posted on September 13, 2002 08:01:07 PM new
Hello,
No not ebay but you may sell this on ebay;
anyway, I am looking at a cell phone for my daughter who is not really ready for a phone but really really wants one for her 18 birthday, so I thought OK pre paid cell phone, but I am so confused. does anyone have one, can you buy any cell pre-paid cards like on ebay? I know it is a rip off but the best way for her to learn to no abuse the minutes.
I really appreciate the help I got so lost reading up on it online.
posted on September 13, 2002 08:31:58 PM new
i dont know if they have any of these plans in your are but you might want to check. here we have what is called an unplan or unlimited local plan. they run about $50 - $60 a month and include voice mail and all that good stuff. they come out to be cheaper in the long run and for an 18 year old who is probably driving can be agreat thing in case of an emergency. they dont have to be worried about the minutes running out while trying to get assistance. had that happen to me a few times. was very distressing and annoying.
if you really want prepaid, 7-11 has all their prepaid phones on sale for 50% off. thats where i got my 1st prepaid phone and plan. was a good deal at the time. target also carries the same ones 7-11 does and they also carry the new virgin mobile prepaid ones now as well.
at the time i had mine you had to buy the specific phone cards for that company. now they may have generics out that will work with any company i do not know tho.
posted on September 14, 2002 01:45:00 AM new
When I was in the market for a cell phone, I happened to look on Amazon.com. They have a cool feature where you can compare various services and plans (both regular and prepaid).
I ended up getting 2 cell phones from them -- one for my husband and one for me. It felt kind of funny buying a cell phone off the internet, but both were set up without a hitch and were ready to use right out of the box.
You might also visit a local cell phone shop and see what's available.
Read up on the various features while you're shopping. It's kinda "information overload" at first, but take notes on each plan and what's included, and you'll eventually find the best deal.
I went with a regular plan with VoiceStream that includes 200 "anytime" minutes and unlimited weekend minutes, free long distance all the time, free roaming, and 500 text (pager-like) messages a month. I like being able to send messages from phone to phone, and it doesn't use up your minutes. It even has AOL IM on the phone (Nokia 3390 Gold). My plan is $29.99 a month (or was when I got the phones several months ago). At the time, it was the best deal for my purposes.
Basically, shop around!
(not affiliated with VoiceStream or Amazon)
Oh! And to make this an eBay-related topic , I'm pretty sure you can have eBay send outbid notices to any cell phone that has an e-mail address (mine does).
[ edited by thedewey on Sep 14, 2002 01:48 AM ]
posted on September 14, 2002 02:06:22 AM new
I would also recommend going to www.google.com and typing in prepaid cell phone into the search window and you will get 10 pages of information and sites.
posted on September 14, 2002 06:04:33 AM new
See You are great I ran here when I did type in google and got 10 pages, overload and it doesn't take much on this brain! I will check amazon and Target Thanks!
I forgot to mention this is for the child that sleeps with the phone, can talk on AOL to 110 of her buddys at one time and talk on the phone, 10,000 minutes on a cell wouldn't be enough! LOL really true but I want her to learn the cell is for truly importtant calls like the car broke down or to call HOme, and I think pre paid is the way to start, this won't be the gift that keeps on giving this will be the gift out of minutes within the first day then reality will hit her, heck she may help out around here begging for more time.
And she can shop EBAY buy more time!
posted on September 14, 2002 07:37:49 AM new
My mother had a female friend and when her two boys each hit their 18th birthday she gave them a birthday present of a set of new luggage and literally tossed them out of the nest ( with a nice set of luggage ).
posted on September 14, 2002 08:21:41 AM new
I am still hoping they will be banned worldwide. They are the rudest most obnoxious invention since the whoopie cushion.
I saw a lady get out of her car at the grocery..all the while walking and talking on her phone...all at once she stopped (I almost knocked her over)...she said "Oh my God"...ran back to the car and got the baby she forgot!!!!!
A set of twins were killed near here when they stopped at a railroad crossing and the man behind them was reaching for his cell phone and rearended them...pushing them right in front of the train...he has been charged with vehicular homicide and we are hoping for a ban while driving in Ohio...
posted on September 14, 2002 08:33:50 AM new
i dont believe they should be banned but i do find them seriously irritating. they should not be allowed to be used while the vehicle is being operated. if you need to use it pull over! i have never used mine while driving and curse the ones i see using one while driving.
oh and one othe rthing. if you have triple a they have this cell phone that is teh perfect phone to have for just emergencies. not meant to be used for everday calling and what not.
posted on September 14, 2002 10:39:59 AM newTrai If she goes the prepaid route, her daughter will only have a certain amount of minutes and after they are used, the phone won't work unless it is a 911 call.
