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Cell Phone Question

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RichZ

01-19-2007 18:41:27

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Does anyone have one of those cell phones that come with a card for minutes instead of a regular cell phone plan? My wife used to have a cell phone for emergencies, but it was ridiculous paying about $20/month for something that we very rarely use, so we got rid of it. We both HATE cell phones. Neither of us see the point in them, we have an answering machine at home, and if the call is important, leave a message, and we'll call you back.

But earlier this week, we had a severe ice storm and lost power and telephone service, so I'd like to have one of those carded cell phones for those rare emergencies. BUT, I was wondering if the reception on them is any good. It's pointless to get one, if we can't get a signal.

So...has anyone had any experience with them????

Thanks!!!!

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redtom

01-22-2007 06:26:20

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

We now have two tracfones. If we make one call a month its a lot. We tried T-mobile but it didn't even work in town. Was told they use their own towers but tracfone uses others. Check tracfone website. Sometimes they have a deal where if you already have a tracfone and refer someone you can get bonus time. The trick is to do it before the second person buys. So you maybe can get one then refer your wife and get bonus minutes.

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jeffcat

01-20-2007 23:16:41

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

I have had a Tracfone for about 6 months and think it is great. I live in NJ and I get better reception on my Motorola Tracfone than several neighbors. Good little unit for $19.95 and they are now down to $14.95. When you start up your phone go on line and follow the instructions. You will need to load a group of three numbers with a total of 16 digits several times. This is the hardest part. They will drop an Email in your box every so often to give you a bonus code when you buy more time. This can give you a WHOLE lot more time if you use that code. I gave one to my folks for Christmas and they like it too. Ask what company works best in your area but I DO like the Tracfone! Jeffcat

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dave guest

01-20-2007 12:30:22

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

Vern in mich, this is dave in mich. I must be really dumb. I have tracphone but can't understand this one year thing. Is that one full year without doing any extra payments, charges, credit? Or is it really 400 minutes? What if you use 400 minutes in one month? You pay again or do you have 11 months to go? Reason I ask, I had real cheap company. They went under and I had 300 minutes left holding the bag. If you can explain I sure would like to figure this thing out. I can read well, but this sales hype is confusing. Thanks loads.

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TomH in PA

01-20-2007 16:42:30

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to dave guest, 01-20-2007 12:30:22

The pay-as-you-go phones are expensive per minute, but cheap if you rarely use them. Reception seemed as good as any other brand.

You pay for the minutes, but to keep the phone active you need to buy more minutes every so often (at least once a year). The minutes you have roll over, but you still need to buy more to keep the number active. When I had one it was about $100 to keep the number for a year, which included a couple of hundred minutes. I never used up all the time.

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tech4

01-20-2007 14:10:57

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to dave guest, 01-20-2007 12:30:22

I have two Tracfones (see below) and your minutes will carry over if you renew before time expires - example if I still have 200 minutes and it expires on Feb 15 and I renew on Feb 1 and get 450 new minutes my total will be 650 minutes that expires next year on Feb 15. If as said I use all the time in one month then I will have to buy more time but that has never happen to me. I even replaced my wife's phone and her time was transferred over to the new phone. She now has 1200 + minutes and one year to go. My phone is due to renew in March and I still have over 600 minutes and I will probably have over 1000 when I renew. Also there are at least 3 types of operating systems and my two phones are on different systems. The new phone is all digital and I have found some areas out of state that it does not work so be sure and check your zip code for the system before buying.

Tracfone

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Areo

01-20-2007 13:06:01

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to dave guest, 01-20-2007 12:30:22

I have Trac Fone too. It should display how many minutes are left and when the subscription expires. When one or the other runs out you are done, back to square one. You lose your number and un-used munites if any are left. You have to start over then. If you are close to being out of minutes you need to buy more before you run out. If you are close to end of subscription you need to buy a new card. I buy the 12 montgh 250 minute card. In 10 months I used only about an hour, but still I am happy having a year of service for $100.

HTH

Areo

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CNKS

01-20-2007 09:58:40

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

I have two called Simple Freedom (two different numbers) so my wife and I can call each other, uses the Altell towers, reception is better than our land phone. No different than TracPhone, the Walmart guy that sold them to us in 2002 said the coverage was better than Tracphone, I don't know. 0.15/min local, 0.5/min out of area, we never use all the minutes. They carry over, but must be renewed in 60 days, I have forgotten a couple of times. Renewed over internet last Sunday Jan 14, tried to use the phone for the 1st time today, turns out the renewal did not go thru, although my printout says it did. Talked to two people in India or wherever, could not understand either of them, but I think I now have minutes, but lost the rest. Still cheaper for two phones than a full fledged contract for one. $10/mo for one, $20/mo for two. Both of them together cost less than our land line, which is usually $35 or so per month, including long distance. Only used for "necessary" calls, no babble.

