what is the best cell phone service for the money?

[Birdie Num Nums]

Renewed my Tracfone the other day for $150 for two years! It's $99.99 for triple minutes (1,200) for one year, then another $49.99 for an extra year. I'm good till July 2017 and now have some 3,400 minutes (with the carryover)--for about $6.25/month.

[Nunthewiser]

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RingPlus is offering their free plan (200 min talk,50 text, 10mb 3g data) again. Don't know how long it will last, but if you have a Sprint based phone laying around, you can try it for free. I had 3 old, supposedly locked and non transferable Virgin Mobile phones that I was able to use on their service. Here's their link: www.ringplus.net

I have had this for over a year, no regrets. The nice thing is that overages are 2 cents/call/text/mb . I might spend about $1 mo extra but it works for me just fine.

[easysurfer]

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Originally Posted by Goonie I've had a Tracfone for well over 10 years, and wouldn't change it for anything. I have a Motorola W370 flip-phone....no camera, no frills....I don't text or access the internet on it, although you can...

I have the same model phone. Really all I need.

[target2019]

Thinking of switching to Tracfone. I was headed in the direction of Republic, but I noticed the cheapest phone is now a $149 android.

The one requirement I have is porting our landline number. If I understand this correctly, when I buy the tracfone and activate it, it will assign me a number in my area code (123)XXX-XXXX. Then I will be able to go online and port our current (123)XXX-YYYY number. Am I clear on this?

I'll have to search through tracfone phones to see what I am missing if I go low end. I guess having one that connects to our wireless internet would be a plus.

[easysurfer]

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Originally Posted by Goonie I've had a Tracfone for well over 10 years, and wouldn't change it for anything. I have a Motorola W370 flip-phone....no camera, no frills.....

Actually, I have a Motorola W260g model and am quite happy with that .

[Texas Proud]

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Originally Posted by target2019 Thinking of switching to Tracfone. I was headed in the direction of Republic, but I noticed the cheapest phone is now a $149 android. The one requirement I have is porting our landline number. If I understand this correctly, when I buy the tracfone and activate it, it will assign me a number in my area code (123)XXX-XXXX. Then I will be able to go online and port our current (123)XXX-YYYY number. Am I clear on this? I'll have to search through tracfone phones to see what I am missing if I go low end. I guess having one that connects to our wireless internet would be a plus.

When I moved from Virgin to Tracfone I had my number moved with the activation... I did not get a new number. You might want to give them a call to make sure. I do not think you can port after activation.

The other thing is that for some reason not all numbers are portable... they sent me something telling me my number was... so that would mean that some are not...

[target2019]

I ordered a Tracfone, and it arrived yesterday. I started the porting process for my landline number.

The LG Ultimate 2™ Android was $99, and I bought a 60-minute card to start things off. The port will take 2 hours to 2 days, they say.

What pushed me to finally act was our landline going ker-flooey again. There is really no hope for the aging infrastructure in our development. Combine all those fragile 50-year old copper lines with lazy repair workers, and the future is bleak.

Frontier is going to take over this mess eventually, from Verizon.

[target2019]

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Originally Posted by Texas Proud When I moved from Virgin to Tracfone I had my number moved with the activation... I did not get a new number. You might want to give them a call to make sure. I do not think you can port after activation. The other thing is that for some reason not all numbers are portable... they sent me something telling me my number was... so that would mean that some are not...

You are correct on that point. Do not activate the phone, then try to port. The instructions for Tracfone are pretty clear on this. You start the porting process, and when that is effective, you activate. I'm doing this through the Tracfone website. What could go wrong? LOL.

I checked before buying the Tracfone, and their web page told me my number was portable.

The challenge is that there is no feedback loop for this, at least for going from VZ landline to Tracfone. The FAQ says something like, when your old number stops working, you can activate the new phone.

[samclem]

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Originally Posted by target2019 Thinking of switching to Tracfone. I was headed in the direction of Republic, but I noticed the cheapest phone is now a $149 android.

The phones are now priced at $99, $129, and $229. They are good phones, too (Android smart phones--Moto G, Moto E, Moto X).

I've been very happy with Republic Wireless. And they are now starting a new program that pays you back for cell data you don't use. This, coupled with their already low rates and good service (at least where I live and travel) means I won't be looking elsewhere soon. Of course, once you've bought the Republic-specific phone, you are loathe to abandon it and start over with another provider, but I saved enough over my old Verizon service to pay for the phone within a few months.

Before I switched, I was aspiring to be the last holdout flip-phone user on planet earth. Now I'm fairly well hooked on the voice-command "Google Now" function and all the other conveniences of a smartphone.

[MBSC]

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Originally Posted by target2019 (snip)...The challenge is that there is no feedback loop for this, at least for going from VZ landline to Tracfone. The FAQ says something like, when your old number stops working, you can activate the new phone.

When I ported to Tracfone, I signed back into my new account on their website about 3 hours later and it said the port was complete and I could continue with the activation process.

[target2019]

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Originally Posted by samclem The phones are now priced at $99, $129, and $229. And they are good phones (Android smart phones--Moto G, Moto E, Moto X). I've been very happy with Republic Wireless. And they are now starting a new program that pays you back for cell data you don't use. This, coupled with their already low rates and good service (at least where I live and travel) means I won't be looking elsewhere soon. Of course, once you've bought the Republic-specific phone, you are loathe to abandon it and start over with another provider, but I saved enough over my old Verizon service to pay for the phone within a few months. Before I switched, I was aspiring to be the last holdout flip-phone user on planet earth. Now I'm fairly well hooked on the voice-command "Google Now" function and all the other conveniences of a smartphone.

