On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:08:31 -0400, Frank wrote:
Stormin Mormon wrote:
My parents are still able to drive, go shopping, eat out,
and so on. But, there have been a couple moments when the
car broke down. Or, one was out, and the other didn't know
why it was taking so long. I suggested they get a cell
phone. The reply was that we don't have the money to
support another monthly bill.
I've heard of phones where you buy the minutes in advance.
Has anyone used such a phone, and which brand, where bought,
etc? If it was twenty bucks or so, I'd buy the phone
outright, and give it to them as a gift.
I have little need for a cell phone but have a Tracfone. Wife had
bought it for her emergency use but gave it to me when son put her on
his family plan which probably costs him $20 month.
http://www.tracfone.com/index.jsp
You can get into a years plan for $99 which includes minutes.
Cost per minute might be as much as a quarter but if you use as little
as I do, it is a bargain and when you renew, they roll the minutes over.
I keep the phone in the car or carry it when out in the woods. Never
keep it on for incoming calls and now have 1,200 minutes I don't know
what to do with and need to renew in Oct. Still a very cheap insurance
option.
We have a Tracfone that my wife carries. I have seen them on sale for less
than $15.oo and you can buy minutes in any increment of 30 minutes at a
time that last for 90 days before you have to add minutes. I add the
minutes on line with a credit card. All you need is the serial number of
the phone. I keep this in a text file so when needed, I copy and
paste it to the order form on the net. Unused minutes are rolled over
every 90 days. They email me special offers to buy extra time and notify
me by Email a week or more prior to the expiration date of the current
minutes that are left on the phone. We don't give the number out so as to
not be bothered with calls. We carry it because of health reasons and to
call AAA if required. It doesn't take pictures or any thing else that I'm
aware of, but don't have any use for any other services either.
My personal opinion is that this is as simple as you need and no more
complicated than need be.