Least expensive cellphone service

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu wrote:
> What's the least expensive cell phone service?...

Having none at all. What is the reason you want service?

Roger

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

<dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu> wrote in message
news:fcd17af9.0410242300.47b7a5c6@posting.google.com...
> What's the least expensive cell phone service?...

Can you be less specific...

There are probably a dozen answers based on how it will be used.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Based on the smallest yearly outlay:
$18/yr, justalk @phoneshark.com (uses AT&T TDMA)
$25/yr, Speak Out (7-11) (Cingular)
$25/yr, Occasional T-Mobile Promo
$40/yr, AT&T Free2Go, Callplus, Locus (AT&T TDMA)
All prepaid.

This does not include the price of the phone. You can get good deals
on phones at eBay, or from the above suppliers.

BillRadio
Western U.S. Wireless info:
http://www.mountainwireless.com

dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu (don warner saklad dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu) wrote in message news:<fcd17af9.0410242300.47b7a5c6@posting.google.com>...
> What's the least expensive cell phone service?...

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Based on the smallest yearly outlay:
$18/yr, justalk @phoneshark.com (uses AT&T TDMA)
$25/yr, Speak Out (7-11) (Cingular)
$25/yr, Occasional T-Mobile Promo
$40/yr, AT&T Free2Go, Callplus, Locus (AT&T TDMA)
All prepaid.

This does not include the price of the phone. You can get good deals
on phones at eBay, or from the above suppliers.

BillRadio
Western U.S. Wireless info:
http://www.mountainwireless.com

dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu (don warner saklad dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu) wrote in message news:<fcd17af9.0410242300.47b7a5c6@posting.google.com>...
> What's the least expensive cell phone service?...

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Does not compute.

Least expensive to have and use? Impossible to answer without more info.

Least expensive to have and seldom use? Prepaid.

If you are new to cellular and really want the absolute cheapest postpaid
plan, you have hours of "due diligence" in front of you,
including predicting your volume of usage, determining whether
coverage area and quality of service is a priority, pricing out your
preference of phone instrument, checking the websites of all the providers
in your area, and picking through thousands of Usenet posts to get the "real
deal".

As much as the posters on this board love to show off how much some of us
(not me!!!! LOL) know, and how much we love to be helpful and informative,
no one but you can or will do this research to YOUR advantage.

Best of luck. Stop back and tell us how you made out.


Dean
____________________________________________________<dsaklad@zurich.csail.mi
t.edu> wrote in message
news:fcd17af9.0410242300.47b7a5c6@posting.google.com...
> What's the least expensive cell phone service?...

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

.. . . Thank you !
What is the reputation of http://www.just-talk.net
The toll free 1 800 number there did not work !

billradio@mountainaudio.com (Bill Radio) wrote in message news:<60c79690.0410251929.ccd34e9@posting.google.com>...
> Based on the smallest yearly outlay:
> $18/yr, justalk @phoneshark.com (uses AT&T TDMA)
> $25/yr, Speak Out (7-11) (Cingular)
> $25/yr, Occasional T-Mobile Promo
> $40/yr, AT&T Free2Go, Callplus, Locus (AT&T TDMA)
> All prepaid.
>
> This does not include the price of the phone. You can get good deals
> on phones at eBay, or from the above suppliers.
>
> BillRadio
> Western U.S. Wireless info:
> http://www.mountainwireless.com
>
> dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu (don warner saklad dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu) wrote in message news:<fcd17af9.0410242300.47b7a5c6@posting.google.com>...
> > What's the least expensive cell phone service?...

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

DOn,
I haven't called them in some time. Their info is at:

http://www.phoneshark.com/showwirelesscard.cfm?f=11&t=1...

1-888-441-2355

I don't see their $8.99 promo, so their yearly charge is probably back up to
$20/year.

