Cheap (Free?) Cell Phone

[sengsational]

My company provided cell phone is soon to be gone. Since I have a tablet on wifi at home, and internet based "land line", I really don't need a lot of anything unless I'm out. And when I'm out, just minimal texting and voice ("Don't forget to pickup bread and milk" kinds of things). I was thinking about freedompop. It looks like the price of the phone as gone up since that write-up.

This plan has you really buy the phone (as opposed to sign a contract, get a "free" phone, but then are locked into two years of a high monthly fee so they recover their equipment cost).

Anyone here using this "free" plan? Any good?

I found an old reference http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/internet-service-63423.html#post1241185 but it was too old to revive.


http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/internet-service-63423.html#post1241185

 

[travelover]

I use PagePlus. You have to add $10 every 120 days, so the cost to me is $2.50 a month. You need a Verizon phone that was not originally a prepaid phone. You can buy these cheaply off eBay (search PagePlus phone) or maybe someone has one in a drawer somewhere that got a newer "free" phone on their contract plan. I believe calls are 10 cents or so a minute. My balance continues to grow, as the balance rolls forward. I may burn up the excess using data, as I chose a Droid smart phone as my phone.

Not free, but almost.

 

[Lakedog]

+1 for PagePlus -- bought a new Droid Pro smartphone (Ebay) for $60 and add the $80 for 2000 minute refill once a year (usually pay $76 for the refill online). This is my only phone so fairly inexpensive at just over $6 a month.

 

[Independent]

I use Verizon pay in advance. Bought a phone for $19.99 at Walmart, prepay $100 each year, and my balance keeps going up.

But, note that I use the phone less than once a week.

 

[F4mandolin]

I think you folks may have sold me as well. I am currently on Verizon with a cheap (not smart) cell phone. I was thinking about going the PagePlus route.

 

[Animorph]

I use Ting. Sprint network, you buy the phone, $6/month/phone plus $3 for first 100 minutes and $3 for the first 100MB which we share among four phones. DW's old T-Mobile prepaid plan was cheaper, but now we all have smartphones.

 

[ERD50]

I'm starting to look into plans for a relative who wants to get off their contract.

I sure wish someone would offer a "build your plan" option for monthly minutes, texts, data. I need to check with her on usage, but I suspect she will need fairly high minutes, just a few texts, and just some data. But once you get to lots of minutes, most seem to be either voice only, or bundled with lots of texts and either very small data or lots of data. Hard to find a 'sweet spot' for some usage patterns.

-ERD50

 

[rbmrtn]

I sure wish someone would offer a "build your plan" option for monthly minutes, texts, data.

-ERD50

Ting mobile has that from what I can see, https://ting.com/rates

 

[ERD50]

Ting mobile has that from what I can see, https://ting.com/rates

Thanks, I'd prefer to stay in the GSM format, but I will check this out.

-ERD50

 

[zinger1457]

I switched to PTEL (Prepaid Wireless Cell Phone Service, Pay As You Go - PTel Mobile (PlatinumTel)) about a year ago and have been happy with them, they share T-Mobiles network so are on a GSM network and no contract is required. Their PayGo rates are reasonable, just by a $ amount and load it on your phone. You get charged (voice, data, text) for what you use and any left over $ gets carried over. The minimum load is $10 every 2 months which is way more than I need but leaves a nice surplus at the end of the year so I'm not concerned about using data when needed.

 

[Disappointed]

Zinger, is there a similar plan that runs on ATT network?
I am currently on postpaid T Mobile because I want free international data feature. My wife rarely used data but nice to have. Patel prepaid of $100 does not expire, what a great deal. However, I would prefer a different network on my wife's phone just in case one has bad reception, the other may work better.

 

[zinger1457]

Zinger, is there a similar plan that runs on ATT network?

Haven't come across any but haven't been looking either.

 

[RE2Boys]

Currently use Consumer Cellular, an AT&T reseller. If just looking for voice & a few texts, can get by for $17.50 per month (200 min and 100 text), no contract. $35 for basic phone. Ask them if they have any returned lightly used phones. Can be had for $15 sometimes.

See www.consumercellular.com

 

[nvestysly]

I hadn't heard of PagePlus. I use a flip phone for my limited calling and I think one of the PagePlus plans will work for me.

DW on the other hand has a smart phone which we both use. Lots of benefits when we travel - map, web sites, etc. I think the Verizon plan may still be better for her and the smart phone.

From the post above it sounds like PagePlus utilizes the Verizon network. If DW calls me from her smart phone is that considered mobile-to-mobile (free) since we'd both be using the Verizon network?

 

[Disappointed]

Haven't come across any but haven't been looking either.

Did some research last night and found AirVoice, not as good a deal as Ptel but it is using ATT network.

 

[travelover]

I hadn't heard of PagePlus. I use a flip phone for my limited calling and I think one of the PagePlus plans will work for me.

If you don't make many calls, it should be cheaper

DW on the other hand has a smart phone which we both use. Lots of benefits when we travel - map, web sites, etc. I think the Verizon plan may still be better for her and the smart phone.

PagePlus also supports smartphones. Different plans have different data rates. DW uses some data on her smartphone, still finds it cheaper than her old Verizon plan.

From the post above it sounds like PagePlus utilizes the Verizon network. If DW calls me from her smart phone is that considered mobile-to-mobile (free) since we'd both be using the Verizon network?

Dunno.

 

[Live And Learn]

I tried to do a live chat with pageplus but you have to have a current account. I'd like to find out:
1. if you can text using the 2000 minute card (ie: how many minutes are "used" per text)
2. if mobile to mobile pageplus is free if both the sender and receiver are using prepaid cards

perhaps one of our current pageplus members can answer ?

 

[Lakedog]

I tried to do a live chat with pageplus but you have to have a current account. I'd like to find out:
1. if you can text using the 2000 minute card (ie: how many minutes are "used" per text)
2. if mobile to mobile pageplus is free if both the sender and receiver are using prepaid cards

perhaps one of our current pageplus members can answer ?

1) The balance is shown as $ rather than minutes -- for the 2000 minute refill ($80), each voice minute is $0.04 and each text is $0.05.

2) No free calls within network.

 

[Live And Learn]

Thanks Lakedog !

 

[Disappointed]

One of the best websites to do research is bestprepaid.org. For general cellphone and carrier discussion I go to howardforums.com.

If posting websites is against the rule, please delete.

Thanks

 

[sengsational]

One of the best websites to do research is bestprepaid.org. For general cellphone and carrier discussion I go to howardforums.com.

If posting websites is against the rule, please delete.

Thanks

Those sites seem to add value to the discussion, so thanks. Lots of good experience and ideas in this thread!

 

[Dancer373]

I use Consumer Cellular as well. I had to adjust my plan once and now pay $29 a month for minutes, text and data. Their customer service is excellent !

 

[aja8888]

PagePlus, three eBay Motorola phones (Droid 2, Droid 3, Droid Pro) for two years now. Two phones on the $29.99 (1200 Plan) and one on the 55 plan. Total cost per month is $115.00.

Paid about $60 for each used phone and two were hard to tell from new.

 

[BellBarbara]

We each have tracfones. We spend out $75 a year for each. It's pay as you go. I doubt we will use all of it either. The phones were $10 on clearance from Amazon.