Another Option: Prepaid Cell Phone Plans
Wed Jun 28, 2006 11:53PM EDT
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When I signed up for a new two-year cell phone contract with Verizon, we opted against a family plan and adding another phone for another $30 a month. It's not that we don't want the extra phone for our 13-year-old, who is starting to venture out more and could use a phone to call home for a ride, or in case of emergency. But we're not in a rush to add another $30 to our phone bill if the extra phone doesn't get daily use.
I'm checking out another option for our teen: Pre-paid cell phone plans. These plans, which basically require you to pay for minutes up front but do not demand you sign a one- or two-year contract, have gotten better lately. (For an overview, check out this Cnet guide.) But if you're not careful, you could end up paying more than you would with a family plan.
That's the way Verizon Wireless has its pre-paid plans configured—costing upwards of $30 to $70 a month, plus the cost of a phone. When you upgrade to a family plan when renewing a two-year contract you can count on getting a free phone.
But other major carriers offer pre-paid calling plans starting at lower fees:
T-Mobile ToGo: Offers plans starting at 10 cents a minute for prepaid totals, such as $10 for 30 minutes for 30 days and $25 for 130 minutes for 90 days.
Cingular GoPhone: Options include 10 cents a minute plus $1 access fee for every day you use the phone, and a 25-cents-per-minute plan with no access fees.
I'm up for trying one of these plans with no long-term commitment and see how much we use the extra phone. Has anyone tried a pre-paid plan for a teenager in your house, or for yourself? Let us know how it worked out.
Comments on Another Option: Prepaid Cell Phone Plans
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2 Posted by david_e_warren on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:38PM EDT Report Abuse
I heard Disney is going to come out with a phone for kids. Parents can specify how many minutes they can use a month, have the phone disabled at certain times(after 12pm etc), even tracks where your kids are(this is kind of scary however!) I haven't heard much about it lately, but if I had kids, I am def. going to check this out.
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3 Posted by gastoncrystal on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:06PM EDT Report Abuse
I have a 12 year old and I purchased her the virgin mobile prepaid plan. For 18 cent a minute it is not bad. You have to top-up every 90 days but she uses her plan wisely. I also have a prepaid plan myself and we are not big talkers but,for the convience it is a good plan. The phone prices are not bad either. You should check out there website virginmobileusa.com and see what they have to offer. If you are not big talkers I think they can offer your teen a good plan option.
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4 Posted by wubbsies on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:51PM EDT Report Abuse
I also have Virgin Mobile. The first 10 minutes a day are 25 cents, after that its 10 cents. As long as you refill it every 90 days, you can keep the phone number.
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5 Posted by mharro@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:17PM EDT Report Abuse
I have a tracfone, I don't use it a lot but it is great for quick calls and vacations. I was in Flordia during a hurricane and my phone was the only one working. All other cell phones were dead. Check out Wallmart and Sam's club for the best price on buying minutes. I renew yearly so I don't have to buy very often
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6 Posted by bbbiemer on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:03PM EDT Report Abuse
The Tmobile pre pay plan is the cheapest plan on earth if you don't use the phone 24/7! Pay for $100 worth of minutes, and as long as you buy $10 more minutes once every year, the minutes are good FOREVER!
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7 Posted by kyre352 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:55PM EDT Report Abuse
I used Tracfone for a couple of years, and on the whole was pretty satisfied with it. The phone/airtime prices were reasonable and so was the payment scheme. The parts I didn't like: limited selection of phones (and limited features on those phones), their customer service, and having to add airtime every so often whether I'd used up my current minutes or not. Also, as you see if you look at a Tracfone coverage map, coverage is concentrated along urban areas and major highways. When my phone died (helpful hint: do not store phone in purse and pull it out by the antenna), I checked around to see what other prepaid plans were out there. Many had a daily usage fee, annoying refill requirements, limited phone selection, or a minute fee that was too high. Fortunately I found Alltel. They have three different prepaid plans, each of which is geared toward a different level of usage. I chose the one meant for least usage: 15 cents per minute all the time, with no refill requirements, except for the $20 initial balance. You can add money to your account any time you like, or let it sit at $0 without losing your number or your account. There is a small non-usage fee if you go 30 days without making a call; call home once a month and you're fine. Text messages, downloadable ringtones, or websurfing have extra fees on this plan, but the other prepaid plans include some or all of them in the regular price. Alltel has a good phone selection with their prepaid plans, too - I picked out an LG AX5000 that I love. There is an activation fee, unlike Tracfone, but the phone prices were only slightly more than Tracfone's when purchased with a new prepaid plan. IMO the better phone is well worth the difference in price. Also important: Alltel has a useful website, customer service agents located in the US, and brick-and-mortar stores for sales and service. I've had very good customer service experiences. With this prepaid plan, I have national coverage. It's not concentrated near cities or highways, either - the coverage map is almost entirely blue. The call quality is excellent. This sounds like an ad for Alltel, but I truly like it and am so glad I switched.
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8 Posted by thehillsgjck@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:04PM EDT Report Abuse
My 10 yr. old daughter has a Tracfone prepaid and we both love it. She uses it for emergencies especially since she has to wait after school of us for pick up,so we feel comfortable knowing that she can reach us if needed. The cost varies from $19.99 month for 60 minutes to $99 for 250 minutes and service for a year. This may sound quite high, so we are also going to check out T-mobile which may have better plans. But at least we are not into a contract, and don't have a bill because you prepay.
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9 Posted by angelbunny@ameritech.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:54PM EDT Report Abuse
Hi! My first cell phone was a prepaid phone years ago. I started with a monthly plan on a contract a few years ago. My husband doesn't carry a cell but he has my old prepaid phone in his truck for emergency use. I wanted him to have one for just that reason. We started both our kids out with prepaid phones when they started driving. It worked out quite well. It costs us $26.50 including tax every three months for my husbands cell. I could add him to my plan but since he doesn't use it often, it doesn't make sense to pay $20 a month. We have Cingular for both the plan and prepaid.
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10 Posted by gutierrez99@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:14PM EDT Report Abuse
I HAVE SPRINT PHONE AND I PAY ABOUT 100DLS FOR FAMILY PLAN. BUT WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE PHONE THEY HAVE GPS .SO NOT ONLY CAN I CALL MY 12 YEAR OLD BUT I KNOW WHERE HE IS AT ALL TIME .
1 Posted by dcesanek on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:39PM EDT Report Abuse
Try looking at mobal.com, especially the US version [$99]. This is your own personal phone with only a pay-by-minute plan IF you ever use it. This is a great phone if its intended use is for emergency use or for quick travel plans [good for senior citizens & others]. This phone will use T-mobile or Cingular in the US, whichever is operative in your location. Think out the details-- Although it can be pricey at $1.50/min (voice) or $.80/send-text-message, receiving a text message is free ['please call home' or 'stop by the store', etc.]. This is definitely not for chatty persons; but for ICE or travel, it's great & inexpensive. Think of how chic it is to have a lifetime international phone # and a Phone which works in 160+ countries! enjoy--Rick