Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with prepaid

Good Prepaid Cellphone for Austin, Tx?

Sentus — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:10:58 -0800

Hey there, I hate dealing with credit cards, signing contracts. Need a good simple and reliable Prepaid cell phone. Hope you folks are having a great weekend...

I am thinking about finally getting a prepaid cellphone.
It's going to be mainly for business purposes. Going to use it in moderation.

A few questions:
1. Voice mail. I need it to have a reliable voice mail service. To be able to customize it with my voice.
2. What happens If I brake it, lose it, it gets stolen? Would I be able somehow to get the same number again?
3. Google Voice - Is any body uses that? Could it work for me?
4. Good/Bad experiences with providers in the area?
5. Other ideas?

Thank you in advance and have a great day,

Prepaid Cellphone For NYC That Is Not Virgin Mobile?

jason's_planet — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:52:01 -0800

I need a prepaid cellphone service in NYC that is NOT Virgin Mobile. Looking to pay about $10 a month. Don't need lots of fancy telecom doo-dads. Just need decent reception and reliable service and voicemail. What are my options? How about Verizon? Are they any good? I've been using Virgin Mobile for a while. But the relationship is no longer meeting my needs. Because you've been nice enough to read my question and (possibly) help me out, I will spare you the gratuitous kvetching. Here is the abbreviated kvetching: Virgin Mobile's service is so piss-poor that I can barely make out what people are saying on my phone and it's not unusual for me to get voicemails two or three days after they would have done me some good. This is unacceptable. I feel as if I'm paying $6 a month for absolutely nothing. I am willing to pay c. $10 a month if it actually gets me something.

I'll add here that I am a very occasional user of my cellphone. It's there for potential employers to contact me and so that I can let people know if I'm running late. I don't need five hundred minutes of calling a month or anything like that.

I've done a little bit of research, and Verizon prepaid appears to fit the bill. If you have firsthand experience of Verizon prepaid, would you recommend them? Or is there another service that you would recommend? Again, halfway decent reception here in the concrete canyons of NYC and reliable service -- i.e. getting voicemails when people leave them, not four or five days later -- are what I'm looking for. Nothing fancy.

Many thanks in advance.

Cheapify my cellie

mwhybark — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:39:06 -0800

cell plan change suggestions? Income change upcoming. Currently we spend about $110 / mo on 2 phones with one dataplan on one phone. Happy to jump carriers (we are on AT&T), need to keep our numbers.

I believe the conventional wisdom is embrace the cheapskate route, kick the data to the curb, and go with disposable SIMs that limit minutes and usage.

If I do that, can we keep our numbers?

Finally, is there a decent prepaid dataplan?

There are plenty of precursors but the shifting sands ever insist on a current answer.

Lastly: Howard Forum, check. Tracfone, gotcha, to an extent. Here's a Tracfone subquestion: my parents have and still use pre-SIM phones under tracfone. Can I send them some modern handsets and get them on to the new phones with their Tracfone plans intact?

How can I convert prepaid reward cards to cash?

SuperCoolZane — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:42:01 -0800

What is the best way to convert prepaid reward credit cards to cash? I have a reward card from American Express and a rebate card through Visa that I would like to convert to cash because spending the precise amount the cards are worth is difficult.

Cheap cell phone plan for three months in US

Busoni — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:55:01 -0800

Looking for a cheap pay-as-you-go or pre-paid plan, to use until the end of December. I have a Motrola Razr (v3r, or something like it, as I recall), which I used to use with T-Mobile, although I'm not opposed to buying a cheap phone for the interim (although it'd have to very cheap). What are my options? I might go through the entire week without making a call, or if I'm out, maybe three calls max. I'm not interested in texting.

Wireless data in france?

aeighty — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:05:04 -0800

Is it possible to buy prepaid wireless data in France? I'm going to be in France for about 2 weeks and I'd love it if I could use my (jailbroken) iPhone for email, skype and GPS. Is it possible to spend a reasonable amount of money for a reasonable amount of data?

