are paying a fortune right now for three dumb phones and it is time to add a fourth phone.

 

I need three phone plans that are capable of limited talk, unlimited texting, and hook up to wifi at free wifi locations. I do not want or need something that is always hooked up to the internet. I would ultimately like to find some used iPhones.

 

Do any of the companies you are referring to ST, Tracfone, or Ting have a plan like this?

 

Check out Republic Wireless. Dirt cheap plans, two good phone options.  But you can't use an iPhone, at least not yet.

[Guest]

"Unlocked" means that the phone can accept SIM cards from various cell phone service providers.  All of our unlocked phones were purchased from the manufacturer of the phone, not through a cell-phone service provider.  Straighttallk services used to be only available with the purchase of "straight talk" phones.  However, recently, Straight talk, like many cell-phone service providers, have adopted the Bring Your Own Phone marketing campaign. For example, here's a link to t-mobiles (which we use on one of our unlocked phones):

 

http://www.t-mobile.com/bring-your-own-phone.html

 

This is what I was referring to.  Instead of buying a ST phone in the store, we bought a used ATT iPhone and Galaxy S3. We were able to purchase a SIM through ST for them, and they run off ATT towers, which get the best service of all of them in our area. 

[KatherineNaomi]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Page Plus. We've used them for the last 2 years and have been very happy. They use Verizon towers and have several affordable phone plans. We go through the reseller Kitty Wireless as they re-up our plan for us each month. Great customer service too.

 

https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/

 

http://www.kittywireless.com

[Arcadia]

So, if someone bought an iPhone that had WiFi, could they use the prepaid-by-the-minute SIM card to make phone calls? And the WiFi for internet?

 

I'm using AT&T's pay as you go plan with my iPhone 5. I can get it unlocked and use any prepaid SIM card since it is not a contract phone. I pay a few dollars a month at most for my phone calls since there is no monthly fees.

 

If the iPhone is bought with an AT&T contract then it is locked into that contract period and you can use a prepaid SIM by unlocking the phone after contract.

 

I use wifi for internet.

[Arcadia]

If you don't buy data, it shouldn't even be an option for you.

There is an option on iphone to turn off data unless on wi-fi. For my old AT&T plan which was grandfathered from the ancient Cingular days, AT&T would deduct data usage from my prepaid balance.

 

It depends on the carrier and the plan.

[J-rap]

We are way overpaying with Verizon right now (1 smart phone, 2 dumb phones = $165 per month).  When our Verizon is up in October we are planning on switching to one of these plans mentioned here.  (We also have Metro PC here).  My only concern is coverage and travel.)  Do Straight Talk and other pay-as-you-go plans give you the same coverage on the road?

 

This is exactly what we have and what we pay with Verizon!  I've always wondered if that is considered high...  Problem is we live in an area where very few services reach.  (AT&T finally was able to reach here only a year or so ago.)  No Sprint, no most others.  :(  Our only phone service center in town is Verizon.

[J-rap]

Does anyone know if there is a pay-as-you-go phone where the minutes don't expire?  That's one problem we have.  One person in our family only uses the phone for maybe 10-minutes/month (but still needs one).  The time period always expires so we keep having to buy more minutes which we will never use!

[MeAndTheBoys]

Does anyone know if there is a pay-as-you-go phone where the minutes don't expire?  That's one problem we have.  One person in our family only uses the phone for maybe 10-minutes/month (but still needs one).  The time period always expires so we keep having to buy more minutes which we will never use!

 

My husband needs to keep a cell phone but doesn't use minutes--so I usually just buy him a 365 day card with no minutes thru Tracfone.  It costs maybe $50 or $60?  Seems pricey and I resisted it for a while and kept buying him 30 minutes at a time to keep his card up--but finally realized (as he accumulated over 1,000 minutes) that it would be cheaper to just keep it active with time.

 

I don't think anyone is just going to let you carry minutes without expiring--you'll probably have to pay for the time as well.

 

Betsy

[J-rap]

My husband needs to keep a cell phone but doesn't use minutes--so I usually just buy him a 365 day card with no minutes thru Tracfone.  It costs maybe $50 or $60?  Seems pricey and I resisted it for a while and kept buying him 30 minutes at a time to keep his card up--but finally realized (as he accumulated over 1,000 minutes) that it would be cheaper to just keep it active with time.

 

I don't think anyone is just going to let you carry minutes without expiring--you'll probably have to pay for the time as well.

 

Betsy

 

That's a great idea with Tracfone.  That's our situation exactly.  We have been using a Tracfone too and I really didn't like to keep adding minutes when we didn't need them.  I didn't know about the 365-day card.  Thanks!

[shawthorne44]

With TMobile prepaid, once you are Gold, i.e. bought a $100 worth of minutes the minutes don't expire for a year, and if you buy any more minutes, even $10 worth, the expiration is extended out for a year.