Need advice - last person without a cell phone

I swear I was going to fight this until the bitter end, but I would feel better when I left town if I had a cell phone. I know NOTHING about plans, etc. but found this....

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/new2vm/how.do

Can someone give me their opinion on this? I only want to carry it for emergencies and short conversations (pick up this and that at the store kind of conversations). Anyone know of a better deal?

25 cents a minute is expensive. It says for the first 10 minutes it costs 25 cents then 10 minutes after. If you plan on only using it for short calls your going to be paying 25 cents all the time.... Have you thought of checking with any of your local companies for a cell plan? I use T-mobile, they aren't too bad and have 3 day weekends, Fri-Sun calls are free.

Get a plan that gives you a set number of minutes. That pay-by-the-minute deal will kill you.

Bill and I have AT&T's Family Share plan. We get unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes, 500 anytime minutes and 1000 night & weekend minutes, for two phones. With the Cingular merger, we now have coast-to-coast unlimited long distance and no roaming charges, too.

I don't know if you have Cricket, in your area but its good for someone who doesn't plan to use their phone a lot.

Actually no, I think I am the last person without a cell phone.

Originally Posted by captiva

Can someone give me their opinion on this? I only want to carry it for emergencies and short conversations (pick up this and that at the store kind of conversations). Anyone know of a better deal?

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That's how it starts. And then you don't stop... just ask my mom!

When I checked out that deal it looked to be fine, unless you actually used it. Lol. If you end up using it on a daily basis, it could get pricey.

Do you have any family members that have a certain plan? If so you could maybe get a cheap plan with the same company they have, especially if you can get those "talk free in network" plans?

My plan with Verizon gives me a set number of minutes that I get every month (500) and I just have a set payment that only goes up if I go over the minutes, which has never happened. I also get nights and weekends for free and free in-network calling. I wouldn't go with something that is pay by the minute. It could get expensive, unless you are planning on making very short (and not many) calls. You should try to compare plans.

I have Nextel's Free Incoming 500 plan... To be honest, Nextel is a bit expensive for someone who doesnt plan to use the phone that often.. but for someone like me who uses an average of 5000... yes, 5000 minutes a month... $90 is well worth it... I use my 500 anytime minutes and my incoming calls and nights and weekends are free.. plus my Direct Connect is unlimited... It's perfect for me cuz I'm ALWAYS on the phone... You may want to look into Nextel in your area to see if they have cheaper plans... Otherwise, I would suggest Verizon because they have the BEST service out of all cellular companies...

Good luck finding a mobile that suits you Chris!

Thanks everyone. I don't know what to do. I know the minutes are expensive , but if I don't use it it would be cheap. Like Ari said, I might be tempted to use for stupid calls and that would get expensive

well it depends?
I got my self a cell phone only to sms people. well thats a prepaid plan.
I got my bf a cellphone contract but i dont advise you unless you are fixated with your cell phone.
He ran up the bill to 300 euros and guess what happened? they took it off MY ACCOUNT! anyway when you make a contract plan. Advise of what you want and make sure you dont go over the limit

I've had a cell phone for 10 years and only planned to use it for emergencies and very short calls - such "are you here yet" to hubby so I know if to leave the office at night.

I still only use it for short calls and emergencies and every time my operator assesses my plan to see if it's right for me it still is. I bought the phone and pay heavier costs and no free minutes but it still only costs about £15 every three months in calls. If I planned to cancel my plan after a year and got the phone free it would be cost-effective - but if I carried on paying monthly after the first year, it would be overkill for what I need.

As for the last one without a cellphone - my stepson (26) absolutely refuses to have one - he can just about use the internet and hates technology!!! We have one he could use on a pay and go basis and give it to him for free but he still doesn't want it!

Originally Posted by captiva

Thanks everyone. I don't know what to do. I know the minutes are expensive , but if I don't use it it would be cheap. Like Ari said, I might be tempted to use for stupid calls and that would get expensive

Click to expand...

the novelty of it will ensure you use it for stupid calls. lol

do you have 'pay as you go' over there? you dont have a monthly fee, you just buy call credit and put it on your phone. works out a little more expensive but you pay up front and only spend what you have.

I use only my cell phone. I have the "Unplan" with Suncom, which means I pay a flat rate each month and have unlimited minutes. This is working out very well.

I've got the Cingular with 500 minutes a month and it has nationwide long distance and no roaming. The minutes I don't use each month are rolled over and I've never used all my minutes. The nice thing about it is that I often use my cellphone for my long distance calls.....that way I don't pay for any on my home phone. I've gotten to where I used my cellphone more than my home phone just because I have it with me all the time. I pay $49.99 a month and it actually saves me money because of the long distance. I think I pay about the same for my home phone......but since I don't use that one for long distance....I'm saving about $50 a month because I do call my friends and family who live out of town frequently.

I have a pay-as-you-go cell phone (T-Mobile), which is very worthwhile for me, because I rarely use it to phone more than two or three times a month, and send at most 10 SMS. I have it so people can reach me, and for emergencies. I have to top it off every seven months, and the minimum is €15 (about $19.50). If I top it off for €30, that's good for 12 months. A call is about 25 cents a minute nationwide, and 15 cents to my home number. For international calls, I use call-by-call providers (land line) that charge 1.2 cents a minute, so I rarely use my cell phone for long-distance calls. When I'm traveling, I send SMS, except for my weekly call to check up on Jamie, but I usually use a "calling card" for that.
Of course, our monthly (land line) telephone bill looks like this: basic service: €15.30, Telekom connections: €00.00, other providers €2.50 (average), so we're not typical. If you like to talk on the phone, a monthly plan might be better. If not, try the pay as you go. My annual cell phone charges are always less than $35, and that includes at least one long-distance call to the U.S..