I went with Tracfone. In the future maybe I will try Republic. It was a tossup. Anything but Verizon.

[target2019]

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Originally Posted by SCGamecock When I ported to Tracfone, I signed back into my new account on their website about 3 hours later and it said the port was complete and I could continue with the activation process.

I do not have that message. What company did you port from?
Cell to cell port is usually very fast. Landline to cell can take time. Verizon is a dinosaur.

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How long will the process take? The exact timing for wireless and landline transfers depends on the carrier´s response time. The transfer process typically takes a few hours to complete, but could take as long as 2 business days or longer for landlines.

[Car-Guy]

Best plan depends on your needs (wants). For me I really don't like cell phones. Poor voice quality, dropped calls, no service areas, distracted drivers, etc, etc. However, I do realize they call be useful (needed) in some cases. So in my case, with my very low monthly usage, I use an AT&T Go-Phone. I pay $100 a year and have always had carry over minutes at the end of the year. As long as I renew for $100 once a year, the minutes keep carrying over. A new flip phone cost me about $15 and the last one lasted well over 5 years before the battery would not hold a charge. So my actual rate is well under $10 month. Probably about $6 to $7 a month. It's worked well for me for the last 8 to 10 years but probably is not what most people want in a cell phone.

Before I retired, I had a few different smart phones and really felt they were a PIA. About the only thing that I found useful in the business world was being able to access my email while in meetings (and bored to death). Probably 90% of the calls and features were worthless and/or not needed so I saw no reason to have one in retirement. YMMV

[Options]

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Originally Posted by samclem The phones are now priced at $99, $129, and $229. They are good phones, too (Android smart phones--Moto G, Moto E, Moto X). I've been very happy with Republic Wireless. And they are now starting a new program that pays you back for cell data you don't use. This, coupled with their already low rates and good service (at least where I live and travel) means I won't be looking elsewhere soon. Of course, once you've bought the Republic-specific phone, you are loathe to abandon it and start over with another provider, but I saved enough over my old Verizon service to pay for the phone within a few months. Before I switched, I was aspiring to be the last holdout flip-phone user on planet earth. Now I'm fairly well hooked on the voice-command "Google Now" function and all the other conveniences of a smartphone.

Big +1 for RW. Got the Moto G and entirely happy. Voice command for all functions (search, text, calling, maps) is fantastic. I've got the $10/mo plan ($12 with all taxes) which is perfect for my needs. I like that I can switch 2x monthly to the $25/mo plan for unlimited V/T/D over 3G, although I've not done that yet as I've not had the need. When I do, I will try their latest feature of getting paid back for data I don't use. I"ve never had to contact customer service because the RW Community has answered every single question I had (and I had a lot at first). After suffering with a Blandberry and later an Iphone through work, I'll be staying with RW and androids going forward.

[target2019]

Back to square #2. The port of my landline did not take effect for some reason. I followed all of the steps exactly as written on the red enclosure card. That does not work, evidently.

I called again, gave all information. Starting port process again.

I notice that the support website is not part of Tracfone website. Support does not know what Verizon is, or how to spell it. Ut-oh. Still, I know this will work someday, and have great confidence!

[target2019]

At last, our had-it-forever home landline number is now a cell number on Tracfone. This is such a load off my mind. We have a phone that works, no static, and need not wait for Verizon service guy once a year.

This cuts the landline bill in half in the first year. 60 minute card for $20, and I am good for 90 days. And that tripled to 180 minutes.

Has anyone purchased 1 year Tracfone card online from Amazon? It seems legit. That appears to be the the cheapest way to go at the moment. $85.00 total for 400 minutes, and you're set for a year...

[aja8888]

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Originally Posted by target2019 At last, our had-it-forever home landline number is now a cell number on Tracfone. This is such a load off my mind. We have a phone that works, no static, and need not wait for Verizon service guy once a year. This cuts the landline bill in half in the first year. 60 minute card for $20, and I am good for 90 days. And that tripled to 180 minutes. Has anyone purchased 1 year Tracfone card online from Amazon? It seems legit. That appears to be the the cheapest way to go at the moment. $85.00 total for 400 minutes, and you're set for a year...

(my emphasis)....that just over one minute per day talk time, if they don't round up the partial minute. Pretty light user!

[Walt34]

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Originally Posted by aja8888 (my emphasis)....that just over one minute per day talk time, if they don't round up the partial minute. Pretty light user!

Actually, that would work for me. For DW, no way!

[Texas Proud]

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Originally Posted by aja8888 (my emphasis)....that just over one minute per day talk time, if they don't round up the partial minute. Pretty light user!

If he is like me, then it is tripled...


Now that he has no landline, then it might not be enough.... I only use cell for when I am out...


BTW, to OP.... I just added the $20 to my plan and they offered an extra 365 days for an additional $50 with no minutes.... since I have plenty of minutes I bought it.... so, $72 (with taxes) and I got 15 months... or less than $5 per month.....

I also got text and data, but do not use much of this... DW has unlimited data, so we use hers... but she cost me $40 per month.....

[target2019]

We each have a mobile cell with unlimited minutes and texts. Those provide most of our calling needs.
Moving landline number to pay as you go was a cost saving decision. We want to keep the number for various reasons. How many minutes we'll use will be very low number.