Get landline back again and use pay-as-you-go Cell phones? Your experience please?

[dopeyprincesses]

someone else today has a thread going about dropping landlines and using only cell phones...


Anyone use the pay-as-you-go cell phone instead of getting monthly bill cell plan? I think we can save money by getting NetOne (heard that has good coverage) use it only for emergencies and get our landline back. My reason for wanting my landline back is Dr Oz from Oprah says something about cell phones causing damage to brain cells and use cell phone only in speaker mode.

tia for any help you have with this topic

 

[nestlejean]

I had heard that too, some time back. I also don't like the echo you get with a cell phone while talking and the voice cuts out now and then because of the speakers, I guess. If I and the person I am talking to speak at the same time, it cuts them out and I lose that part of the conversation. I want to keep my land line for now for the brain thing sacre and the clearness, losing part of a conversation thing. (hope this makes sense). It has been like tghis with several cell phones and services. I just don't enjoy talking long on a cell phone. I always use the land line, if I can, even if the minutes are free at that time.

 

[cglaura]

Well I never had just cell phone, but this is what I have and it works very well for my budget:

Virgin Mobile Phone, top up $20 every 90 days or $10 every 45 days.

18 cents/minute; 5 cents per sent text (rec'd text free).

I usually have alot left over when I top up, as I only use for emergencies also. They don't expire, so by the time I get down to WDW I have lots of time/money on the cell! I have never had a problem getting service or dropped calls. I have the Kyocera Rave, my daughter has the flip camera phone, both have good sound quality.

You can also logon to the VM website & go to a section called Sugar Mama where you can watch short video clips to earn air time. You can earn up to 75 free minutes per month. Watching a clip, then take a 1-2 question survey, free minute. Takes about 2-3 minutes to do.

They have alot of phones on thier site w/ $20 free time right now.

For landline I have Verizon basic. It is $25/month for basic + call id.

For long distance I have a prepaid ld calling card (which I get free through reward programs)

I think the key is to really limit the cell phone for emergencies only, b/c that is easy to go over budget!

 

[If U Had Wings]

I've been thinking of switching over to a pay as you go phone when my contract is up next May. I live in a low coverage area and can't use my phone from my home at all. It's really just for emergencies and I hate paying $40 a month for the smallest plan when I don't even use a fraction of the minutes.

Does anyone know if you switch from a regular cell phone to a pre paid phone if you can keep your existing phone number? That would be my only real concern about switching.

 

[Mooneybeams]

I use Virgin Mobile and average about $15 a month. I do not limit it to emergencies, but knowing I am paying 10 cents per minute, I do usually keep it short. I pay $6.99 per month + 10 cents per minute.

 

[DawnM]

I want to go to landline and pay as you go too, but I am worried that I will actually talk too much and end up paying more than what I do now.

Last month I talked for 850 min. Now, granted, I *could* change my habits, but I would have to cut them down to about 200 min. Can I do it? I really am worried that I can't!

Dawn

 

[lg3]

My best friend has been using her cell phone exclusively for about a year now and loves it.

For our cell phones, we use Virgin Mobile pay as you go - Just have to top up every so often, and it is very convenient. We have saved a bundle this way!!! Dh & I have been using Virgin Mobile for about two years and would never go back to those huge monthly bills ever.

 

[DawnM]

Do you mean you spend $15 total including the $6.99? That would average about 20 cents per call if you did that anyway.

Dawn

I use Virgin Mobile and average about $15 a month. I do not limit it to emergencies, but knowing I am paying 10 cents per minute, I do usually keep it short. I pay $6.99 per month + 10 cents per minute.

 

[cglaura]

...Does anyone know if you switch from a regular cell phone to a pre paid phone if you can keep your existing phone number? That would be my only real concern about switching.

From Virgin Mobile website (Help ---> Service ---> Local # Portability)


Q. I am switching from another company, can I keep my number?

A.Yes, depending on where you live. You have to have a Virgin Mobile phone in order to use Virgin Mobile's service. If you don't have one of our phones yet, you can check them out here.

Once you have a Virgin Mobile phone, call us at 1-888-322-1122 and ask for a live advisor. They'll walk you through the process of programming your old phone number into your new phone.

You should also note that we can't switch your area code without giving you a new local number as well.

For example, say you've just moved from San Francisco to New York City, and your San Francisco number was 415-123-4567. In that case, if you are switching to Virgin Mobile from a wireless carrier, you could keep 415-123-4567, but you can't switch to 212-123-4567. If you are switching your land-line (your home phone) to Virgin Mobile, you must retain an old area code. Be careful though, your New York friends might end up paying long distance charges when they call your San Francisco number in New York.

Q. How do I bring my number to Virgin Mobile?

A.We are working to make the process as simple as possible. First, you have to own a Virgin Mobile phone. Then, call customer service at 1-888-322-1122 and our agents will ask for some information. To make things easier, we strongly suggest having a bill from your old carrier handy. That will ensure that all the information is accurate and reduce the chance of any delays.

Do not call your old carrier to cancel, you could lose your number. Instead, we will contact your old carrier as part of the porting process.

You have to buy a Virgin Mobile phone, can't use your old one. And it says to check w/ your current provider to see if they charge any termination fees...