Your thoughts on pre-paid and also on best service/reception ??

I recently switched from Cingular to Verizon for my own phone and it's
wonderful. It works everywhere that I want to go. And I have the Motorola
V325 phone. I'm not 100% sure if all this great reception is because Verizon
happens to have more towers here but this phone sure seems to be great at
getting signal in the remotest of places.

ANYWAY,

My mom has had Cingular for two years. She has thousands of "roll-over"
minutes because the phone never seems to have service. Paying all that
monthly money for a phone she doesn't use has turned her off to monthly
plans. And another friend of her's has a TracFone so now my mom is convinced
that TracFone is the way to go.

I don't know much about TracFones or other pre-paid phones. Do they use one
particular brand's towers or do they have their own or what? Is the
reception as good?

I'd rather she pay $40/month and actually be able to use the phone sometimes
rather than pay less and still get no reception.

She will be using the phone around our area (where my Verizon works well)
but also for two months down in Florida (Zip code 32162). I have no idea
what phone would work best there.

Well, any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

"jabadoodle" <jabadoodle@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:45637101$0$97214$892e7fe2@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net:

> She will be using the phone around our area (where my Verizon works
> well) but also for two months down in Florida (Zip code 32162). I
> have no idea what phone would work best there.
>
>

AS she uses the phone so little, why not put Mom on a family sharing plan
on YOUR phone for a few extra bucks/month on Verizon? You'll be able to
talk to her anytime for free on your plan with free m2m. She'll be able
to talk to anyone on your free nights/weekends minutes without hitting
your plan minutes. She gets the good coverage VZW seems to have in your
area. She'll also get a New Every Two phone on your plan. What's to
lose?

Being a Verizon customer, you're already FORCED into a nationwide
coverage plan you probably don't need, so when she goes to Florida it
won't cost you any more. From Florida, she can still call you on free
M2M minutes, 24/7.

Wouldn't that make more sense and be cheaper for all? Let her pay you
half what she's paying Cingular, now, which is more than her added phone
and number are going to cost you from VZW....right? Win-win situation!

Of course, a GOOD son would simply give her a new VZW phone on his plan
for Christmas and let her keep her money......(c; The fringe benefits
are PRICELESS!

Larry
--
Turkeys will be cheaper, Friday morning...(sigh)

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Larry wrote:
> "jabadoodle" <jabadoodle@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:45637101$0$97214$892e7fe2@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net:
>
> > She will be using the phone around our area (where my Verizon works
> > well) but also for two months down in Florida (Zip code 32162). I
> > have no idea what phone would work best there.
> >
> >
>
> AS she uses the phone so little, why not put Mom on a family sharing plan
> on YOUR phone for a few extra bucks/month on Verizon? You'll be able to
> talk to her anytime for free on your plan with free m2m. She'll be able
> to talk to anyone on your free nights/weekends minutes without hitting
> your plan minutes. She gets the good coverage VZW seems to have in your
> area. She'll also get a New Every Two phone on your plan. What's to
> lose?
>
> Being a Verizon customer, you're already FORCED into a nationwide
> coverage plan you probably don't need, so when she goes to Florida it
> won't cost you any more. From Florida, she can still call you on free
> M2M minutes, 24/7.
>
> Wouldn't that make more sense and be cheaper for all? Let her pay you
> half what she's paying Cingular, now, which is more than her added phone
> and number are going to cost you from VZW....right? Win-win situation!
>
> Of course, a GOOD son would simply give her a new VZW phone on his plan
> for Christmas and let her keep her money......(c; The fringe benefits
> are PRICELESS!
>
> Larry
> --
> Turkeys will be cheaper, Friday morning...(sigh)

Hey Larry,

Not a totally bad idea on her sharing my line.

Thanks for the idea.