Ain't Life Grand...
posted on September 14, 2002 11:03:37 AM new
Be REAL careful about prepaid phone. Their calling area and policies vary widely and are well hidden.
Personal example:
Bought one of those TRAC phones you find in drugstores for 19.95 and it came with 100 minutes. I thought great, just the thing for emergencies. Well, the emergency arrived, I broke down about 30 miles from home. Great, I'll use my cell phone. I was out of the "calling area" so I wasn't allowed to call direct, I had to use their operator and place a "collect" call. The charge for the collect call was ungodly in addition to charging me triple minutes. I estimated that a 2 minute call cost $54.00 with all the fees and charges they added. Did you know that you can throw a TRAC phone a real long distance?
.
A Man will spend $2.00 for a $1.00 item he needs.
A Woman will spend $1.00 for a $2.00 item she doesn't need.
posted on September 14, 2002 06:47:42 PM new
I have the "family plan" which includes three cellphones with free "mobile to mobile". We can call each other on the cell and it doesn't use up our service plan minutes. The service plan minutes are shared by all three phones which works out great. I use my cell for just about everything since I am online most of the day. They use there cells primarily to call me which doesn't use up our service plan minutes.
[ edited by BananaSpider on Sep 14, 2002 06:53 PM ]
posted on September 15, 2002 06:25:31 AM new
BananaSpider - What company do you use, how many minutes do you get & at what cost if you don't mind sharing.
Since I am also a realtor, I am on my phone constantly. I have 2000 daytime minutes & 1000 anytime minutes. I also share a phone with my husband who averages about 200 minutes for the month. My problem is that I have used up my daytime minutes twice with bills of $400 each for the past two months. I am now at the end of my service contract & I am looking at getting a better plan.
The problem I have is that I bought one of those sprint phone/palm pilot all in one units last December ($500). I don't want to give it up. My plan currently runs $79.99 & I want an additional 1,000 minutes for the daytime hours.
Has anyone negotiated with their carrier to get a better deal at the end of their contract, so we don't go to another carrier? If so, I would like to hear some of those results.
posted on September 15, 2002 06:48:33 AM new
xenainfla:
If your with sprint you can change your plan any time!
You don't have to wait till the end of contract!
Changing the plan will only renew the contract.
Contact them and ask about their (Total Digital plans) These are higher volume plans that don't show on their web page.
I put my son on a total digital plan: 6,000 min, 3000 daytime-3000 anytime. Sounds like what you need! $99.99 month.
Minutes are used toward all usage no hidden extras.
If you don't go over in min.you will never be charged extra no matter what feature you use!
hair2dye4:
Sprint has plans like you are looking for.
Go to their web page (www.sprintpcs.com) find out if service is available in your area,see what plans are in place.
I've been with all the major services here on the East Coast and have found Sprint to be the best.
They are a nation wide network so you will have service everywhere you go.
[ edited by dadofstickboy on Sep 15, 2002 07:31 AM ]
posted on September 15, 2002 09:08:15 AM new
xenainfla,
I have the Suncom Family 3000 plan. 1200 anytime minutes and 1800 nights and weekend minutes. It's only $100 a month for all 3 phones. (it comes closer to 110 with tax). Check out their web site. The plans for 2 phones are less expensive.
Again, all the minutes are shared amoung the phones and since mobile to mobile is free it doesn't count toward the plan minutes.
If you are using up your minutes talking to each other, this is definitely the way to go.
I know Cingular also offers a family plan with free mobile to mobile. I switched from them to Suncom about 6 months ago.
[ edited by BananaSpider on Sep 15, 2002 09:19 AM ]
posted on September 15, 2002 10:08:11 PM new
Well the child has a phone, and now so do I, dang now I need a thread on "how to place a call"
We did the family plan, well her dad did, he lives in Seattle and this way she can call him anytime and gripe about her mom for free, I can call her and check up on her.
and the contract is in Dad's name so he can kick her butt when she goes over the limit.
we got 800 anytime min, free long distance and unlimited weekends, I figure I may use 10 min a month that gives her plenty of time. I hate phones all phones!
It's T-Mobile which is through voicestream I think- the paperwork and instructions are nuts, I had to use my home phone caller ID to find out what my cell number was!!!
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR INFORMATION as usual you came through for me.
