Author Topic: Help With Pre-Paid Cell Phones? (Read 7944 times)

Ben · « **on:** December 22, 2009, 11:04:14 PM »

Here's the background: My 83 year old dad is not big on technology or as he calls stuff <insert German accent> "gadgets".

However, he has several rentals, and also manages some for me and my sister. We've finally, after years, and countless times of him leaving the house to take care of some business and having people call to cancel 5 minutes after he leaves, and him waiting around for them to never show up, got him convinced that a cell phone is a good idea. He'll only go for a fairly simple phone with no bells or whistles.

I'm looking into a pre-paid phone for him because he'll rarely use the phone, and when he does use a phone, his conversations generally last 17.4 seconds, so he doesn't need a lot of minutes. So I was thinking a pre-paid phone would be the best deal for him, but it would have to be something where you can get smaller amounts of minutes that last a good while.

Just wondering if any of you use pre-paid phones or know of any plans that meet the above criteria. Like Jerry Seinfeld's dad, my dad gives me extra credit if I find something really, really cheap.

With some of the plans I've seen from cursory Googling, I'm wondering if I wouldn't be better off putting him on some kind of "family plan" minutes with my provider. Anyways, any input is greatly appreciated.

Fjolnirsson · « **Reply #1 on:** December 22, 2009, 11:07:38 PM »

I had Net10 for a good long while. Excellent coverage and so forth, and you can buy small amounts of time as needed. Honestly though, I would urge you toward Straight Talk. They run on the same network(Nextel), but $30 gets you 1000 minutes and 1000 texts per month. Or, they have unlimited use for $45/month.
If you are serious about light use, go with Net10.

Mike · « **Reply #2 on:** December 22, 2009, 11:15:54 PM »

If he doesn't use it any more than you say it would be cheaper to put him on your plan. They will probably give you a phone for free and maybe $10.00 a month for his service. Try it with the minutes you have now and then change if you find that its not enough. Usually calls between you and him are free.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #3 on:** December 22, 2009, 11:35:13 PM »

what mike said i added two guys to my family plan 10 bucks is a bargain

Doggy Daddy · « **Reply #4 on:** December 23, 2009, 01:08:32 AM »

Look into this: http://www.jitterbug.com/

Prepaid plan / simplified phone for luddites and/or elderly types.

DD

jackdanson · « **Reply #5 on:** December 23, 2009, 02:54:53 AM »

I'd go with the family plan. I'm on a plan with 4 others and was only paying $15 a month before I got a smart phone. Now it's only $55 with texting and a data plan.

mtnbkr · « **Reply #6 on:** December 23, 2009, 07:00:31 AM »

Gotta add my vote for the family plan. Cheaper in the long run and fewer hassles.

I looked at buying a prepaid phone to keep with me while biking when my wife was pregnant so I wouldn't risk my expensive main phone, but it was going to cost $15-30/month. Another line added to my family plan would be $10/month and I could stash it in my bike pack and forget about it.

Chris

Silver Bullet · « **Reply #7 on:** December 23, 2009, 09:58:22 AM »

Net10 can be had for $15/month if you use an average of less than 150 minutes per month.

Tracfone can be even cheaper. That is, cheaper by the day of service, not by the minute of calling. It's cheaper if you use very few minutes. Consider paying extra to get "double minutes for lifetime", or something like that.

Tallpine · « **Reply #8 on:** December 23, 2009, 11:36:10 AM »

Net10 is okay but your minutes that you don't use are no longer valid if you don't buy more minutes.

It's running us about $30 every two months, but we have a lot of minutes saved up since I haven't been out of state for a year.

We can't get cell service at home, so it only gets used for short calls when one of us happens to be in town.

Ben · « **Reply #9 on:** December 23, 2009, 11:45:45 AM »

Thanks all. It's sounding like adding a phone to my account will end up being the most efficient option. The Tracfone or similar would have been perfect if they had something like 200 minutes that are good for a year, but all their low minute plans expire in 60-90 days from what I can see.

Harold Tuttle · « **Reply #10 on:** December 23, 2009, 01:52:23 PM »

i have virgin mobile phones on a 15 dollar every 45 days paypal feed.

It works well as long as you only use them for required comms not blabbing with some one with unlimited minutes.

Daniel964 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 24, 2009, 06:40:46 PM »

My wife and I have used tracphone for about 8 years with no problems. You could look into their one year plans. One year and 400 minutes for 99.99 plus the cost of what ever phone you want.

https://www.tracfone.com/direct/controller.block

KD5NRH · « **Reply #12 on:** December 25, 2009, 07:29:11 AM »

Quote from: Doggy Daddy on December 23, 2009, 01:08:32 AM

Look into this: http://www.jitterbug.com/

Prepaid plan / simplified phone for luddites and/or elderly types.

Am I the only one that thinks it's a really bad idea to involve strangers in all your phone calls? Particularly strangers who are working for whatever lousy wage this service is likely to pay?

HankB · « **Reply #13 on:** December 25, 2009, 01:54:39 PM »

I bought a Tracfone (Motorola W370) with "double minutes for life" about 18 months ago. Every 3 months I spend ~$20 to get another two hours (60 min, doubled to 120 min) or else the minutes expire. The phone works fine here in Central Texas, and I've had no problem using it during my travels to Cincinnati, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, and various other places. (No guarantees in Dry Gulch, Nevada.)

I do NOT text, access the Internet, watch videos, or use it as anything OTHER than a basic phone, though some of those capabilities are present. In other words, it does EXACTLY what I want it to do - I use it as a phone. Period.

The one disappointment - and a trivial one at that - is that you can't download ringtones except through Tracfone central, and they don't offer anything I want. (TracFone disabled connectivity through the mini-USB port, and strips sound files from emails sent to the phone. <expletive> )

If your 83 year old dad has sharp enough vision to see the buttons, and enough manual dexterity to use them, it's worth considering.

