Comments on: Best Current Prepaid Cell Phone Plans?

By: drdomore

drdomore — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:54:25 +0000

All, any update on current pre-paid phone offerings? Do you know if I can port my wife;s current phone number from Sprint to a pre-paid phone/plan? We would like to keep her number. Thanks

By: John

John — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:28:03 +0000

Tracfone did have the most affordable plan for us, and our phones automatically double the minutes for life. The only downside, as mentioned by a previous post, is the absolutely horrendous customer service. I have to actually set aside at least one hour, up to two hours, to get some problem corrected. You’re dealing with people in India or somewhere who keep passing you from one person to another. If you loose your connection, you start over. I’ve been trying to get a problem with our automatic recharge taken care of for over 5 months now, and it’s still not working properly … which means I have to call in to customer service every month! UGH! Coverage is great. Plans are great. Phones are nice. Customer service is hell.

By: Tracey-Ann

Tracey-Ann — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:46:52 +0000

I consider a light user so I was very happy to discover TracFone and even happier to find out that my monthly out of pocket will work out to less than $10. So far, the reception on my phone has been awesome. – have not had a drop call. I also like the fact that I have the option of adding more airtime direclty from my phone although I have not had to do that yet. Even below $10, I manage to nt use all my monthly min. thus far. For the time being, this plan seems to be working for me.

By: placidLK

placidLK — Mon, 02 May 2011 15:43:02 +0000

im interested in tracfone. isnt that straight talks sister company? ahhh i dont know! hahaha im so confused! i liek tracfones value.. thast for sure.. im just a little confused how to set it up. But the price is so right. you cant beat that.

By: StephanieS

StephanieS — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 03:08:32 +0000

I live on my phone so only an unlimited plan makes sense and I have that with StriaghtTalk. It’s been working out great for me. However, I do have a lot of friends and family abroad and keep a TracFone for my guests when they visit…very convenient for them to have a local phone on hand and they can fill up on minutes as they need…super simple!

By: Clay Bennington

Clay Bennington — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:36:06 +0000

If you want a prepaid phone, but are a high-power user, go for Straight Talk. For $45 a month you can get unlimited text, talk, and web. They also have a pretty good phone selection. If you love texting, check out the Samsung T401G. It’s got a full QWERTY pad, an mp3 player and video recorder.

By: placidLK

placidLK — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:04:07 +0000

I have been using Tracphone for over 5 years now and have the Double Your Minutes for Life card. So, every minute pack I buy automatically gets doubled. So, if you figure that into the equation, a customer using that card would be spending half as much per minute as what’s listed here. My son using to have Virgin and I dropped it in favor of the Tracphone. I just found Tracphone to be superior in every way.

By: Mitzy

Mitzy — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:59:06 +0000

I love TracFone. Honestly, I got so tired of the hassle of contract cell phone providers that when I found out about TracFone I felt this huge weight lift off my shoulders. It is so cheap that I am saving tons of money and the coverage is great.

By: Les Beans

Les Beans — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:52:30 +0000

If you use your phone just a little bit Tracfone is the cheapest. $20 every 3 months and a doubling phone (basic) for 10$. You cannot beat that for value!

By: Olivia

Olivia — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:30:49 +0000

I have been with Tracfone for some time now, and not once have i experienced any problems. They are the most affordable prepaid carrier. They have such great coverage and great International calls at local rates!

By: SwiftySam

SwiftySam — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:05:02 +0000

Straight talk gives you the most bang for your buck without a question. I pay $45 a month and I have unlimited talk and texts. On top of that, rumor has it that Tracfone, the parent company of StraightTalk uses the verizon network, which explains why I always have reception. So pretty much I get to use the Verizone network for about half the price of Verizon users and unlimited everything. Really, there is no going wrong with this plan. And check out the motorola with the MP3. That is my next phone!

By: BrianW

BrianW — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:16:53 +0000

I mean what else could you want besdies a .10 a minute calls and .03 texting – Theres nothing out there that can really beat Net10′s deal. The best thing about Net10 is the freedom to switch phones and minutes at will based on use without any penalties and secret charges that the cellphone company well sent you. I’m saving more than over 50 dollars a month with Net10. It totally helps me save and offers great coverage.

By: jacee

jacee — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:32:01 +0000

I agree completely with college girl. I was having a hard time getting out of my contract for my cell phone plan and they were just impossible and practically evil. As a student with loans it was just impossible for me to be paying so much money so I got a Net10 prepaid phone. It is really great actually. The phone is a Samsung and I mean while its no iphone.. it has everything I could possibly need. My cell phone bill is so cheap because I control the amount of money I spend. With only ten cents a minute for long distance.. its just a steal.