-Bill



<dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu> wrote in message
news:fcd17af9.0410260320.66844834@posting.google.com...
> . . . Thank you !
> What is the reputation of http://www.just-talk.net
> The toll free 1 800 number there did not work !
>
> billradio@mountainaudio.com (Bill Radio) wrote in message
news:<60c79690.0410251929.ccd34e9@posting.google.com>...
> > Based on the smallest yearly outlay:
> > $18/yr, justalk @phoneshark.com (uses AT&T TDMA)
> > $25/yr, Speak Out (7-11) (Cingular)
> > $25/yr, Occasional T-Mobile Promo
> > $40/yr, AT&T Free2Go, Callplus, Locus (AT&T TDMA)
> > All prepaid.
> >
> > This does not include the price of the phone. You can get good deals
> > on phones at eBay, or from the above suppliers.
> >
> > BillRadio
> > Western U.S. Wireless info:
> > http://www.mountainwireless.com
> >
> > dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu (don warner saklad
dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu) wrote in message
news:<fcd17af9.0410242300.47b7a5c6@posting.google.com>...
> > > What's the least expensive cell phone service?...

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

I have a similar question, but with more info to go on.

My wife is on a Local 125 plan for $25/month that includes 125 home area
minutes, but no long distance and no roaming (the phone will roam, of
course, but at extravagant rates). Our market is Cincinnati/Dayton, Ohio.

Does Verizon offer a cheaper plan other than going to prepay? If you
threaten to leave them (her contract obligation is up) will they find a
lower rate to keep a customer, or just let you go?

Thanks.

- ESJ

<dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu> wrote in message
news:fcd17af9.0410242300.47b7a5c6@posting.google.com...
> What's the least expensive cell phone service?...

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

earl_jonesx@usax.net (E Jones) wrote in
news:jUrgd.7227$EO3.4809@fe1.columbus.rr.com:

> My wife is on a Local 125 plan for $25/month that includes 125 home
> area minutes, but no long distance and no roaming (the phone will
> roam, of course, but at extravagant rates). Our market is
> Cincinnati/Dayton, Ohio.
>
> Does Verizon offer a cheaper plan other than going to prepay?

Do you actually accumulate roaming and LD charges, or go over your
allotted 125 minutes/month?

If not, then I doubt you'll find anything cheaper.

I have 2 phones sharing 100 minutes a month for $30, also with a
limited coverage area and no long distance, but since we've never run
up much in the way of roaming or LD charges, I've given up on finding
something cheaper, even with the 20% discount I could get at Sprint.

--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | bert@visi.com

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

>I have a similar question, but with more info to go on.
>
>My wife is on a Local 125 plan for $25/month that includes 125 home area
>minutes, but no long distance and no roaming (the phone will roam, of
>course, but at extravagant rates). Our market is Cincinnati/Dayton, Ohio.
>
>Does Verizon offer a cheaper plan other than going to prepay? If you
>threaten to leave them (her contract obligation is up) will they find a
>lower rate to keep a customer, or just let you go?
>
>Thanks.
>
> - ESJ

I'd go the pre-pay route if I were you. $15/month. LD included, and your local
coverage area is the VZW national network. That's 43 one-minute calls, or one
147 minute call. You are somewhere in between. You get to carry over unused
minutes so that you can have heavy usage every so often (like a trip).

I am on the 300 minute AC plan right now. We have been using it for all our long
distance needs, but landline long distance is now cheaper than keeping a cell
phone primarily for that reason. I am using the 1x data minutes-of-use during
off-peak right now, but if they pull the plug on that, I will be switching my
main account to prepay.
--
Dave
Visit my New England Cell Phone Page at
http://markson.net/cell_phones.htm
(to reply take out the "remove" in my e-mail)

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 19:36:57 -0400, Dave Markson
<dave@markson.removeit.net> wrote:

>I'd go the pre-pay route if I were you. $15/month. LD included, and your local
>coverage area is the VZW national network. That's 43 one-minute calls, or one
>147 minute call.

I wouldn't count on 43 one minute calls since VZW uses one minute
incremental billing and also uses send-to-end billing.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

In article <dv47o05itlj1qpck1o9899rbbeq004gcj3@4ax.com>, Joseph
<JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I wouldn't count on 43 one minute calls since VZW uses one minute
> incremental billing and also uses send-to-end billing.


In addtion, Verizon Prepay now adds a "25 cent first minute surcharge"
to the first minute.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

>> I wouldn't count on 43 one minute calls since VZW uses one minute
>> incremental billing and also uses send-to-end billing.

I have made many one-minute calls, usually to check on things on the way home.
Granted, they probably average around 30 seconds.

>In addtion, Verizon Prepay now adds a "25 cent first minute surcharge"
>to the first minute.

Yes, I took that into account on my calculations. At first I thought it was a
bad deal, but unless you average less than two minutes per call, you end up
ahead on the new prepay plan.