Need some cell phone suggestions...

[Insane3D]

Well, I've resisted a cell phone since I really have no need for one, but now I am starting to travel a lot on installs for work, and they don't provide one. I generally stay at places with high speed internet and bring my Vonage box and cordless phone, which works well. However, there are times when I will be in an airport getting delayed, or have a rental break down that cell would be handy to have.

Anyhow, I have ZERO INTEREST in using this phone for anything other than when I'm travelling for work. When I'm home, the phone will be shut off and not used at all for personal use.

For this reason, I have no interest in getting into a cell phone plan with monthly fees and contracts for a phone I'll be using for a week at a time every couple months at most... I think the best idea is one of those prepay, or pay as you go type phones. I've heard you really need to research these type of plans because they all have hidden restrictions and limitations that can ruin it if you don't do your research.

So, can anyone with experience with these types of limited use cell phone plans give me some advice, or point me in the right direction to research myself? I think the best deal I've seen so far is a Virgin Mobile setup where you get a phone and 400 minutes for $40. I want to make sure the minutes won't expire if I don't use them, that I can readily get more if I need to, and will have decent coverage in different parts of the country...

Thanks in advance...

 

[Insane3D]

Hmmm...anyone?

 

[Pikachu]

Cheapest you can keep a prepaid phone going for, is about $15.00 per month. My mother-in-law was in the same boat as you. I put her on our family plan with Verizon wireless. We have five phones total sharing 700 minutes. None of us yap on the phone all day, so it works out fine. She just pays 1/5 of the total bill, which is about $25.00. See if other people in your family want to split the service with you.

 

[axelfox]

Look into T-mobile prepaid. buy 1000 minutes (100 bux) and minutes expire in 1 year. To extend that year, you can buy the minimum amount (10 bux) and extend the balance + new minutes for another year.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: Pikachu
Cheapest you can keep a prepaid phone going for, is about $15.00 per month. My mother-in-law was in the same boat as you. I put her on our family plan with Verizon wireless. We have five phones total sharing 700 minutes. None of us yap on the phone all day, so it works out fine. She just pays 1/5 of the total bill, which is about $25.00. See if other people in your family want to split the service with you.

Thanks..but no, it's just me and just for when I'm travelling for work, so sharing is out. I'm not really looking for anything that's per month since I will only use the phone sporadically.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: axelfox
Look into T-mobile prepaid. buy 1000 minutes (100 bux) and minutes expire in 1 year. To extend that year, you can buy the minimum amount (10 bux) and extend the balance + new minutes for another year.

Yeah, I was looking into that...

I can get a decent phone for about $69, and it comes with 60 minutes. I'll probably just buy $25 a pop for 130 minutes until I get to gold level....it would take me more than a year to use 1000 minutes most likely...

 

[Pikachu]

Yeah, that's a great prepaid deal. I just emailed the link to my in-laws, thank you. Father-in-law is using some other prepaid phone, which is far more expensive. Why isn't he on our family plan? Because I need four phones for my immediate family!