Best option for a cheap cell phone??

[BLACKJACK]

I'm one of the few that doesn't have a cell phone, in a previous lifetime they hung a pager on me that I had to carry 24/7, hated that so have refused to be tied to an electronic leash buuuttttt am thinking that maybe I should get one for emergencies, nice to have one if I fall out of my tree stand or fall thru the ice pheasant hunting, would be able to tell them where to find my frozen carcass.

Can I just buy a cheap $50 phone and some minutes? How reliable and what kind of coverage would you get with it? Would it work out of state like in SoDak or even farther?? Any recommendations on brands or stores or providers??

Thanks!!

[delcecchi]

I will throw my two cents worth in. If what you want is just a way to communicate, you can buy a pay as you go phone and some minutes. Check the brands to see who their providers are and go from there.

Personally I have a Tmobile phone. The minutes expire in 3 months, but if you add minutes, even as little as $10 worth, it moves the date. Once you have spent $100 cumulatively the minutes last a year. Minutes are 10 to 20 cents depending on how much you spend at a time.

I have a cheap nokia I bought for 16.88 from wallyworld on line. Some models are also sold retail. I get by for between 50 and 100 dollars per year.

T-mobile also roams for no extra charge on the ATT network, which gives it pretty good coverage in rural areas since ATT bought Cellular One. I just went and looked. Good coverage along and around main roads in SD, but some big holes also. Coverage all over the country except off main roads in west.

Some of my friends have tracfone and are happy with those.

You can look at the coverage maps at various websites. The reliability and coverage is as good as the carrier. Tracfone operates on different networks by buying bulk minutes. They operate as a number of brands, including straight talk from wally.

Sprint has better coverage in the west. Verizon as well, but less than sprint.

[FM_Mike]

Tracfone.

Thats what I use now. Was on Verizon, I use my phone for traveling and emergencies, and for long distance.

After 15 years with verizon, the cheapest family plan I could find was 550 mins a month for 49.99. Then when all the fees were added it was close to $70.00 a month.

I went with tracfone about 6 months ago, boght a triple min phone 1 year plan and 450 mins which worked out to 1350 mins for $85.00. For me and my wife, we now have 2 phones, each with 1 year of service and 1350 mins for 170.00 dollars. That should last us for the year, but if we need more minutes you can simply buy what you need. Each phone has internet access and can do most everything that a carriers phone can do. Minutes carry over, and as long as you keep your phone active, you'll never lose minutes.

They work in the same areas that other phones do. Coverage is excellent for me and I save over 800.00 a year.

This may not be a plan for someone who needs their phone to be attached to their hip, but for someone that just wants the security of having a phone while traveling or convenience, this is a great option.

Mike

[gregg52]

I just stared staight talk from Wal Mart cuz I was tired of verizon as someone said above I had 450 mins for 39$ but when i got the bill

it was 70

this staight talk is unlimited mins data texting etc for 45$ amonth

I paid 150 for the phone and 15 bucks for 2 yr warrenty

it is a verizon phone so ta speak like same coveage just not the exspense

this is only a week old but so far I'm very impressed at what it can do

i do use it alot as we dont have a land line any more

we went fron about 175-200 a month in phone bills to 90

still to much..lol but whata going to do...lol

oh the 90 comes as the little lady got one 2 lol

[Jim Almquist]

Maybe get someone's old but good cell phone. Even without a service contract you can call 911

[echotrail]

Ive got the same T-mobile setup as Delcecchi and I'm very happy with it.

For $100 I buy 1,000 minutes, good for a year. If I add more minutes prior to the experation date it re-sets the expiration date to your most recent purchase. You get a reminder text message a few weeks prior to your minutes expiring. Prior to this my wife and I were splitting minutes at $75 a month on a Verizon plan and found we were using about 30% of what we were paying for.

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks for the advice guys!!