By: Collegegirl83

Collegegirl83 — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 02:59:23 +0000

With so many prepaid companies to chose from, it took a lot of research before I settled on the right combination of quality and price – I went with Net 10. The savings are huge since I went from paying more than $100 a month to only $40 with Net10′s “easy minutes” monthly plan. Phones, although a limited selection, are super affordable and the most expensive topping out only at $79+ activation. Being on the TMobile calling network gives me the best of the contract world without the hidden fees or contract deals. Texting and international calling are very affordable as well and Net10 really seems to live up to its advertised .10 a call slogan. It’s as easy as Target or Best Buy for the inital buy and customer service is very highly rated and smooth sailing so far. Net10 is a great choice for the moderate cell phone user who needs a dependable phone – and thaht fits me.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:39:12 +0000

I was always skeptical of prepaid phone service, but I have been converted by Straight Talk. I was disappointed with my previous carrier’s endless bills and contracts, so I shopped around and Straight Talk was the best deal I could find. Their $45 unlimited plan (texts, calls, data) is wonderful and I don’t have to deal with a contract. Straight Talk’s phone selection is better than I thought a prepaid service might offer – they have everything from the most baic and inexpensive to Smart Phones. Straight Talk is on the Verizon network so I have a strong and dependable calling network and I don’t drop my calls.

Straight Talk is a great fit for me – I just moved out and its helping me save $50 a month over my previous bill.

By: Pat Yoe

Pat Yoe — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:06:34 +0000

I have Straight Talk on the Verizon network. Bought it at Walmart and it’s an amazing deal. The Samsung Finesse is a very cool smartphone and paying only $45 a month for unlimited everything is the best deal going!

Who needs an iPhone? LOL!!

By: Doctor TracFone

Doctor TracFone — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:25:01 +0000

Interesting to read the plethora of Page Plus comments. Quite a coincidence! LOL!

Visiting one of their retail stores is a unique experience, as most are located in parts of town that you might not ordinarily visit. Be sure to bring a friend, preferably a large one. And go during daylight hours.

As for TracFone’s customer service, most people seem to have no problem. In fact, along with sister brand Net10, it was quite favorably cited by J.D. Power in its 2009 Wireless Prepaid Customer Satisfaction Study (http://www.jdpower.com/telecom.....age-anchor).

Straight Talk is growing tremendously, due to its superb network and low cost. No roaming charges either (unlike Page Plus) or extra fees, per-day charges or overages.

Straight Talk’s $45 for unlimited minutes, texts and Mobile Web Access or $30 for 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30MB Mobile Web Access is pretty awesome!

And Straight Talk’s phone selection has expanded and improved greatly, and includes a phone with a qwerty keyboard and another with a touchscreen.

Take a look for yourself: http://straighttalk.com/ShopPhones

By: Aman

Aman — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:01:13 +0000

Hi Jonathan,
Just wondering if you have a Google Voice invite and can send me one.

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:36:11 +0000

Tracfone works fine, just hope to God nothing ever goes wrong requiring a call to customer service. Worst customer service I’ve experienced EVER – on any product (and I’ve been around a long time). You’re taking a huge gamble with that company, because if things go wrong they could care less if you stay a customer or not. My 89 year old father lost over $100 worth of minutes and they basically said “tough”.

By: Bela

Bela — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:24:24 +0000

Jonathan, after I read this post and other reader’s comments, I decided to change my prepaid plan from Tracfone to Page Plus. I bought a LG VX 5500 from Walmart(it’s in Verizon prepaid package, $22.88). Then I port the my phone number from Tracfone and activated my new phone with PagePlus successfully. I plan to buy $10 card(100 minutes) every 4 months to keep it active. I am an extreme low usage user. Just want an emergency phone and a convenient camera. I am very happy with the whole process!
Thank you for all of your wonderful posts!

By: JD

JD — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:10:42 +0000

@Subba Don’t think you can use a T-Mobile for Verizon as T-Mobile uses GSM (SIM Card) and the Verizon is CDMA

One more plus in favor of Virgin Mobile: If you are a very light user your minutes (dollars) roll over. After a year or two the amount builds up. I just found out that the unused dollars in your account can be used to purchase new phones. Not aware of any other service you can do that with.

By: ttfitz

ttfitz — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:00:14 +0000

Jonathan – I don’t see any reason to buy a card at walmart.com when you can re-up on the StraightTalk website. My wife is on the auto-refill plan, and her last charge was $30.97. We’re in Virginia, so CA might be different, but that’s less than the regular sales tax, so I’m not sure what the extra might be.

By: tiger woods

tiger woods — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:21:23 +0000

im thinking about ditching my expensive sprint family plan (which we use only about 300 mins on a 1500 min plan) and going with pre-paid on page plus.

would we be able to use unlocked Blackberrys on page-plus?
do we have get BIS to use the Blackberrys?

By: Subba

Subba — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:41:09 +0000

I am considering to switch from Verizon (currently 70$/month – we end up using 250 minutes/month typically) to T-mobile prepaid.

Anybody know if I can just reuse my current phone? (I think Verizon uses CDMA).

By: sarath

sarath — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:34:29 +0000

I am using libertywireless.com
It is unlimited talk/web/text and is just $50/month.
They are giving a free phone if you sign up for a month.The customer service is excellent and I heard the CEO is in touch with the customers directly.
Thanks