I need cell phone help. I'm divorcing AT&T, I'm without service now

for four days. Wiring in the building problems and a slew of other stuff. I really do need to get a cell phone but some of the price plans I'm looking at are way above my budget line. For those with cell phones at a good monthly rate, please, please. I need info. I'm sort of leaning towards "Jitterbug"...my sons are bent over laughing but I don't care...lol.

If you'll be using it as a telephone, look into Tracfone. Phones as cheap as an $8 Motorola bar phone with no frills at all (An excellent phone, too), and minute and time buys as you need them. A year of service and 800 minutes costs about $100. If you're looking for an all-purpose device, I don't have any suggestions. All are very expensive.

plan, call out once in a while, receive calls once in a while. The only ones calling me these days are people looking for money so this will not be a big loss. Does Tracfone give you your own phone number? Never mind, I'll google it, they may have that info on the site. Many thanks.

You could carry a pre-paid cell just for emergencies and purchase an assigned phone number through skype to use routinely. You can use it on an ipod touch anywhere you can access wifi or on your computer at home... All you need is a set of earphones with a mic. I just bought the bose mi2 earbuds with mic designed specifically for the iphone/ipod touch. I bought an unlimited skype subscription with an assigned phone number that I use on laptop and on the ipod touch.

Now, for me, I still have a sprint cell phone, so I haven't made the transition. But, I have the lowest plan possible (450 minutes) and rely on skype for those times I'm likely to be on hold for an interminable time to keep under the minutes each month. I also use skype for conference calls. (I purchased a good set of earphones/mic for home laptop use, which is very comfortable).


Just don't rely ONLY on skype as you'd need something for emergencies when internet access is not available as in the car.

they are pretty good.

Decent rate for low end usage. Excellent customer service -- at least in our experience.

relatively low cost plans with Virgin Mobile. They have some inexpensive phones too.

plan. Just "pay as you go."

4 years and it cost $20 - still works fine.

No contracts, good coverage (Sprint), and reasonable prices...z

http://www.straighttalk.com/ShopPhones?ProspectID=AF3BC43E18F041AABA4102E545F6C6F3&product=8

No contract and you can be up and running in minutes. You can order their phones online or get them at (gasp!) Walmart. It is inexpensive and easy.

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Could it be they really don't give a shit about their customer base? Sure can seem that way...

instructed me to get a screwdriver, take my phone apart and do some checking on wiring!!!! They then told me if that didn't work to "call" them. I mean "DUH!!!" Sad thing is both my dad and I worked for NJ Bell back in the day. He would spin in his grave if he knew how far they have fallen..

So many people want to bail...

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West Palm Beach is an area that gets pretty good coverage from every carrier, so you should have no problem choosing whomever you want. That is good.

So, the choice is going to be based on how much you plan to need your phone.

If you rarely use your phone, go with a pre-paid plan. Virgin Mobil has good service, a good reputation, low cost. You pay to put minutes on your phone, and then you only pay for additional minutes when or if you use them and need more. If you aren't using them, then you aren't paying for them.

If you are using your phone regularly, either sending or receiving calls, then get calling plan. Do not spend more than $40 per month. Why? Because you can get an unlimited plan for that. If anyone tries to charge you more than that, go someone else. MetroPCS or Straight Talk is good if you are only going to need 1 phone. They get really expensive if you want more than 1 phone, or a family plan. Their niche is only single users with 1 phone.

CredoMobile is good if you want some of your spending to go to a cause.

It is okay to spend some money for a decent phone though, and if you are away from home a lot, a backup charger.

If you only use your phone as a phone then don't get something with lots of extra features as a personal organizer, mini-computer, video-camera, do-everything hand-held-machine (your blackberries or iphones or clones of these two devices). Get a phone with a couple of extras.

But if you are a gadget person and you will use apps and features then by all means get something that does everything. Wherever you go, they will probably try to steer you towards something. Know basically what you need and tell them.

The blackberry is better is your primary need is email and phone service. The iphone is better if you mostly want hand-held internet and apps, use the phone less, and don't live in your email. The monthly plan for a blackberry or iphone is more expensive. You can't get this for the $40 per month unlimited because this isn't just a phone. You are also paying for a monthly internet plan for your device. So, again, don't get this unless you need it. Stick with a phone if that is all you need.

and whistles just a friggin ability to call out and receive calls in. I have the PC in my apartment and have no desire to spend more time than I already do on it...LOL. I'm thinking I'm going to start out on a tracfone (Samsung) until I get used to the whole process. I've been landlined for more years than I care to count. I remember "party lines" for gawds sake, so you just know this is an adjustment. My eldest works for Verizon and suggested I start out this way. Verizon is way too pricey for me and too many apps, etc. Thanks again.

Horrible company, especially since they deliberately hired all non-union people in new locations a few years ago just so they could then fire all their union employees. It destroyed their knowledge base of experienced people who formed their core backbone, and service went all to hell.

No offense intended against your eldest. S/he might like working there and probably a really good employee. I'm only talking about the company as a general whole. :)

Tracfone is an good national company on their own. My only gripe with them from a progressive standpoint is that they do a hell of a lot of business with and through Walmarts. Walmarts actively discriminate, destroy wages and the local economies in the communities where they are located, and create poverty while exporting manufacturing jobs and profits for that manufacturing to outside of the US. Just me personally, I've been participating in a boycott of Walmart for close to 20 years now. So I'm not happy with any business that partners with them.

If you go with Tracfone, you will probably like them and probably good decent inexpensive service. So I'm not telling you that you personally shouldn't use them. But if you are personally aware of how destructive Walmart is, be aware of that relationship.

against Walmart, but I agree with you thoughts on them.

Net10 minutes are about 10 cents a minute vs TracFone's 25-30 cents.

That's not as crazy as it sounds-- they worked it out so you end up spending 30 bucks every two months with either company, but get a lot more minutes with Net10 if you plan on talking a lot or are in an area where they whack you for double minutes when roaming off their normal network.

After I retired and didn't need the Verizon plan for work any more, I got a TracFone. When that got lost I went to Net10 and have had great service with both of them. You can buy a refill card just about anywhere or refill online.

Look for deals, like hundreds of minutes or double minutes with a certain phone purchases.

Less than $10 per month gives you plenty of minutes and you can always add more if you need to....pay as you go, quit anytime.
Local convenience store sells the phones for about $20 or shop online.

then I'm good. I don't need bells or whistles just the ability to call out and get a call in. Many thanks.

You can get 1 year of service for $100, but if you use lots and lots of minutes you will go over the allotment and have to top up more minutes, but it's still way cheaper than a contract.

to determine which carrier has a better singal in your area, that is, GSM verses CDMA

I have their simplest plan

You can buy their phone at kmart or target

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/

the plan is cheap, the phone is good and even my simple, non-electronic mind can figure it out.

I carry it for emergencies and cell phone parking lot at the airport. Not much else. Have accumulated about 500 minutes because I have to renew it every 90 days for about $20.00. I renew on the Tracfone web site.
I still use a land line at home. Old habits die hard.

has phones and services geared to seniors - or others who just want to make and receive phone calls

http://www.greatcall.com/Plans/

if you have it there. it's a flat rate unlimited plan and works great.

edition (Which I just got to this morning) on Cell Phones for Seniors

http://www.courant.com/business/custom/consumer/hc-ls-seniors-cellphones-box-20110130,0,5110643.story