Pay as you go phone

[runwad]

I bought my kids these tracfones from QVC in May http://www.qvc.com/CatalogSearch?langId=-1&storeId=10251&catalogId=10151&keyword=tracfone+ultimate+2 and they couldn't be happier.

You/they can buy $10 refill's for text (1000 texts) and data(300 Megabytes) from the tracfone site https://www.tracfone.com/direct/Purchase?payGo=true&app=TRACFONE&lang=en

I think my kids have only refilled once since May because they do everything over wi-fi.

Visit this site www.howardforums.com it's a message board like this for cell phones

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

I have my IPhone 5S on AT&T Gophone plan. I do 10 cents a minute plan. I load $25 on my account when I need to keep my service active. It's good for 90 days and the money not used adds up. You can purchase a text plan for $5 out of that money if wanted, I have a few times. I tend to just pay the per text charge out of my loaded money as I text so rarely. And I'm almost always around wifi so don't normally need data.
I did need data for a trip we went on so I switched online in my account for that month to the $45 month unlimited talk text and data. Then when my renewal time came up I just switched back to the 10 cent plan. I'll do this again for our Disney trip.

 

[amylevan]

I have a related question...

When DH and I upgraded our iPhone 4S's to the 6, we gave each of our DD's (ages 12 and 9) our old phones. They are unactivated but they use them extensively on the wi-fi and they've loaded their music and apps so they basically use them as iPods. I'm trying to find out if there is a way to activate them as "pre-paid" phones. I'd like to be able to add talk minutes ONLY that do not expire until used. This way, they can use the phone AS A PHONE in case of emergency. I'm on the fence about texts because they current;y "text" over the wi-fi and if they had the capability to send texts out of range, they may incur overages. Is there a way to do this? So far, the only pre-paid plans I've found either require the purchase of a new phone, or minutes that expire, forcing you to buy more each month in order to keep the phone activated. Any ideas? I don't want to get new phones (even if they are free or cheap...the girls won't carry them in addition to their "iPod"). FWIW, the phones were purchased from Sprint.

If they were originally verizon phones, you can use them on Page Plus. The only thing is I don't think they have a straight "minutes" policy, the prepaid amount can be used as minutes or texts.

 

[Dizlvr]

I have a related question...

When DH and I upgraded our iPhone 4S's to the 6, we gave each of our DD's (ages 12 and 9) our old phones. They are unactivated but they use them extensively on the wi-fi and they've loaded their music and apps so they basically use them as iPods. I'm trying to find out if there is a way to activate them as "pre-paid" phones. I'd like to be able to add talk minutes ONLY that do not expire until used. This way, they can use the phone AS A PHONE in case of emergency. I'm on the fence about texts because they current;y "text" over the wi-fi and if they had the capability to send texts out of range, they may incur overages. Is there a way to do this? So far, the only pre-paid plans I've found either require the purchase of a new phone, or minutes that expire, forcing you to buy more each month in order to keep the phone activated. Any ideas? I don't want to get new phones (even if they are free or cheap...the girls won't carry them in addition to their "iPod"). FWIW, the phones were purchased from Sprint.

deleted, didn't read the last sentence LOL

 

[holycow]

Thank you! I haven't been able to read everyones replies yet but this is exactly what I need. My DD is old enough to understand when we say please don't
use your Data. It is the Data that is a problem. We had to get a separate plan for her. We are on unlimited Data, talk and text with ATT. They don't even offer
that any more. When we added our DD on every month she has been going over on the Data and I am tired of it.

Again thanks for the info. Its been so long since I've dealt with phone issues I was kind of clueless.

 

[wenrob]

Thank you! I haven't been able to read everyones replies yet but this is exactly what I need. My DD is old enough to understand when we say please don't
use your Data. It is the Data that is a problem. We had to get a separate plan for her. We are on unlimited Data, talk and text with ATT. They don't even offer
that any more. When we added our DD on every month she has been going over on the Data and I am tired of it.

Again thanks for the info. Its been so long since I've dealt with phone issues I was kind of clueless.

Can I ask how old your daughter is? Can she pay for her own data? In my experience if you hit a kid in their pocketbook they immediately become more responsible. When my DD (now 18 going on 19) first got a phone she would go over on texts and I would take it out of her allowance. That cut into HER cash and the problem cleared up pretty damn quick, lol.

