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My criteria for a pay as you go cell phone
is probably different then yours.
If I wanted unlimited local calls I would probably go with cricket because they are $30 a month for unlimited local service. Which is about $360 a year. But I seldom make phone calls so I would be happy with something that charges me 10 cents a minute for only the calls I make. I make long distance calls now and then so it would be nice is long distance calls are for the same price. But I don't make many long distance calls so if I can't get them for free it won't be a deal breaker. Initial good buys are Tracfone because I can get a years worth of service for $80 or $100, even thought the minutes are a little bit expensive. T Mobile is probably better because I can get a years service for $100 and the minutes are only 10 cents each. A good question is are those minutes good for long distance? GO ATT is a little better priced then my Tracfone, but their year plan costs 2 and one half times what a T Mobile costs. You get 400 minutes from GO ATT for $100 while T Mobile gives you 1000 minutes for the same $100. Boost might be a good plan. But they give out so little information it is hard to compare them with the other phones. So unless I get more info on them I will avoid them. Because they seem to be trying to hide their rates. I don't want to buy their phone and then find out AFTER the fact that they have a bunch of hidden charges that are not listed in their publications. |
Add these two new phones
Found at Frys Food Stores
FREE phone
25¢ daytime
10¢ nighttime/weekend
free incoming text messages
Circle K phones that are identical to TRACFONES
But the cost is one half the price for minutes
and the minutes last for 120 days, not 90
| Phone Cost |
Air Time Cost |
Vendor | Days | Number Minutes |
Cost per Min |
Comments |
| Tracfone | $10 $15 $30 $40 | You can get a Tracfone on sale for $10 | ||||
| $10 | Tracfone | 45 | 30 | 33.3¢ | ||
| $20 | Tracfone | 90 | 60 | 33.3¢ | ||
| $30 | Tracfone | 90 | 120 | 25.0¢ | ||
| $40 | Tracfone | 90 | 200 | 20.0¢ | ||
| $100 | Tracfone | 365 | 400 | 25.0¢ | ||
| $140 | Tracfone | 365 | 800 | 17.5¢ | ||
| $60 | Tracfone + double | 45 | 60 | 100.0¢ | ||
| $70 | Tracfone + double | 90 | 120 | 58.3¢ | ||
| $80 | Tracfone + double | 90 | 240 | 33.3¢ | ||
| $90 | Tracfone + double | 90 | 400 | 22.5¢ | ||
| $150 | Tracfone + double | 365 | 800 | 18.8¢ | ||
| $190 | Tracfone + double | 365 | 1600 | 11.9¢ | ||
| Virgin | $15 $50 $100 | The fixed rate Virgin are competive with my Tracfone, even with the $140 high end Tracfone plane which is 17.5 cents vs 18 cents Virgin BUT Virgin is only 90 days, Tracfone is 1 year! | ||||
| $20 | Virgin | 90 | 111 | 18.0¢ | ||
| $30 | Virgin | 90 | 166 | 18.1¢ | ||
| $50 | Virgin | 90 | 277 | 18.1¢ | ||
| $90 | Virgin | 90 | 500 | 18.0¢ | The monthly fees kill this deal!!! With out the monthly fee it would be a great deal at 10 cents a minute! But when you throw in the monthly fee the 10 cents a minute rate is destoryed | |
| $20 | Virgin $6.99/mo | 90 | 130 | 15.4¢ | ||
| $30 | Virgin $6.99/mo | 90 | 230 | 13.0¢ | ||