Larry,

Again, thanks for the idea. Just thinking this through some:

I currently pay Verizon $40/month (+ fees, etc.)
The cheapest family 2-phone plan is $70/month.
So it would be $30 more expense on my plan.
She pays Cingular about $40/month (+fees, etc.)
So it would be less than she pays now, but still substantial.
She'd be paying $30 * 12 = $360/year for a cell phone.

I'm still left wondering if Pre-Pay might be less expensive in her case.

As for WHO pays. I'm happy to do it. But she has more money than
I do...and it's hard to get her to let me pay for anything for her...

"jabadoodle" <jabadoodle@yahoo.com> wrote in news:4564d3c6$0$97246$892e7fe2
@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net:

> Hey Larry,
>
> Not a totally bad idea on her sharing my line.
>
> Thanks for the idea.
>
>

I know a whole family of light users sharing one family plan. It saves
them all a lot of money....(c;



Larry
--
Turkeys will be cheaper, Friday morning...(sigh)

"jabadoodle" <jabadoodle@yahoo.com> wrote in news:4564d502$0$97263
$892e7fe2@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net:

> Again, thanks for the idea. Just thinking this through some:
>
> I currently pay Verizon $40/month (+ fees, etc.)
> The cheapest family 2-phone plan is $70/month.
> So it would be $30 more expense on my plan.
> She pays Cingular about $40/month (+fees, etc.)
> So it would be less than she pays now, but still substantial.
> She'd be paying $30 * 12 = $360/year for a cell phone.
>
> I'm still left wondering if Pre-Pay might be less expensive in her
case.
>
> As for WHO pays. I'm happy to do it. But she has more money than
> I do...and it's hard to get her to let me pay for anything for her...
>
>
>

Are you taking into account all those minutes the two of you are using
plan minutes to interconnect, now, that will be FREE M2M minutes, THEN?

Even $10 x 12 = $120...a substantial savings even if VZW and her Cingular
have the same coverage....which you say Cingular sucks.

She'll really appreciate the wonderful Christmas gift. Try to get her
the SIMPLEST of the glitz phones with BIG BUTTONS and BIG NUMBERS as us
old folks have trouble seeing and our fingers don't point so good as you
yung'uns, ya know...

Tell her I said, "Merry Christmas". After all, how much did she spend
raisin' a kid-like-you...oh, the bills, tuitions....(shudder)....(c; She
put up with a LOT!

Larry
--
Turkeys will be cheaper, Friday morning...(sigh)

In article <45637101$0$97214$892e7fe2@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net>, jabadoodle@yahoo.com says...
>
> I recently switched from Cingular to Verizon for my own phone and it's
> wonderful. It works everywhere that I want to go. And I have the Motorola
> V325 phone. I'm not 100% sure if all this great reception is because Verizon
> happens to have more towers here but this phone sure seems to be great at
> getting signal in the remotest of places.
>
> ANYWAY,
>
> My mom has had Cingular for two years. She has thousands of "roll-over"
> minutes because the phone never seems to have service. Paying all that
> monthly money for a phone she doesn't use has turned her off to monthly
> plans. And another friend of her's has a TracFone so now my mom is convinced
> that TracFone is the way to go.
>
> I don't know much about TracFones or other pre-paid phones. Do they use one
> particular brand's towers or do they have their own or what? Is the
> reception as good?
>
> I'd rather she pay $40/month and actually be able to use the phone sometimes
> rather than pay less and still get no reception.
>
> She will be using the phone around our area (where my Verizon works well)
> but also for two months down in Florida (Zip code 32162). I have no idea
> what phone would work best there.
>
> Well, any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
>
>
>
i guess it all depends on where she lives and travels to but i got a
t-mobile prepaid nokia 6010 at walmart in jan 06 and added 1000 min
for 100 bucks, a total of 140 bucks for the year. i still have an hour left.
t-mobile has a very good online coverage map to see if she would have
service in areas she would most likely be in. so anyway, it's just learning
to talk less but say more. i'm looking at a litle over 10 bucks a month
and it has worked like a charm whenever i used it.