We also set up through AT&T for her to get text alerts when 75% of her data had been used. She learned to self regulate and turn off the data on her phone when that happened. Also, online or in the AT&T app you can go in and turn data off for a specific phone without impacting anyone else on the plan. Depending on the phone (we have iPhones) you can also go in on the phone itself, turn off data and then go under restrictions to set a passcode so it can only be turned on or off by you. This depends on her age of course.

 

[HM]

I forgot to mention Kajeet.com. Our kid's first phone were from there and we loved the parental controls. I could set up the phones from my computer to not work during sleeping hours, so no texting bff in the middle of the night. I could see which number they called and when. Etc. Very inexpensive to use as well back then. Check them out. I don't recall what network they worked off, but we never had any problems with connectivity.

 

[StephMK]

Here are the plans that we have used -

Republic - have to buy their phone, $10 for wifi/unlimited calls/text, no data or $25 for data/calls/text - I think the data caps off but can't remember. I liked this plan because we could switch plans up to 2x a month. If we were traveling, we let DS bump up to data for that time. DS started with this and just had wifi only for about a year.

H20 Wireless - unlimited calls/text, 500 MB - $30 or $27/mo if you sign up for autopay - can bring phones from few different carriers, DH and I both have this now. I hook into wifi whenever I can and only used up all my data when we were on a long road trip and wasted time on my phone in the car too long

Virgin Mobile - unlimited talk/text/data - slows after 2.5 I think - $32 a mo - my kids are all on this one now

We have had great reception and no issues with any of these carriers.

 

[DetroitDisney]

I use Cricket Wireless. Its the same network as AT&T but is cheaper than the equivalent AT&T gophone plans.

I LOVE Cricket. I pay $35/mo for an iPhone 6+, with unlimited everything and 2GB of high speed data. Service and coverage is great.

 

[elaine amj]

Platinumtel has a true pay as you go phone-- meaning you pay for each minute, each text and data. I was very happy with them as a company but I ended up switching when they moved from sprint lines to t-mobile. I'm considering going back...

https://www.ptel.com/plans

I have a related question...

When DH and I upgraded our iPhone 4S's to the 6, we gave each of our DD's (ages 12 and 9) our old phones. They are unactivated but they use them extensively on the wi-fi and they've loaded their music and apps so they basically use them as iPods. I'm trying to find out if there is a way to activate them as "pre-paid" phones. I'd like to be able to add talk minutes ONLY that do not expire until used. This way, they can use the phone AS A PHONE in case of emergency. I'm on the fence about texts because they current;y "text" over the wi-fi and if they had the capability to send texts out of range, they may incur overages. Is there a way to do this? So far, the only pre-paid plans I've found either require the purchase of a new phone, or minutes that expire, forcing you to buy more each month in order to keep the phone activated. Any ideas? I don't want to get new phones (even if they are free or cheap...the girls won't carry them in addition to their "iPod"). FWIW, the phones were purchased from Sprint.

I just got truphone - also a true PAYG - 9 cents a min, 9 cents a text, and 9 cents a MB. A little expensive, but NO minimums and no top-ups needed, ever. I paid $15 to start. Its great for very very minimal use (its my travel SIM).

It's going to depend on the version of your 4S's. Those were available on a few different networks, and the actual phone was different for each one. But, if the phones are unlocked, I'd look into T-Mobile or H20 Wireless. On T-Mobile, you can load up $100 and it will be good for an entire year. Then you can add as little as $10 to keep that balance active for subsequent years. H20 loads are good for 90 days, and each $10 load extends the expiration another 90 days.

I think this plan is now gone. I have it and have been told I am grandfathered. I loved this plan in the days when I could add data for $1-$2/ day.

I also just got Puretalk - its a monthly prepaid that does require monthly payments (I use it for travel so got it for a month and will cancel it soon. Next time I need it, I will order a new free SIM and get a new number and then cancel it again). It's $5 a month for 80 mins talk and text. Then you can add on $20 for 2 GB of data.

Truphone uses both AT&T and Tmobile MVNO networks which is nice because you get a really broad coverage area. Puretalk uses AT&T, which is better than Tmobile's coverage.

 

[crazymomof4]

I had to post here bc I just had yet another issue with Tracfone just this evening!!
I have a tracfone for my elderly mom and at first it was great. But...as of about 1-2 yrs ago I've had nothing but trouble. Not with the phone itself but with the service!

