New Cell Phone for Gift - have ?s

[Minnie824]

Ok, my parents don't have a cell phone, so we wanted to get them one for a Christmas gift. I need something easy to use, and don't really care which provider we use - just whoever has the best deal. They really won't use it much, just more for emergency, so I'm looking for the free phone, and cheapest plan type stuff. Anyone know of any good deals out there for the holidays?

 

[RUDisney]

Not sure which company is best. We saw a good deal for my parents a few years ago and my Mom went from a person who wouldn't use a cell phone much to a cell phone junkie. Alot of that has to do with the fact that she doesn't have to pay for the long distance calls to my brother or sister.

One thing I'll caution about, though, is that you will have to give all of your information to setup the account and they'll tell you how simple it is to change the account into your parents' names later. Well, I hooked them up with Cellular One, who is now AT&T and it took multiple tries and about 6 months to finally get them to process the paperwork properly to finish the switch. Other than that, my parents are more than satisfied with their phone and account.

 

[Lurieh]

You'll have to check around for deals since almost every major cell company will offer free phones with varying plans. T-mobile and Verizon are pretty popular with good phones and reasonable rate plans. Of course, your service may differ depending on where you live.

I know that T-mobile has a pretty good basic plan of $19.99 for 60 minutes a month. They do offer free phones, but you have to have a plan of at least 29.99 a month. You'll most likely see this kind of thing with any company.

Also note that your "free" phone will come with activation fee if you don't sign a long term contract(usually 2 years). T-Mobile charges $25.00 I think.

Keep in mind, that a free phone might sound like a good deal now, but in the long run might cost you more. A free phone with a 2-year contract of $29.99, will cost you more than a $50.00 phone with a 2-year contract of $19.99. Just a thought.

Dave