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Why is Tracfone so popular?

 

We got a Tracfone for our DD. She has had it for 2 years. We have never had a problem. It is about $8.00 a month for her.

I don't know why its so popular, but it works for us and it is the cheapest for us.

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Why is Tracfone so popular?

I think cuz it's prevalent. You can find it at discount stores, supermarkets, etc. And they have a great Refer-A-Friend program. I've gotten tons of free minutes thru it. And my reception is pretty good in my area.
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So it is worth the money for a tracphone? I live in an area that cell phone reception is not great to begin with, but I want to have something just in case I get caught somewhere and need to call for help, or if someone needs to get ahold of me. It is not worth our $$$ to have a regular cell phone, but I would like to have a prepaid or a pay as you go plan, but what is the best?

 

TracFone?

Cingular?

Alltel?

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My wife & I use Cingular...used to be AT&T.

 

As long as you aren't a heavy user, prepaid is OK.

 

We spend around $14/month for the 2 phones total. It's easier to do that when you have 2 phones. I use more minutes...and we can switch phones when I get low but don't want to add more minutes.

If you buy a $25, $50 or $75 card, minutes last for 90 days. $100 card lasts for 180 days. You get a new expiration date after adding to the account IF you add before the 90 or 180 is up.

The $25 card gives you minutes that = 25¢/minute

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Pre-paid for most people is a waste of money, your MUCH better off getting a low end monthly deal with a provider.

Depends on how many minutes you need... If you are an "emergency use" type of user, then pre-paid is definitely the way to go.

 

Pre-paid is also perfect if your need for a cell phone is only temporary (no contract to be locked into).

 

Also, if someone has bad credit or no credit, pre-paid may be their only option...

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Pre-paid for most people is a waste of money, your MUCH better off getting a low end monthly deal with a provider.

Obviously, the OP is looking for tips on prepaid...

 

I can't find any provider that will offer me anything under $20/ month per phone.

 

I pay $7 per phone ...for me, it works :)

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Why is Tracfone so popular?

I saw something a while back analyzing the plans, etc. And the Tracfones were one of the cheapest ways to go for the occassional user -- to the point that if I wasn't locked into a contract at the time I would have thought about switching.

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Also, if someone has bad credit or no credit, pre-paid may be their only option...

You used to be able to get a cell phone without even a SSN... I suspect you still can. You did have to put up a heck of a deposit though. Way back when... I worked for Radio Shack. Guy came in wanted a phone and didn't even want to supply his name. I called the cellular company, and they said "sure no problem... $1000 deposit". He left and was back 15 minutes later with $1000 in cash for the deposit, and the several hundred more for the phone. Considering the neighborhood, I did not want to know where it came from... We put it in as "Mr Cash".

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Pre-paid for most people is a waste of money, your MUCH better off getting a low end monthly deal with a provider.

Again, it depends on usage. I use mine for emergencies and the OCASSIONAL call....about 15 minutes a month at most....so tracfoneis easy. I bought mine off the website, got 40 free minutes, and just used the online coupon code for 120 minutes at the price of 60. So I've paid $40- $45 total (incl. the phone itself) since October-ish and I'm good until August. Works for me, at least unless my usage goes up. :)

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We have used Virgin Mobile for our kids and had no problems at all.

Virgin is on the same network as Sprint, so the reception is great as

is customer service. They too have the referral program as well as

rollover minutes and now they have a $30 a month plan that I believe

gives you free nights and weekends and automatically "re-ups" your

minutes each month so you don't need to buy cards. You still can buy

cards, buy minutes on line or buy minutes via the phone as well.

We recommend Virgin quite highly. Good Luck

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