Virgin Mobile or Tracfone?

[ddawg]

Which is better or less expensive Virgin Mobile or Tracfone? Some of my calls will be phone to phone in Orlando (I plan on buying 2 phones). I will also be placing and receiving calls to/from Canada. Please help me decide. I don't have a pay pal account , so I will stop at Walmart or Target when I get to Orlando. Which is easier to find in the stores and which is less expensive to use?

 

[OntFamily]

I found Tracfone is less expensive, especially in calls back to Canada.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I have a Tracfone so I can only speak to that.

Tracfone has a 1-800 # that will let you make long distance calls to Canada without paying the long distance charges. You can get codes online that will give you extra minutes, usually about 60, on the phone when you add the airtime card. The phones are crazy cheap, we paid $10 for ours. I have been happy with the one we have but we have hardly used it. It was purchased originally because we were driving to FL and my home cell is a prepaid, so it doesn't work in the US. The only negative that I'm aware of is that you can't buy airtime online with a Canadian credit card. The airtime starts at $20 for 60 minutes, but like I said you can get codes that will give you free minutes.


I do know that the Virign mobile products are available at the DTD Virgin store.

 

[cslittle999]

I do know that the Virign mobile products are available at the DTD Virgin store.

The Virgin store at DTD is closing some time around the end of May.

 

[taycreekcropper]

We are flying out of Portland, in April and we are spending the night before in Bangor so I plan to hit Wal-Mart or Target and buy myself a Virgin mobile phone, the TNT works in Florida, Maine and in Vermont (Virgin Mobile has assured me). My DH hunts Turkey in Vermont in May so he can top this up when he drives down a month later.

I checked out the Tracfone and the pro's and con's swayed me back to Virgin.

I guess I won't know until I give it a whirl.

 

[disneyred]

The Virgin store at DTD is closing some time around the end of May.

Does anyone know what will take the place of this store ??

 

[Mishnogramjo]

Have you thought of a T-mobile pay and go SIM card account? If you have an unlocked phone around, its $6.99 for the SIM card and seems like their per minute rates are reasonable (can get it mailed directly to the place you're staying and top off online or by phone). As far as the back to canada calls, I have used skype for years and have called back home from the US to Asia with no problems ($3.00/moth for unlimited calls to US and Canada). I have even used the web cam features to call home and talk to my kids.

We use GSM unlocked phones here so we'll just be getting some cheap sim cards and minutes (unlimited call between T-mobile customers) so that my wife and I can call each other in case we get separated.

 

[disneyred]

Have you thought of a T-mobile pay and go SIM card account? If you have an unlocked phone around, its $6.99 for the SIM card and seems like their per minute rates are reasonable (can get it mailed directly to the place you're staying and top off online or by phone). As far as the back to canada calls, I have used skype for years and have called back home from the US to Asia with no problems ($3.00/moth for unlimited calls to US and Canada). I have even used the web cam features to call home and talk to my kids.

We use GSM unlocked phones here so we'll just be getting some cheap sim cards and minutes (unlimited call between T-mobile customers) so that my wife and I can call each other in case we get separated.

can you actually buy these 6.99 sim cards in person or do you have to order it online... don't know if they would accept canadian address?

 

[ddawg]

How do I know if my cell phone is unlocked?????????????????????

I don't think this is for me. I know nothing about cell phone innards

I could end up with a huge bill if I tried this one.

 

[cslittle999]

Does anyone know what will take the place of this store ??

There have been no announcements so far. My guess is that this caught Disney by surprise. Virgin is closing all of their megastores in the US.

 

[cslittle999]

How do I know if my cell phone is unlocked?????????????????????

I don't think this is for me. I know nothing about cell phone innards

I could end up with a huge bill if I tried this one.

If you don't know then it's almost assuredly locked. Cell phone companies lock cell phones to ensure that you'll stay with them and not switch companies for a better deal with their discounted phone. There are lots of places that will unlock a phone for a charge. If you put a different sim card in a locked pheon it simply won't work. No worry about extra changes.

 

[beavdisfan]

i bought virgin mobile at the 7-11 on vineland rd near the main dis. entrance.
$20.00 and it came with $10.00 talktime.
great little phone.

 

[mississaugamom]

My DH and I both bought Virgin Mobile phones and the one-year top up plan so we don't have to worry about the $ or phone numbers expiring for a year at a time. Our connection rate (pay as you go) per minute is $0.20 anywhere in the US and $0.35 back to Canada. We bought the phones at Best Buy in Buffalo and paid $15 for one and $20 for the other (my husband wanted a display on the outside of his flip phone).

We're in the US several times a year, and it's nice to have a phone number the relatives at home can consistently reach us on.

Arlene

 

[declansdad]

We are flying out of Portland, in April and we are spending the night before in Bangor so I plan to hit Wal-Mart or Target and buy myself a Virgin mobile phone, the TNT works in Florida, Maine and in Vermont (Virgin Mobile has assured me). My DH hunts Turkey in Vermont in May so he can top this up when he drives down a month later.

I checked out the Tracfone and the pro's and con's swayed me back to Virgin.

I guess I won't know until I give it a whirl.

If you go to Target in Bangor, make sure you have all your information beforehand. We went in last summer to purchase a Tracfone for the same reason and they had no clue if it would work the way we wanted it to. They even called the support line and they weren't much help. In the end we left without getting anything.

 

[cey]

We used our Tracfone a lot last year and it worked like a charm. Does anyone know if it is true that they will work in Canada if you live in a border city? I would like to know before I add some air time to try it out?

 

[taycreekcropper]

I can't tell you about the tracfone working in Canada but it appears many people have used them in WDW and they work perfectly. I am very pleased to hear this.

With regards to service I have spoke to many people and the Virgin and Tracfone works very well and serves our purpose cross boarder travelling.

Good Luck with having it work in Canada, although I would imagine the tower service would need to be very close to the border? We cross the boarder enough (or family) that having this phone will save everyone and whoever uses it will top up the minutes.

 

[kellyla]

We used our Tracfone a lot last year and it worked like a charm. Does anyone know if it is true that they will work in Canada if you live in a border city? I would like to know before I add some air time to try it out?

I lose my Tracfone's signal soon after crossing the border in Fort Erie.

Also dont forget with Tracfone you can get a Canadian phone number so people can call you and it will be a local call to them.I have a Hamilton number so my kids can call us and there is no long distance charge for them.

 

[ddawg]

How do you get a Canadian phone number with Tracfone? Does that mean if we call each other and we are both in orlando with our tracfones then we have to pay the long distance rate to Canada or is there another number for that?

 

[redrosesix]

Haven't used Tracfone, but if you are going with Virgin Mobile US, it's easiest to order them online and have them delivered to your resort -- shipping is free within the US

 

[dancin Disney style]

How do you get a Canadian phone number with Tracfone? Does that mean if we call each other and we are both in orlando with our tracfones then we have to pay the long distance rate to Canada or is there another number for that?

The Canadian number is a special long distance thing. You go online and register your Tracfone to get a number that friends in Canada can use to call you. It is a local number for Canadians to not have to pay long distance. It has nothing to do with where the phone is.

I hope that makes sense.


Someone mentioned having the phone shipped to the resort in FL. You can do that with just about anything that you buy online.