Pros and cons of a pre-paid phone

Della said:
That's worked for me! The one and only time I've wished I had a cellphone was a few years ago when my husband had dropped me off for jury duty, then I got cut, and needed to call a cab to get home. In the whole court house there wasn't a single pay phone or open office. A nice young man (the only other person who was cut) was happy to call a taxi for me. He was very cute and we bonded over our mutual sense of rejection. Think what I would have missed!
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so if Deb is out delivering meals on wheels and gets stuck in the middle of nowhere..other people having phones are going to be no use to her
 

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CallMeKate said:
Oh my.... I have a serious problem with self-deprecation. So Ms. Deb, you take that back 'cause you don't want a lecture from ol' Kate.... she can go on and on until you have to:

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I kid you not. I am getting to have a real problem with following directions. I get a new items and the page of directions that come with it look like gibberish. The other day I was going over the route to Job Lots in my mind and I just got to a certain point on the route and I couldn't remember the rest. :(
 
debodun said:
I kid you not. I am getting to have a real problem with following directions. I get a new items and the page of directions that come with it look like gibberish. The other day I was going over the route to Job Lots in my mind and I just got to a certain point on the route and I couldn't remember the rest. :(
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if you can use a landline you can use a PAYG phone, just allow the shop to set it up for you...
 

One advantage to a burner phone that I don't think has been mentioned is that if you're going to have an affair and then decide to use your lover to murder your husband the police will have a much harder time finding all your plan-making texts.

Maybe I watch too much Dateline.
 
Deb, are you wanting a map app that can guide you along your route. I don’t know if basic phones have this. Something to consider.

Have you considered getting rid of your house phone and replacing it with a decent cellphone. You could carry it on you or have it nearby at home in case of an emergency. Think about what you’d do if you fell and couldn’t move. What backup do you have for that.
 
debodun said:
I was considering a pre-paid phone.
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Congrats on looking, that is great.

If you are getting a cell phone, I'd highly recommend making sure you get a smart phone.

I don't know anything about pre-paid phones, but starting with what is easiest and that doesn't lock you into a plan seems the way to go.

I only originally got a smart phone because it was my daughter's old phone (so... free, with built-in daughter-provided tech-service).

Phone systems go out of date and lose support after a few years (possibly for legitimate security reasons, but possibly just to force us to spend more money), so although I replace mine every few years, I just buy a used one off of Amazon, and make sure that it is recent enough to still have a few years of support (automatic updates, fixes, etc).

I make sure I buy an UNLOCKED phone, so that I am not forced to use a particular plan.

Then I have used the $10 a month Redpocket plan for years (really about $15 a month by the time they add taxes etc). It only has 1 gig of data (in addition to unlimited talk and text), but 1 gig has been enough for me almost always. A person can add more if they run out.

https://www.redpocket.com/plans?nbt...wa0hhzrlbf4odv-7LIpFAHBqHrbv8K0hoCNaYQAvD_BwE
 
I've had a Tracfone for over 20 years. I seldom use it but it's cheap (around $13/month IIRC), reliable, and good to have on occasion. Every time my phone has been made obsolete due to system upgrades, Tracfone has proactively sent me a new replacement phone ABSOLUTELY FREE.

My previous three Tracfones were flip phones (with real buttons) and very simple to use. The most recent one is a Samsung Galaxy "smart" phone and is a royal pain in the butt. I only want it to make (rare) phone calls. For me, the touch screen and apps only add complexity . . . not value. YMMV
 
There are hardly any public phones these days so it's wise to carry a phone with you when out. I have what is called a smartphone but hardly use it. I need it so that deliveries can be tracked but I actually hardly ever make any calls. I prefer to use a 'proper phone'. This means that I keep getting disconnected and have to buy a new sim. Why can't the system change to one which is the same as a landline.....renting the service and paying extra for calls?
 
Lavinia said:
There are hardly any public phones these days so it's wise to carry a phone with you when out. I have what is called a smartphone but hardly use it. I need it so that deliveries can be tracked but I actually hardly ever make any calls. I prefer to use a 'proper phone'. This means that I keep getting disconnected and have to buy a new sim. Why can't the system change to one which is the same as a landline.....renting the service and paying extra for calls?
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some providers give you 24 months of talk time... most give 60 days, then you have to top up.. just depends which provider

I don't have a PAYG , but I did look into it recently...
 
hollydolly said:
some providers give you 24 months of talk time... most give 60 days, then you have to top up.. just depends which provider

I don't have a PAYG , but I did look into it recently...
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I was with Vodaphone and didn't have a problem so long as I made at least one call every couple of months. I just forgot and now I've been cut off. The thing is....I make donations to charities with my phone, so they are missing out at the moment.
 
hollydolly said:
some providers give you 24 months of talk time... most give 60 days, then you have to top up.. just depends which provider
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With Tracfone I buy a one-year card each year. The card comes with a certain amount of "talk, text, & data" that I could never use so it just keeps rolling forward and accumulating. Now I probably have enough talk, text & data credits to keep a teenager satisfied for a year or two. :ROFLMAO:

ETA: for clarification, I DO have an online "account" with Tracfone. This isn't necessary but it does let me buy my 12-month cards through their website and gives them a way to contact me via email when they need to send me an upgraded phone.
 
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HSN has a Tracfone for $50
With minutes..that are good for 1 yr.
easy to 'ge t started/set up"
You can pay by check
P.S. If you get their credit card..
I think it'sn$15 off 1st purchase.
good Luck!
 
Tracfone offers two basic flip phones on their web site for $19.99 including all needed accessories. You might want to call around and see if any local store stocks them. In addition to the phone, you would need to buy an air time card. The cost of a card varies based on the number of months of service and number of minutes of use it covers.
 

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