>When I replaced her phone with a new one it took about 4-5 hrs total of being on the phone with Tracfone techs, over a period of a week, just to get her minutes transferred and the phone activated.

>Once ALL of her minutes just disappeared off of her phone. Poof gone! And her phone lays shut-off, idle in her purse 99% of the time. More time on the phone with Tracfone reps to get the minutes added back on.

>And just tonight I called to ask for a receipt or some other record of the online (tracfone site) purchase I made last week of 1 yr of airtime and the minutes that came with that. The airtime/minutes were added to the phone but I have no record of the transaction. It's not available to view online when I log-on to her account and the email they sent just said, "thanks for your airtime purchase". No confirmation email of the transaction details was sent and not available on her account to copy and save. Customer Service told me that it's their policy that THEY keep the records of the transaction. They do not supply the transaction details to the customer. When was the last time you bought something and the cashier said, "I'm not giving you any receipt. The store will be keeping the record of the purchase details"? What reputable, normal company does NOT supply the customer with a record of the transaction when there is money exchanged? Tracfone rep actually told me my credit card statement is my receipt! Ummm that doesn't indicate how much airtime and how many minutes I purchased!! Simply says Tracfone and gives the total of the amount charged.

>And one last thing.... The call centers are in a foreign land. Not unusual, I know, but the English spoken by these Tracfone reps is exceptionally difficult to understand! It's embarrassing and frustrating to have to constantly have to ask them to repeat what they said.

I would strongly recommend you steer clear of Tracfone. Google "Tracfone reviews"

 

[elaine amj]

I had to post here bc I just had yet another issue with Tracfone just this evening!!
I have a tracfone for my elderly mom and at first it was great. But...as of about 1-2 yrs ago I've had nothing but trouble. Not with the phone itself but with the service!

>When I replaced her phone with a new one it took about 4-5 hrs total of being on the phone with Tracfone techs, over a period of a week, just to get her minutes transferred and the phone activated.

>Once ALL of her minutes just disappeared off of her phone. Poof gone! And her phone lays shut-off, idle in her purse 99% of the time. More time on the phone with Tracfone reps to get the minutes added back on.

>And just tonight I called to ask for a receipt or some other record of the online (tracfone site) purchase I made last week of 1 yr of airtime and the minutes that came with that. The airtime/minutes were added to the phone but I have no record of the transaction. It's not available to view online when I log-on to her account and the email they sent just said, "thanks for your airtime purchase". No confirmation email of the transaction details was sent and not available on her account to copy and save. Customer Service told me that it's their policy that THEY keep the records of the transaction. They do not supply the transaction details to the customer. When was the last time you bought something and the cashier said, "I'm not giving you any receipt. The store will be keeping the record of the purchase details"? What reputable, normal company does NOT supply the customer with a record of the transaction when there is money exchanged? Tracfone rep actually told me my credit card statement is my receipt! Ummm that doesn't indicate how much airtime and how many minutes I purchased!! Simply says Tracfone and gives the total of the amount charged.

>And one last thing.... The call centers are in a foreign land. Not unusual, I know, but the English spoken by these Tracfone reps is exceptionally difficult to understand! It's embarrassing and frustrating to have to constantly have to ask them to repeat what they said.

I would strongly recommend you steer clear of Tracfone. Google "Tracfone reviews"

UGH - that's awful!!

I must say, I was VERY impressed with Truphone's customer service. I had some trouble when setting up my phone and called and spoke to a very nice lady in the Philippines who spoke excellent English (most Filipinas do). I had some further difficulties and had to call back..she took VERY good care of me and ended up reimbursing me my activation fee (as extra credit) to make up for some of the problems I was having. I didn't have the time to sit around to wait for a resolution so she said she would email/call me the moment my issue was resolved. An hour or two later, she contacted me and all worked as she promised. I was very pleased.

It is absolutely the best plan I could find for super limited use - 9 cents a minute/text/MB with NO minimums or top ups needed. Everything else I could find would cost more in the long run because of the minimums.

