Pay as you go cell plans

January 20, 2016 4:37 AM

Can you recommend a low-hassle prepaid cell plan for a backup phone?

This is not my primary phone and I will be using it infrequently and at irregular intervals. My ideal setup would be that I prepay a certain amount, it’s debited by a certain amount on days when I use the phone but not on days when I don’t (or debited based on actual minutes / data usage at not-insane rates) and the balance never expires.

I realize this is probably a pipe dream but I used to have a T-Mobile plan that was pretty close to this – it was like $2 per active day as I recall, for both voice and data, though the unused balance expired in 3 or maybe 6 months. They don’t seem to have that plan anymore. Their current plans are confusing -- $3/month for 30 minutes of talk / 30 texts sounds pretty good but is that just a base rate, with the daily rate on top of it? And is it really min $5/day for any data usage at all?

This is in NYC if it matters. Thanks!

posted by neat graffitist to Technology (10 answers total)

Att go phone has something like what you're looking for, although it does expire after 90 days if I remember right.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 4:39 AM on January 20, 2016

We had an AT&T go phone plan that covered only voice and text. $99 per year, and it expired after a year. Although this askme is over two years old, you may find it helpful.
posted by DrGail at 5:05 AM on January 20, 2016

$3/month for 30 minutes of talk / 30 texts sounds pretty good but is that just a base rate, with the daily rate on top of it?

It looks like that's a flat $3/month that gets you a combined total of 30 minutes or texts in 30 days. (The tiny text at the bottom of the page makes that clear.) You then pay 10 cents for each additional minute or text that month. That plan charges $5/day for any data usage.

Maybe you should look into Ting. You pay $6/month per device and then additional fees based on the amount you actually use.
posted by belladonna at 5:26 AM on January 20, 2016

You can't do better than free. I signed up for RingPlus not long ago, and I'm very happy with it so far. Most users who've been with the service for any length of time (myself included) are eligible for upgrades (more minutes, texts, & data).
posted by ReginaHart at 6:04 AM on January 20, 2016

Hands down, it's Ting.com. $6/month if you don't use the phone, and sane PAYG fees on top if you do. They use the T-mobile and Sprint networks. T-mobile works fine in NYC, so feel free to pick the GSM version.

Their pricing model doesn't quite fit what you were looking for, but will likely end up costing a similar amount, and their customer service is excellent. If you've ever used a modern mobile phone provider in Europe or Asia, and wondered why the US equivalents are so awful and primitive, you'll like Ting.
posted by caek at 6:54 AM on January 20, 2016

It's been a few years but when I needed a similar plan in NYC my brother (who lives in California) recommended the plan he got for his daughter-- the minimum Virgin Mobile arrangement available at RadioShack. I walked across the street and bought a $20 phone (I think it was) and got in the habit of going to Virgin's website once every month (or so) to top-off my account with a $20 credit card charge. I could have made it automatic but chose not to. It was easy, cheap, and readily available and I assume it still is.
posted by cleroy at 7:31 AM on January 20, 2016

I use Ting and I love it. They're such human beings about everything.
posted by Ragged Richard at 7:36 AM on January 20, 2016

Nthing Ting, we've been using it for 3 months and like it a lot. If you do end up going that way, ask someone to give you a referral code and you'll get a $25 credit.
posted by ghharr at 8:11 AM on January 20, 2016

I am a huge fan of Tracfone. You can get a phone for as little as $10 and buy a card that gives service for a year in advance, plus minutes that roll over when you add more air time. Most cards add 3 months (plus various amounts of minutes). For my first Tracfone, I spent about $145 up front and was good for the next 14 months without spending another dime.
posted by Michele in California at 11:56 AM on January 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

Spouse uses Kitty Wireless and likes it.
$80/ year, generous data cost, he rolls the leftover amount over each year.
posted by mmw at 2:37 PM on January 20, 2016