Doggy Daddy · « **Reply #14 on:** December 25, 2009, 02:27:41 PM »

Quote from: KD5NRH on December 25, 2009, 07:29:11 AM

Am I the only one that thinks it's a really bad idea to involve strangers in all your phone calls? Particularly strangers who are working for whatever lousy wage this service is likely to pay?

First off, let me state that I have NO affiliation with this service, nor do I use it myself. It's just one option I ran across while looking for a simple service for a non-techie coworker. I remembered it and thought I'd mention it here.

Now, what are you talking about "involving strangers in all your phone calls?" You must be seeing something I didn't see.

??
DD

KD5NRH · « **Reply #15 on:** December 25, 2009, 02:44:36 PM »

Quote from: Doggy Daddy on December 25, 2009, 02:27:41 PM

Now, what are you talking about "involving strangers in all your phone calls?" You must be seeing something I didn't see.

Looks like they may have changed the format a bit, but this is the one that used to run commercials about their "simplified" phone - you push a button, it calls the operator, who then connects your call, remotely adds an entry to your speed dial list, etc. They still offer that, but it doesn't appear to be their big selling point anymore. http://www.jitterbug.com/ServicesStore/peace-of-mind.aspx Clearly, with their previous "easy-to-use" phone, you didn't get a choice - any direct dialing or speed dial changes had to go through the operator:

All I could think about while they were doing those commercials was where certain call centers are located. Maybe some others realized that having some unfamiliar, probably underpaid person knowing who and when you call is a bit creepy. Even more problematic would be one of them staying on the line while you're calling the bank or the Home Shopping Network.

gunsmith · « **Reply #16 on:** December 25, 2009, 06:22:05 PM »

tracfone is pretty good, every time you add minutes you get another 90 days service, I have only had it 3 months now and have 1400 days service, before that I'll have a real phone like Iphone or something.
texting is even cheaper, teach your dad that! ttyL8er! OMG!

Ben · « **Reply #17 on:** December 25, 2009, 06:43:04 PM »

Quote from: gunsmith on December 25, 2009, 06:22:05 PM

texting is even cheaper, teach your dad that! ttyL8er! OMG!

Ha - not on your life. All the texts he would send me would start with, "Hey jackass!"

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #18 on:** December 25, 2009, 08:49:14 PM »

Quote from: Ben on December 25, 2009, 06:43:04 PM

Ha - not on your life. All the texts he would send me would start with, "Hey jackass!"

he can template that into his messages save time

Ben · « **Reply #19 on:** December 25, 2009, 09:12:29 PM »

Quote

First off, let me state that I have NO affiliation with this service, nor do I use it myself. It's just one option I ran across while looking for a simple service for a non-techie coworker. I remembered it and thought I'd mention it here.

I had actually looked into jitterbug, as it would have acceptable rates, and the phone, though a bit oversized, looks to be good for people going deef like the old man.

We've let him try our cell phones and he has a bit of a problem hearing well unless there's no background noise, even on high. If I go family plan or Tracphone, there's gonna have to be some testing to find a phone that gets loud enough (for voice -- he can hear all the ringers fine).

The reason I didn't go right to jitterbug is that when Googling reviews, the service seemed to get spotty marks.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #20 on:** December 25, 2009, 09:17:41 PM »

they make headsets for the hearing impaired of which i am becoming one. its a dichotomy on the one hand as a husband its nice being deaf but i strain to hear what the kids say

Ben · « **Reply #21 on:** December 25, 2009, 09:36:11 PM »

Quote from: cassandra and sara's daddy on December 25, 2009, 09:17:41 PM

they make headsets for the hearing impaired of which i am becoming one. its a dichotomy on the one hand as a husband its nice being deaf but i strain to hear what the kids say

Another one of my dad's quirks is that he won't have anything in his ear. We talked him into state-of-the art $2000 hearing aids a few years ago, and they sit in a desk drawer 95% of the time. The last time I saw him wear them was when he asked me to go to his estate attorney with him to make some changes to the family trust. I think he just wanted to make sure I didn't collaborate with the attorney to bump him off early or anything without him hearing it.

He does appreciate his deafness when my mom, who is in the onset of Alzheimer's, starts to go off on stories from her childhood, which she repeats in marathon fashion. :)

sanglant · « **Reply #22 on:** December 25, 2009, 09:53:17 PM »

if you buy tracfone minutes online you can add a year of service for $49.99

Quote

365 extra days $49.99

edit: and there is this plan that just charges your card if you time runs out

Quote

TracFone Service Protection
30 Service Days
$5.99** / as needed

Doggy Daddy · « **Reply #23 on:** December 26, 2009, 12:22:19 AM »

Quote

We've let him try our cell phones and he has a bit of a problem hearing well unless there's no background noise, even on high.

Yeah, background noise. Gotta really check that out. I've experienced a phenomenon where if I make a call from an area with a lot of ambient noise, I won't hear the other person answer their phone. The automatic noise limiter kicks in and blocks all sound until I speak. Or at least I assume that's what's happening. I've also been on the receiving end of that one. I'll answer my phone, but unless the other person (who's in a high noise area) speaks they won't hear me.

I'm thinking that might be difficult to test for in the phone-a-rama.

DD

Doggy Daddy · « **Reply #24 on:** December 26, 2009, 12:24:22 AM »

Quote

Clearly, with their previous "easy-to-use" phone, you didn't get a choice - any direct dialing or speed dial changes had to go through the operator:

Ah, thanks for filling me in on that. Must've been before my time.

DD

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Author Topic: Help With Pre-Paid Cell Phones? (Read 7944 times)