Lowest cost for very occasional use?

I visit the USA about 5 times a year (usually for about a week) and would
like to get a local cellphone, as the roaming charges on my UK phone are
horrendous. I was wondering what the best solution would be for a very low
user?. I need the phone to stay valid for a long time (preferably 365 days)
in case I'm not in the US to renew it - unless you can recharge it online. I
also need a local number and reasonable call charges to/from the UK.

I'd prefer a GSM network, as I could buy a cheap phone and just use the SIM
with my own phone when I'm over but this isn't vital.

Can anyone give me some advice on what might be best and what I should
expect to pay?

TIA

Liam

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Telephoneman wrote:
> I visit the USA about 5 times a year (usually for about a week) and would
> like to get a local cellphone, as the roaming charges on my UK phone are
> horrendous. I was wondering what the best solution would be for a very low
> user?. I need the phone to stay valid for a long time (preferably 365 days)
> in case I'm not in the US to renew it - unless you can recharge it online. I
> also need a local number and reasonable call charges to/from the UK.
>
> I'd prefer a GSM network, as I could buy a cheap phone and just use the SIM
> with my own phone when I'm over but this isn't vital.
>
> Can anyone give me some advice on what might be best and what I should
> expect to pay?

Your cheapest GSM option would be 7-11's Speak Out. You have to buy $25
per year in airtime. They deduct $1.25 per month ($15 per year)
automatically. It's on the Cingular GSM network, which is much better
than the T-Mobile GSM network (T-Mobile prepaid cannot use the Cingular
Network even though T-Mobile postpaid can). You have to buy one of their
phones, but then you can use the SIM in any phone you want. It's 20¢ per
minute. You can recharge on-line, but you only have to add time once a
year. So it'd cost you $25 per year for $10 worth of talk time at 20¢
per minute (50 minutes), once you deduct the monthly charges. You must
make a call at least every 120 day, which could be a problem for you.

No web site, see "http://www.cellguru.net/speakout.htm" for details.


PagePlus CDMA has much better coverage, as they use Verizon's CDMA
network, plus you can roam onto analog and other CDMA networks. It'd
cost you $30 per year (you have to add $10 worth of time every 120
days). They deduct 50¢ per month automatically ($6 per year). So it's
cost you $30 per year for $24 worth of talk time at 14¢ per minute, or
about 171 minutes (higher value cards cost less per minute). You must be
in the U.S. to add time (even though you can buy the prepaid cards
on-line, you must add time by connecting to their network).

PagePlus is the best deal, with better coverage, and much lower cost per
minute, as well as lower monthly fees. But you do have to add value
every 120 days (you cannot do this online, you buy the card online, but
you must connect to their network to enter the code that adds the
minutes). So you'd have to be sure to get to the US every four months.
You also have to get a Verizon CDMA phone (you can buy these at Target,
just buy a Verizon prepaid phone for Verizon's service, but activate it
on PagePlus. BE CERTAIN TO BUY A TRI-MODE PHONE, NOT AN ALL-DIGITAL PHONE!

PagePlus activation costs $5-10 (you buy the activation kit from an
independent reseller, of which there are plenty of on eBay).

http://www.pagepluscellular.com/


T-Mobile's prepaid is more expensive per year, and has poorer coverage,
but you only have to add time once a year, and you don't have to make
any calls to keep your account active. It's limited to the T-Mobile
network which is not great (T-Mobile postpaid can roam onto Cingular in
areas where T-Mobile has no service, but prepaid can't roam onto
Cingular). Still, if you're only in major metro areas, T-Mobile prepaid
would work. A one year prepaid card is $100 (lower value cards have
shorter expiration dates). I don't think that you have to make any calls
to keep the account active. Once you start off with a $100 card, you are
"instant gold" and then even smaller value cards have the one year
expiration date, so the yearly cost comes way down.

See "http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/default.aspx?plancategory=4"


None of these carriers has good deals for international calls. Sign up
with onesuite.com or talkloop.com for international calls, and use a pay
phone when possible to save minutes on your wireless.

So in conclusion, if you can't be sure to be in the U.S. at least every
120 days, and as long as you are visiting areas where T-Mobile actually
has coverage (they have a much more limited network than Cingular),
T-Mobile is the way to go.

