Suggest a good prepaid service

[Shadow Conception]

Right now, I'm on TracFone. I began with 1000 units (365 days), and am down to 300 units (1 unit per minute, 0.3 units per text message received/sent). Great thing about TracFone is that it comes with no catches; no stupid daily fee, no sneaky expiration dates. You get, essentially, what you pay for.

However, the phones suck. Right now, I have an LG 225. While it does the job, it's still pretty horrendous compared to the luxurious QWERTY keypads on other phones.

So I ask to suggest a good prepaid service to move onto. All of Virgin Mobile's prepaid plans expire after 30 days, forcing you to purchase another prepaid card. This basically makes it a regular cell phone service without the lovely contract. AT&T's GoPhone has a great plan (1000 minutes, 365 days, texting, messaging, pics), but it has a daily $1 fee for every day you use the phone for what it was conceived for: talking.

So anyone have any good suggestions?

 

[onlyCOpunk]

If you spend $100 on Tmobile up front your credit lasts for a year and they don't have any $1 per day nonsense, unless you choose that plan. Which ultimately might be good because then you get free nights.

 

[pm]

My sister uses T-Mobile "Pay as you go". She's on the $100 prepaid card - they give her 1150 minutes and they don't expire for a year. She seems happy enough with it. You can use any unlocked GSM phone (Blackberry's, unlocked iPhone, Nokia N95, etc.)

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/p...lt.aspx?plancategory=4

 

[Shadow Conception]

Thanks a bunch, guys! I'll be looking into T-Mobile. :thumbsup:

 

[Shadow Conception]

Question: how would you go about using an unlocked phone with T-Mobile prepaid service? I understand you'd have to buy the unlocked phone, but what about getting the SIM card and stuff?

 

[onlyCOpunk]

Just go to a Tmobile store or order one from online. They are either free or like 10 bucks. Then just put the sim card in the phone and you're done.

 

[sxr7171]

That new T-mobile flexpay is sick. You basically get post paid rates and service options only you pay up front. Basically buy the cheapest refurbed POS from T-mobile/Radioshack/Walmart and the SIM will be there, keep the phone as backup.

 

[pm]

I've heard that most T-Mobile stores will just give you the SIM for free when you sign up for prepaid. It's supposed to retail for $20.

My sister did what sxr7171 suggested and just bought the cheapest phone she could find and then kept that phone as a backup and used the unlocked Samsung that I gave her instead.