Tracfone does sound like the way to go. Costs $10 for the phone and then $100 for 400 minutes, can add more if you want, or if you don't use that, still need to add minutes at the end of the year. $110/12=$9 a month. Want to avoid those high monthly fees. If I want to get onto the internet I'll use my computer.

Verizon has a similar plan but their phone is $49 plus a $35 activation fee plus the $100 for 400 minutes.

Wish I could get away from the yearly 'reactivation' but thats sounds like the price to play.

Need to check out the coverage with the Tracfones but leaning heavily that way.

[delcecchi]

Thanks for the advice guys!!

Tracfone does sound like the way to go. Costs $10 for the phone and then $100 for 400 minutes, can add more if you want, or if you don't use that, still need to add minutes at the end of the year. $110/12=$9 a month. Want to avoid those high monthly fees. If I want to get onto the internet I'll use my computer.

Verizon has a similar plan but their phone is $49 plus a $35 activation fee plus the $100 for 400 minutes.

Wish I could get away from the yearly 'reactivation' but thats sounds like the price to play.

Need to check out the coverage with the Tracfones but leaning heavily that way.

Tracfone has all sorts of "double minutes" or "triple minutes" cards or options when you buy the phone. I don't use them, so don't know all the details. I think the "straight talk" phones from Wallyworld are sourced from tracfone as well.

[gregg52]

just bed sureto check the coverage on those tracphones and t-mobile

i believe its considalbly less than verison

if you gettin the phone for emergenies doesnt do much good if

you in the middle of the lake with no coverage..lol

I would question a 9$ phone

remembert you get whaty you pay for

plus once you get I believe you will relize how handy it is and use it more than you think

[BLACKJACK]

I ended up going with the Verizon plan, $50 phone and $100 for one year/400 minutes. When I called their 800 sales number they waived any activation fee, that helped, plus as Greg mentioned, thought Verizon is the biggest player in the market, they should have better coverage. The one downside is that $100/400 minutes HAS to be renewed at the end of the year, even if you don't use all 400 minutes, or your phone goes dead. Plus side is that I don't have any monthly fee.

We'll see how much I use it, for now its either going in the glove compartment of my truck or it will sit on the counter at home, and I'll throw it in my pocket when I go fishing or go climb a tree. I'll be darned if I'm going to carry it 24/7 and be checking it constantly like all the other &*(^$^ I see.

[Surface Tension]

I've had tracfone double minutes for life deal for at least the past 7 years.

I might have paid $20 for the current the phone.

It costs me $19.99 every 90 days. If for some reason I got chatty and used up my 120 minutes I can buy more.

[delcecchi]

By all means, check the coverage. T-mobile roams on ATT as well, and on the West end of Vermilion has better coverage than Verizon, due to ATT having a tower in Cook and one near Frazier Bay.

If you are in the Dakotas, Sprint looks better. I didn't look at Verizon coverage. Basically there are like 3 or 4 national carriers and a bunch of folks like Virgin and Trackfone that piggyback on their networks by buying bulk time.

My 16.88 Nokia works just fine. No keyboard, no camera, only a phone.

[fsnrod]

Trac phone has the best coverage of all.

[Brad B]

I have a Net10 phone and have been very happy with it. I believe Net10 and Tracphone are the same company because once I called to talk to a rep and the rep mistakenly said "thank you for calling Tracfone" and then realized I was calling on the net10 contact number and then said "Thank you for calling Net10". they offer a 1000 minute card but the bad part is it only gives you 6 months of service. you would end up spending $200 for the year but you would have 2000 minutes instead of only 1000 minutes.

[Jeremy airjer W]

For basic phones I used t-mobile to go plans. Very cheap

If your looking for smart phones take a peak at virgin mobile. I had a $25 unlimited monthly with no contract. I just upgraded my phone and had to join the $35 unlimited monthly with no contract. Still pretty cheap for 3G/4G, text, Internet, email, and 300 anytime minutes.