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01-20-2007 09:29:39

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

My wife has a Cingular phone, out daughter uses cingular on a contract, so she bought a Cingular prepaid phone so she can talk to her. with Cingular, you can talk to other Cingular users free. Most of the Cingular prepaid plans cost $1.00 a day, when they are used, and 10cents a mintue. If you do no tuse the phone, it costs nothign to use. The biggest drawback to prepaid cellular is that if you buy a $25.00 card for example, it will expire in 60 days after you put the minutes on your phone, so it costs you 15-20 per month, even if you do not use the time up, some friends of mine have have a trac-phone and the reception on it is marginal, and they also have minutes that expire, so the prepaid are just as expensive as a contract phone. The thing with Cingular, you can buy a phone for like $20.00 with a $10.00 mail in rebate, then they give you a $10.00 air time with it. This is in central Illinois.

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jdemaris

01-20-2007 09:08:35

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

The reception has little to do with it being Tracfone or any other brand. There are four competing standards being used in the United States - and they don't all share services or cell phone towers. For best service in a certain area, you need a phone that uses the specific standard of transmission that is popular where you live. It gets pretty confusing. And you'd think with all the fighting and work involved to install towers - they'd be forced to share tower-space, but they do not.

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tech4

01-20-2007 08:30:54

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

We have two of the Tracfones. They work good for us and we buy the one year card on the internet and get 450 minutes. This last us all year the way we use it. Cost less than $100. The only problem I have had with Tracfone is adding minutes takes a lot of number punching using the internet and if you call the 800 number, the help center is in India and you can't understand the people on that end. You can go to the Tracfone site and check your zip code for coverage. Mine works great in my home area better than some of the other companies.

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Joe in MN

01-20-2007 08:40:57

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to tech4, 01-20-2007 08:30:54

When ever I get some one on the Line from India, and I can't understand them ( I tell them to give me some one who can talk plan good English,) or just ask for a Supervisor, and make a complaint... Don't put up with those who can't give you Good Service..

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Crem

01-20-2007 17:09:54

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to Joe in MN, 01-20-2007 08:40:57

Thanks Joe for the hint about asking for someone who speaks good engilsh. I will try that the next time. When I go through all of the menu's and then get someone that I can't understand, it really frustrates me.

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DLM

01-20-2007 08:12:50

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

We have the tracfone and it works real good the best way is to buy one year cards Don"t buy the cheep fhones or the camera fhones . We have the model V170 Motorola About 40.00 at Wal mart. Don

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Brad Byington

01-20-2007 05:15:49

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

RichZ, we have had 3 different prepaid cell phones. They are for my wife in case of emergencies. We usually end up wasting minutes to get them used up. On the average it costs us about 8-10 dollars per month. No contract. Tracphone, JUNK! We now have Cellularone, they are offering good deals and have increased the towers.

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Bob

01-19-2007 20:40:35

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

AFAIK, they have contracts to use the cell towers of other carries, at least around here, so, for the most part, you get the same service, bad or good, as you would with one of the other companies.

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MartyInVa

01-19-2007 20:27:58

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

V Mobile. $20 every 90 days if ya don't talk too I much.
R
G
I
N

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Grub

01-19-2007 19:23:46

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

We bought our 14 yr old one for Christmas at Target. Look carefully- the cheapest phones have crummy networks with limited service. I'd buy one that is part of the larger networks so you can get service when you need it. The more minutes you buy at a time the cheaper they are- however look closely at the fine print because some of those minutes expire a month after you "load" them on the phone (usually the lower minute cards, i.e. 60-120 minutes) whether you have used them or not.
We ended up spending 80 bucks when at first glance we thought we'd get away with 35-40, but the service is better and the minutes didn't vanish. We went with the T-Mobile network for what it's worth.

Grub

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frankiee

01-19-2007 19:16:17

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

I get minutes on mine
I ran out of minutes a month ago so it don't work except for emergency 911 i think
I like getting minutes because I can get them or leave them. I can use them or use them gradual thru the month. NO plan contract or bills.
I use to need a cell phone when I was 42 days on ship when I worked. I hated that necessary evil.
Now I put 10 bucks on it when I feel like it or figure I might have use of it.
Don't get me wrong. I cant do with out having one now. Even if it just sits on my shelf.

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Eddie Jones

01-19-2007 18:56:36

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

I have had one for about 5 years now. I buy a year plan at a time. There are some places that I don"t get a signal, but I think that go with all cell phone.

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Vern-MI

01-19-2007 18:47:56

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to RichZ, 01-19-2007 18:41:27

Wife has the Tracfone and buys the 400 minute one year card for it. She has been very happy with the service as it works in areas where others don't seem to have good reception. She uses it occasionally and will not use the 400 minutes in a year so she rolls it over into the next year. We use to have Verizon but were unhappy with the covered areas.

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dan hill

01-22-2007 02:25:10

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Re: Cell Phone Question in reply to Vern-MI, 01-19-2007 18:47:56

My wife went to Bermuda with her sister.She keeps a tracfone and was able to call me from there.Good clear reception.She keeps it for emergency use.100.00 a year isnt much green,3 cartons of cigarrets cost that much.She got one for me for christmas.I work in the woods alone so she feels better that I have one.I keep it in a snap closed overall pocket.Not much good to have it in a tool bag on the tractor if a tree pins you.Cell phone is a good tool but it is misused by dummies.My wife says my phone was much easier to set up and renew minutes than hers.I asked a friend who sells at gun shows about cell phones before my wife got hers.He had tried several but ended up with tracfone.

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