Prepay cell phones...advise on how they work

[eofelis]

I'm all about saving money wherever possible (hence dial-up internet as well), so I love cheap phone options!

I have a very cheap Tracfone that gets minimal use. My phone is a $10 older model, a Motorola V170. It's extremely basic, and not highly regarded in the TF community, but I like it. It is one of the few TFs with free incoming texts. I like it so much that I just got 4 more of them as backups from guy on a TF forum for $10 total. (Some people activate multiple phones and then harvest minutes from them.)

Every three months I get a $20 phone card (3 months/60 minutes) and add it. I look online for bonus codes to get free minutes when I add a card. Last time I got a code for 60 free minutes. So I pay ~$6/mo for this phone. I tell most people to text me instead of call me since my incoming texts are free.

FWIW, I also found out that if someone sends me a text while my phone is turned off or out of a service zone (I live in a mountainous area), when I have service again eventually the text will come on through. If someone simply calls it won't do that, I just miss the call and get no notification. Texts will also go through if there is only a couple bars of service, not enough bars for a phone call.

I'd love love love to have high speed internet, but my dial-up is FREE! I just can't stomach a $40 bill each month right now. My dial-up is free from the college I just graduated from. The college IT dept will probably purge me from their system eventually, but until then I will keep dialing in.

[indigoiis]

I am also a tracfone user, as is my DH. Last year I bought the Year + Double minutes card, so every time I re-up it doubles whatever I purchase. I like that!

[Red Rock]

Hello All:

Just letting you all know that my DH and I went in to the phone company and looked at our situation. My DH let me have his upgrade so I downgraded to the BB Curve I. I am still figuring things out on it. I have a Storm I that I did not like for many reasons as most. One of the lines cannot be cancelled until later this year. So unforunately we are stuck with that. I think when this line is cancelled, I will go with one of these prepay phones for bike rides etc.

We looked at what the older man is paying and he is paying what he should. I got rid of one "service" to. So that will help cut things back.

Thank you for all of your assorted comments and experiences with these phones.

Red Rock