If you can be sure to be in the U.S. every 120 days, go with Page Plus
for better coverage and lower yearly cost. Worst case, you'd have to
reactivate with a new account and new phone number (assuming they let
you do this).

SMS wrote:

> Your cheapest GSM option would be 7-11's Speak Out. You have to buy $25
> per year in airtime. They deduct $1.25 per month ($15 per year)
> automatically. It's on the Cingular GSM network, which is much better
> than the T-Mobile GSM network (T-Mobile prepaid cannot use the Cingular
> Network even though T-Mobile postpaid can). You have to buy one of their
> phones, but then you can use the SIM in any phone you want. It's 20¢ per
> minute. You can recharge on-line, but you only have to add time once a
> year.

Oops, I meant to say you CAN'T recharge online. You have to add time
from the phone.

"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> PagePlus is the best deal, with better coverage, and much lower cost
> per minute, as well as lower monthly fees. But you do have to add
> value every 120 days (you cannot do this online, you buy the card
> online, but you must connect to their network to enter the code that
> adds the minutes).

I have put 2 phones on Page Plus Cellular in the last couple months.
For the first one
I had to go to a retail outlet, which was a pain. The second one I did
completely
over the phone, just calling their customer service. Bought a $25
"card" in the
same conversation, putting it on Visa. My wife topped up hers by
phone, putting
it on VIsa. IOW, Page Plus is getting better, but still doesn't offer
automatic
top-up like Virgin.

Ed wrote:

<snip>

> it on VIsa. IOW, Page Plus is getting better, but still doesn't offer
> automatic
> top-up like Virgin.

I bought a PagePlus activation kit on eBay for $7 (other sellers have
them for $10 and one had one for $5. I activated it without calling
anyone. This was this past Friday, and the activation code was e-mailed
to me on Saturday morning.

I don't think that there is any way to add time without calling from the
wireless phone that's on the PagePlus network.

Yes, automatic top-up would be a good feature, but I'll take PagePlus
and their coverage, over Virgin's automatic top-up on a network with
poorer coverage.

I know OneSuite offers cell phone rates that are pretty darn good -- .17
to call the U.K. from the U.S. via cell phone. I would rent a phone and
use OneSuite. I do this exact exchange when I travel to the U.K. a few
times a year.

Jerry

JER wrote:
> I know OneSuite offers cell phone rates that are pretty darn good -- .17
> to call the U.K. from the U.S. via cell phone. I would rent a phone and
> use OneSuite. I do this exact exchange when I travel to the U.K. a few
> times a year.

Is renting a phone in the UK cheaper than buying a prepaid SIM card?

I know that in Taiwan, prepaid SIM cards are very cheap, I buy one at
7-11 when I get over there. In Korea, phone rental was pretty
inexpensive, and since they're CDMA you can't just stick a prepaid SIM
into your own phone (though one carrier lets you put your own SIM into
one of their phones, keeping your own number, but at a high price).

> PagePlus CDMA has much better coverage, as they use Verizon's CDMA
> network, plus you can roam onto analog and other CDMA networks. It'd cost
> you $30 per year (you have to add $10 worth of time every 120 days).

I agree.

Get a tri-mode Inpulse phone at Walmart. I got the Audiovox flip-phone for
$80 and love it. Activation with 100 mins is $7 on ebay. The best place to
add time is on the Page Plus Cellular web site. They will give you a PIN
right on the site (as well as e-mail it) and only charge about $1.somthing
tax. The $25 PIN gives you 200 minutes/4 months. This is the BEST deal in
the USA for light users.

IP

IP Daley wrote:
>> PagePlus CDMA has much better coverage, as they use Verizon's CDMA
>> network, plus you can roam onto analog and other CDMA networks. It'd cost
>> you $30 per year (you have to add $10 worth of time every 120 days).
>
> I agree.
>
> Get a tri-mode Inpulse phone at Walmart. I got the Audiovox flip-phone for
> $80 and love it. Activation with 100 mins is $7 on ebay. The best place to
> add time is on the Page Plus Cellular web site. They will give you a PIN
> right on the site (as well as e-mail it) and only charge about $1.somthing
> tax. The $25 PIN gives you 200 minutes/4 months. This is the BEST deal in
> the USA for light users.

