Prepaid Cell Service

Crash11 · 01-10-2006, 05:51 AM

Hey guys I'm new to this forum. I'm glad I found this because I haven't been able to get this questioned answered for quite some time now. Here is the situation.....

I have a Cingular service right now, and it's absolutely terrible. However, I'm stuck with it because I don't want to start up a new service and sign a contract. At the same time I'm building a house which is very close to being done, and I'm going to be getting a land line service through SBC. Thus, I want to cancel my cell phone service, but I would like to have something to keep in my car for emergencies. Basically, anywhere I go there is a phone available to me except when I'm in my car. I just hate the idea of paying $45 a month for a phone I'll use maybe 50 minutes. Now, I understand there are prepaid calling cards and such, but how does that work? I got the impression those are mostly for people calling long distance a lot that don't have national plans.

Brad729 · 01-10-2006, 06:59 AM

with prepaid phones you pay a higher per-minute rate and you don't get a lot of the features of a contract phone. but for what you need it sounds like a good solution. just make sure you pick one that gets good reception in your area, and since you will be using it so little, make sure the airtime lasts at least 90 days before expiring. i don't see your location listed in your profile, so i have no idea who would be the dominant prepaid carrier in your areas. some of the bigger prepaid companies are cingular's go-phone, t-mobile's pay-go, virgin mobile, boost (boost is prepaid nextel).

then you have a large selection of smaller companies, well Tracfone and Net10 are not such a small company but they get mixed reviews depending on who you talk to. a while back i used locusmobile.com for years. there are a lot to choose from and the biggest factors you should consider are, a) who covers your region best, b) who has the best per-minute rates, and c) who has the longest-lasting airtime (i have seen some that expire in 30 days). i hope this helps... use the CPF search to read old threads about the different prepaids and you should have a better idea of who to go with.

skier8848 · 01-10-2006, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crash11

Hey guys I'm new to this forum. I'm glad I found this because I haven't been able to get this questioned answered for quite some time now. Here is the situation.....

I have a Cingular service right now, and it's absolutely terrible. However, I'm stuck with it because I don't want to start up a new service and sign a contract. At the same time I'm building a house which is very close to being done, and I'm going to be getting a land line service through SBC. Thus, I want to cancel my cell phone service, but I would like to have something to keep in my car for emergencies. Basically, anywhere I go there is a phone available to me except when I'm in my car. I just hate the idea of paying $45 a month for a phone I'll use maybe 50 minutes. Now, I understand there are prepaid calling cards and such, but how does that work? I got the impression those are mostly for people calling long distance a lot that don't have national plans.

For the most part i agree with everything written in the previous post. Since cingular doesn't seem to do it for you in terms of service quality, i would recommend trying CDMA service coverage... Meaning something that operates on the Verizon network. For best results i would look into locus platinum. Make sure you check out the resellers (of locus), they tend to offer better deals, better then the parent companies do a lot of the time.

If you were to use a CDMA network you would need to purchase a new phone. many companies have very cheap phones available for people who have the similar needs as you and don't want to spend lots of money on a fancy phone. If you decide to stay on the GSM network, and continue using a Cingular product, such as Oxygen Wireless, you would be able to keep your current phone, all you would need to do is purchase a starter kit, which includes basically includes a new SIM card for your phone (and minutes depending on where kit is purchased). this is a quick easy, and low cost solution, however if you didn't get reception in your area before, you still won't.

Good luck with your purchase decision. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. There are enough phone geeks on here like me that can answer any question you might have.

Crash11 · 01-10-2006, 08:00 AM

Hey thanks for the reply. I'll be commuting to work from Jackson, MI to Ann Arbor, MI. So I'd be looking for good reception in those areas. I've heard a few people praise Alltel out by me. Also, I will never give Cingular another dollar after I cancel the service this month.

skier8848 · 01-10-2006, 08:18 AM

Looking at a coverage map it seems that CDMA networks operating on Verizon's equipment get more then adequate service in the areas in which you are located. Click here to view a coverage map of your area, and a quality reseller of services.

Crash11 · 01-10-2006, 08:59 AM

Well I've been doing some searching, and it looks like T-mobile is the only company that has anything decent for prepaid service. You can get 1000 minutes that won't expire for a year for $100. The only question I had about it was, they have some mention of a $1 a day charge, but I can't figure out if that is only for T-Mobile Sidekick phones o rnot. Can anyone confirm this?

http://www.t-mobile.com/plans/defaul...tab=payasyougo

skier8848 · 01-10-2006, 09:10 AM

If you weren't happy with your Cingular GSM coverage, i would avoicd using T-mobile GSM coverage.

Bourn Identity · 01-10-2006, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crash11

Well I've been doing some searching, and it looks like T-mobile is the only company that has anything decent for prepaid service. You can get 1000 minutes that won't expire for a year for $100. The only question I had about it was, they have some mention of a $1 a day charge, but I can't figure out if that is only for T-Mobile Sidekick phones o rnot. Can anyone confirm this?

http://www.t-mobile.com/plans/defaul...tab=payasyougo

Yes, the $1 a day charge is just for the Sidekick prepaid plan. The $100 for 1000 min. is what I would recommend. You have 1000 minutes to use for the whole year with no worries. Make sure that you are covered by T-Mobile first.

Crash11 · 01-10-2006, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skier8848

If you weren't happy with your Cingular GSM coverage, i would avoicd using T-mobile GSM coverage.

Damn. I really don't like the Verizon offers. The longest rate period is only 60 days.

Bourn Identity · 01-10-2006, 10:01 AM

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't Verizon charge $1/day with their prepaid service?

Crash11 · 01-10-2006, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cseabourn

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't Verizon charge $1/day with their prepaid service?

Yeah I think so. Which is stupid.

On a side note. I just called Cingular to ask about cancelling my service after this billing period. They informed me that I would have to pay an early termination fee of $150 because I signed a 2 year contract in July of '05. To which I replied, wait I used to be an AT&T customer, and you guys forced me to switch to Cingular. I've been a customer for a lot longer than 2 years. "I know sir, but when you switched over you recieved a free phone, which means you must have signed a new 2 year contract." I didn't recieve any free phone, they forced me to get it because the old one was TDMA. This is a complete crock of ****. I hate Cingular with a passion. If anyone wants to join my boycott, cancel your service, and tell them you're switching to Verizon because you like to get something for your money.

Bourn Identity · 01-10-2006, 10:32 AM

Yep, every old Blue customer that had to switch to Orange was forced to sign a new agreement. So no matter what, they will charge you if you break your contract before the new 2-year agreement has expired.

Crash11 · 01-10-2006, 11:10 AM

Yeah I'm going to pay the fee anyway and try to get anyone I know to cancel Cingular also.

Crash11 · 01-10-2006, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skier8848

If you weren't happy with your Cingular GSM coverage, i would avoicd using T-mobile GSM coverage.

Anything is better than Cingular GSM.

n1ckel5 · 01-10-2006, 11:46 AM

not to dredge up the old blue vs orange issue, but no one was 'forced' to join cingular. att was phased out. if you decided to renew your att contract you could join cingular, but no one made you join them. at that time you could have chosen verizon, but you 'chose' to stay with cingular.