| $50 | Virgin $6.99/mo | 90 | 430 | 11.6¢ | ||
| $90 | Virgin $6.99/mo | 90 | 830 | 10.8¢ | ||
| $35 | Virgin $35/mo | 31 | 300 | 11.7¢ | ||
| $45 | Virgin $45/mo | 31 | 400 | 11.3¢ | ||
| $60 | Virgin $60/mo | 31 | 600 | 10.0¢ | ||
| $100 | Virgin $100/mo | 31 | 1000 | 10.0¢ | ||
| Phone Cost |
Air Time Cost |
Vendor | Days | Number Minutes |
Cost per Min |
Comments |
| T Mobile | $30 $40 $70 $80 $98 | Probably the best plan You get a year at 10¢ a minute | ||||
| $10 | T Mobile | 90 | 30 | 33.3¢ | ||
| $25 | T Mobile | 90 | 130 | 19.2¢ | ||
| $50 | T Mobile | 90 | 400 | 12.5¢ | ||
| $100 | T Mobile | 365 | 1000 | 10.0¢ | ||
| Boost | $40 $100 | Boost seems to suck the big one!!! And unknown charges - Will they rip you off? |
||||
| ? | Boost | 30 | ? | 20.0¢ | 35¢/day web fee - must call 888-BIIST-4U to shut off | |
| $50 | Boost | 90 | ? | 12.5¢ | $50/mo 35¢/day web fee - must call 888-BIIST-4U to shut off | |
| $90 | Boost | 90 | ? | 11.7¢ | $90/mo 35¢/day web fee - must call 888-BIIST-4U to shut off | |
| GO ATT | $20 $50 | At 25 cents a minute as good as my trac phone | ||||
| $15 | GO ATT | 30 | 60 | 25.0¢ | ||
| $25 | GO ATT | 90 | 100 | 25.0¢ | ||
| $50 | GO ATT | 90 | 200 | 25.0¢ | ||
| $100 | GO ATT | 365 | 400 | 25.0¢ | ||
| The $1 a day stuff sucks! It is a killer!!! | $15 | GO ATT/daily | 30 | ? | 10.0¢ | $1/day used |
| $25 | GO ATT/daily | 90 | ? | 10.0¢ | $1/day used | |
| $50 | GO ATT/daily | 90 | ? | 10.0¢ | $1/day used | |
| $100 | GO ATT/daily | 365 | ? | 10.0¢ | $1/day used | |
| Phone Cost |
Air Time Cost |
Vendor | Days | Number Minutes |
Cost per Min |
Comments |
| Firefly | $50 | Too many open questions! Whats min $ payment? How long does it last? With lots of days use the 35 cent daily fee could be a pain Other then that 15 cents a minute is reasonsable | ||||
| Firefly minute | ? | ? | 15.0¢ | 35¢/day+ how long does it last??? + $ for messages received? | The $15 monthly fee kills this plan | |
| $15 | Firefly monthly | ? | ? | 10.0¢ | $15/mo + 35¢/day+ how long does it last??? + $ for messages received? | |
| Kajeet | $60 | Too many open questions! Whats min $ payment? How long does it last? With lots of days use the 35 cent daily fee could be a pain Other then that 10 cents a minute is reasonsable | ||||
| ? | Kajeet | ? | ? | 10.0¢ | 35¢/day+ how long does it last??? + 5¢/msg received | |
| iNpulse | $40 $120 | The $1 a day charge is a deal killer!!!! | ||||
| ? | iNpulse | ? | ? | 10.0¢ | $1/day+ how long does it last??? + 10¢/msg received | |
| ? | iNpulse | ? | ? | 5.0¢ | $2/day+ how long does it last??? + 5¢/msg received | |
| ? | iNpulse | ? | ? | 2.0¢ | $3/day+ how long does it last??? + 2¢/msg received | |
| AllTel | $1 $15 $20 $25 $70 $80 $90 | $35 activation fee? That sucks! Well it might not suck that bad since you can buy a phone for $1 Also their phones don't show your balance! That sucks too! | ||||
| $20 | AllTel | 60 | 133 | 15¢ | ||
| $45 | AllTel | 90 | 300 | 15¢ | ||
| $55 | AllTel | 180 | 367 | 15¢ | ||
| $100 | AllTel | 365 | 667 | 15¢ | Text 10¢ each. Text received free? 59¢ roam | |
| Phone Cost |
Air Time Cost |
Vendor | Days | Number Minutes |
Cost per Min |
Comments |