 

[Accident]

What phone does she have now? If it's something with wifi and apps, turn off the phone service and get her a google voice number (it's free). catch 22, it only works if your connected to wifi. Chances are your home internet provider has some included wifi network you just need to help her connect to.. plus side, as required by fcc, every phone even without service has to be able to dial 911 so she'll still have emergency ability.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We got our son (just turned 13) a cell phone for his birthday. We got it from Woot and it uses the FreedomPop service. We got him a Galaxy S3 for about $80, and the basic service is free. He gets I think 200 phone minutes, 400 texts and a half-gig of data every month and there's no charge. We figured that's enough for him at this point in time. I originally signed him up to have voicemail for $2.50/month but he said he wouldn't use it, so I cancelled it and no more monthly charges. The catch is, the phone doesn't have nationwide service, but it covers our whole area, so that's adequate. When he gets close to his monthly allotment of minutes or data, he can't use any more (but he can still use wifi). So far, he likes having the phone and I like the price.

 

[C-CMom]

I have my IPhone 5S on AT&T Gophone plan. I do 10 cents a minute plan. I load $25 on my account when I need to keep my service active. It's good for 90 days and the money not used adds up. You can purchase a text plan for $5 out of that money if wanted, I have a few times. I tend to just pay the per text charge out of my loaded money as I text so rarely. And I'm almost always around wifi so don't normally need data.
I did need data for a trip we went on so I switched online in my account for that month to the $45 month unlimited talk text and data. Then when my renewal time came up I just switched back to the 10 cent plan. I'll do this again for our Disney trip.

Prettypatchesmsu,
I use the ATT GoPhone plans in a similar way you do and find this economical and plenty for my needs. There was a time that ATT wouldn't let you easily switch back off the monthly plan, but there are better options now, as you said. Can you tell me please did you buy the iPhone directly from ATT or was it unlocked from elsewhere?
Thanks

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

Prettypatchesmsu,
I use the ATT GoPhone plans in a similar way you do and find this economical and plenty for my needs. There was a time that ATT wouldn't let you easily switch back off the monthly plan, but there are better options now, as you said. Can you tell me please did you buy the iPhone directly from ATT or was it unlocked from elsewhere?
Thanks

I actually bought my iphone used from a seller on Amazon. It was when the iphone 6 came out and so many were selling, so I got a like new one on there. Just had to make sure it was at&t since I was going to put it on gophone. I then just got a mini sim card from my local at&t store and set it up on a gophone plan over the phone. It was really easy. I've been really happy with my phone.

 

[C-CMom]

I actually bought my iphone used from a seller on Amazon.

Thanks

 

[JB2K]

I am curious to those that use tracphone, are you in a heavy AT&T area? My grandparents are in need of a phone and I have been searching plans. They would only use it to call when traveling 4-5 times a year and to carry in the car for emergencies. My gram also thinks she might like to have a phone with a camera in it. No texting or data needed. The catch is we are in a primarily AT&T area so if there is poor service on AT&t towers it would be useless. Also as far as I have read the tracphone minutes seem to expire rather quickly. I am also looking at go phone from AT&T added to my plan. Just wondering what others may have found.

I live on the fringes of a major midwestern city, and I keep a TracFone (simple flip phone) as a spare -- works flawlessly on the AT&T network, though your coverage/towers may vary, depending-upon where you live...

 

[robinb]

We have BoostMobile and VirginMobile and we are very happy with their service. Both of them use the Sprint towers. DH has BoostMobile and I had VirginMobile. We recently gave DS my iPhone and I got a new one on BoostMobile. We pay by the month but have unlimited text, talk and data (although the data does slow down after we max out.) DS likes to watch YouTube so he managed to hit 85% of his data in about 10 days but then it is on him when it slows to crawl.

My DD also had BoostMobile on her iPhone and she also reaches her data max pretty early in her month due to Netflix. I pay $35 per month for unlimited tax & text and 2.5 GB high speed data.

If Sprint doesn't work in your area, I can also suggest Consumer Cellular which works on AT&T and Page Plus Cellular that works on Verizon.

This website helps you select a cell phone plan:
http://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Cell-Phone-Plans-Buying-Guide

 

[My3Princez]

I agree with you Dawn, the punishment in my house would be no data. (Not telling you what you should do OP)
I use Page Plus ($30 for 3000 text, 1200 minutes and 10MB of data) but my ds12 just bought an iphone to use on AT&T. Its $30 a month for unlimited talk and text and has no data plan, but after this first month I'm switching it to the 10 cents a minute plan. Its not because he's being punished, I just don't think he has a need for data, he can use wi-fi if its available and if not he can survive without internet access.

Just a correction for anyone reading this thread: Page Plus $30 plan is 3000 texts, 1200 minutes, and 500MB of data - not 10. I love my Page Plus!