Prepaid Cells

[vousami]

About 9 months ago I got my parents a trac phone- they had a regular Verizon phone but wanted a second phone for when my mother was out and about - mainly for emergency's and long distance calling and such...

But and this a huge but - both of them are technolically impaired - they can't figure out how to use it, how to add minutes etc... and it seems like they run out of time so quickly...time as not airtime but time as in they don't use their minutes and have to buy more or they expire

I know a friend of mine uses Verizon's prepaid phone and is happy with it - I also know there are other's out there- does anyone else use prepaids- and have an opinion on them?

[azn1art]

I like prepaid phones except they don't have the same thing as a regular plan.. Like calling in between members on the same service. My cousin used T-Mobile and he was pretty happy with it.. Now he sold his phone to his friend so he doesn't have a phone anymore.

[Beatrix]

Vousami, I don't think I follow you. With postpaid subscriptions, I believe there is a set minimum one pays monthly. Anything consumed beyond the plan allotment is charged per usage. On the other hand, prepaid phones are more flexible because it is generally cheaper than postpaid plans and therefore one consumes only what is needed.

[kadhal]

I have used only prepaids when i was in india. Infact my dad is a distributor for one such company and he says that the 80 percent of the people he sells take pre paid sims.

Only thing with prepaids is mobile locking , you have got to manually unlock it. ( its the case only in some countries )

[palefrost]

I have a trac phone. Just tell them to call the 1800 number on the minutes card and let the rep do it all for them. I havent activated it in a few months though since we joined on my fathers cell phone plan. We only pay 20 a month for the phone now and that beats the trac phone. :) Maybe look into a plan where you can add everyone in the family on it and it will save everyone money! :p

[Case]

What about a shared plan? if they are going trough min's fast a large shared plan might be the way to go.

[ladygirl99]

I would use prepaid phones for emergency but overall I would rather get a contract phone because it is much cheaper to use especially if you are on a shared plan.

[karenlyn]

I use a prepaid because I don't use my phone that much. I like the idea of having a cell phone, but in reality I hate being accessible to everyone all the time. So I don't spend much because I have my phone turned off a lot.

[palefrost]

I use a prepaid because I don't use my phone that much. I like the idea of having a cell phone, but in reality I hate being accessible to everyone all the time. So I don't spend much because I have my phone turned off a lot.


I feel the same way. I hate talking on the phone. Get to the point or leave me an email. :P

[tater03]

I use a prepaid phone. I find it the easiest way to go for what I need it for. I'm not real big on talking on the phone to begin with, so this works for me the best.

[triumph]

I have had a pre-paid phone in the past, but the cost per minute is so much higher that it makes sense to figure out how to get a regular contract.

[ninikins]

I rarely use my phone so prepaid works out cheaper for me in the end. I just run up bills on contracts.

[jayadev]

I also like prepaid phones. Since the first day I have started using mobiles I am using prepaid plans. For me the reasons are simple. I start the month with a set limit and try to finish up within that. No worry regarding bills. But in postpaid I have to say there are more options available.