I got the V276 Tri-Mode at Target. It was on sale for $70. I guess there
is no way to send photos on PagePlus, but this is a good thing, since I
gave the PagePlus phone to my daughter.

"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> IP Daley wrote:
>>> PagePlus CDMA has much better coverage, as they use Verizon's CDMA
>>> network, plus you can roam onto analog and other CDMA networks. It'd
>>> cost you $30 per year (you have to add $10 worth of time every 120
>>> days).
>>
>> I agree.
>>
>> Get a tri-mode Inpulse phone at Walmart. I got the Audiovox flip-phone
>> for $80 and love it. Activation with 100 mins is $7 on ebay. The best
>> place to add time is on the Page Plus Cellular web site. They will give
>> you a PIN right on the site (as well as e-mail it) and only charge about
>> $1.somthing tax. The $25 PIN gives you 200 minutes/4 months. This is the
>> BEST deal in the USA for light users.
>
> I got the V276 Tri-Mode at Target. It was on sale for $70. I guess there
> is no way to send photos on PagePlus, but this is a good thing, since I
> gave the PagePlus phone to my daughter.

Great price for that Moto camera phone. I considered it but the phone is
kinda "plastique". You should be able to get a USB cable on eBay to d/l pics
and upload ringtones and wallpaper and sync your addres book.

IP

"BE CERTAIN TO BUY A TRI-MODE PHONE, NOT AN ALL-DIGITAL PHONE!"

Why is this? I've been thinking of buying the Nokia 6236i, which is
all digital, to put on Page Plus. I've never used Page Plus so don't
know much about it. Would this phone not work with it? The next
alternative is to get the Nokia 6256i, but it is much more expensive
and I don't think the phone is as sturdy. It is tri-mode.

"miranda.duval" wrote:
>
> "BE CERTAIN TO BUY A TRI-MODE PHONE, NOT AN ALL-DIGITAL PHONE!"
>
> Why is this? I've been thinking of buying the Nokia 6236i, which is
> all digital, to put on Page Plus. I've never used Page Plus so don't
> know much about it. Would this phone not work with it? The next
> alternative is to get the Nokia 6256i, but it is much more expensive
> and I don't think the phone is as sturdy. It is tri-mode.

Depending on your whereabouts, there are still plenty of locations that
are analog-only. With an all-digital phone, you'd be SOL.

Notan

IP Daley wrote:

>> I got the V276 Tri-Mode at Target. It was on sale for $70. I guess there
>> is no way to send photos on PagePlus, but this is a good thing, since I
>> gave the PagePlus phone to my daughter.
>
> Great price for that Moto camera phone. I considered it but the phone is
> kinda "plastique".

Yes, the V276 does seem a bit cheapish. But I wanted something that
would work in my MPHFCK, and that's the last tri-mode Motorola that
works. We have three V276's now, and they've been fine so far.

The V325 is a better phone, but doesn't work with the MPHFCK.

MPHFCK=Motorola Professional Hands Free Car Kit.

miranda.duval wrote:
> "BE CERTAIN TO BUY A TRI-MODE PHONE, NOT AN ALL-DIGITAL PHONE!"
>
> Why is this? I've been thinking of buying the Nokia 6236i, which is
> all digital, to put on Page Plus. I've never used Page Plus so don't
> know much about it. Would this phone not work with it? The next
> alternative is to get the Nokia 6256i, but it is much more expensive
> and I don't think the phone is as sturdy. It is tri-mode.

Any CDMA phone that is for Verizon will work. You'll just have a lot
less coverage with an all-digital phone, especially if you ever venture
outside the urban or suburban core.

miranda.duval wrote:
> "BE CERTAIN TO BUY A TRI-MODE PHONE, NOT AN ALL-DIGITAL PHONE!"

I love the marketing spin.

"All digital" suggests that it is good because they have eliminated that
undesirable analog stuff. (Like "100% polyunsaturated fat".)

Whereas "Digital Only" would have the spin that it is limited in some
way and missing something (which it is).