Thanks

Help me find a prepaid cell that iSyncs

Cogito — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:31:50 -0800

What cellphone can I get to use with a prepaid plan that will work with iSync? My original RAZR is slowly dying, so I'm thinking of replacing it and switching to a prepaid plan (probably Virgin or T-Mobile). I have all my calendars and contacts on my Mac, so I'd really like to be able to sync my phone, but it doesn't seem like any of the prepaid handset offerings are compatible according to Apple's list.

Should I buy a compatible handset separately and then sign up for the prepaid plan? I know this should work for a GSM carrier like T-mobile, but I'm not so sure about Virgin. Any suggestions of specific handsets that work well with iSync (and where to buy, if not available from the carrier) would be great.

Which prepaid cell company to use?

reenum — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:49:26 -0800

PrepaidCellFilter: Two questions about prepaid cell plans: 1. Can I use a phone I buy off eBay with one of these plans, or is it essential to use the phones provided by the carrier? 2. If I'm mostly interested in texting, which prepaid cell provider would be the best for me? I'm thinking of ditching my Sprint contract and switching to a prepaid carrier. I only use the cell to call people if there is an emergency and little else.

However, I do like texting and would like to try and choose a plan that allows unlimited or a high number of texts at a reasonable price.

Also, I'd like to have a nicer phone with T9 rather than the cheapo Nokia phones some of these carriers give you.

So, Hive Mind, what say you?

Pre-pay pour party pictures perlease

Magnakai — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:28:57 -0800

Can I get pre-paid film development in the UK? Either an envelope or a voucher would be good. It has to apply to a single 35mm film canister, not a disposable camera. I have a slightly complicated Christmas present in the works, but I don't want to saddle the recipient with £5 worth of development costs in order to reap the full enjoyment. Ideally, I'd include a pre-paid envelope that the recipient can pop into the post, receiving a set of prints and a CD in return.

I'm going to be giving out a few of them, if that helps in any way.

Cheers in advance, Mefites!

Cellular Seoul

artof.mulata — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:23:46 -0800

s. korea filter: in seoul for two weeks and wondering about pay-as-you-go phones. existent? procurable? where? how? i sure could use one while i'm there...

Pay-as-you-go unlimited data for first-gen iPhone in the UK?

-1 — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:16:33 -0800

I've got an unlocked iPhone (first-gen) running 1.1.4. Currently, I use AT&T's PAYG w/ Unlimited MediaNet to get unlimited data for $20/month. I'll soon be going to the UK, and I'd like to set up a similar arrangement. I'd like some advice as to how to accomplish this. I rarely make calls (<10 a month), and I almost never send texts -- what I really want is unlimited data on my iPhone. I'm having a hard time figuring out what (if any) pay-as-you-go tariffs in the UK will allow me to do this.

Since I've got a first-gen iPhone, I can't just use any old 3G SIM, so I'd like any recommendations as to what networks have plans that allow for unlimited EDGE usage. I'm willing to deal with GPRS if I have to, but EDGE is definitely preferred.

(I say "unlimited", but realistically I'm not gonna use more than 5GB/month, so reasonable caps are fine.)

Thanks in advance!

Where to buy a pre-paid iPhone 3G for Australia?

TooManyGadgets — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:07:01 -0800

Where can I buy a new, 3G iPhone for the Optus network (in Australia) without having to sign a contract? Optus certainly won't let me... I'm currently on the Turbocharge Optus pre-paid plan, with my trusty Nokia N73. Until recently, the combination's been a bit useless for web browsing - data was $0.33 for 15kb (!), so I only used it when in dire need. When the iPhone came out, though, they upgraded the Turbocharge plan to include data.

Once I started taking advantage of the pre-paid data, though, I realised that... my phone isn't really up to "surfing" the internet. The experience is more akin to lying in 6 inches of water in a bathtub. It's agonising - especially as I know how awesome it can be to surf the net on my iPod Touch.

I asked Optus about keeping my pre-paid plan while buying an iPhone outright - despite that they're the only carrier in Australia to "offer" the iPhone pre-paid, they basically said no - you'll have to wait (depending on who you talk to, in what store) somewhere between 6 weeks and 6 months (!) before you can get a pre-paid iPhone.

Sign a contract for two years with them, however, and they'll give you one straight away.

No thanks. I've never signed a mobile phone contract in my life, and I'm not about to start.

I'm still happy to keep my Optus pre-paid plan, but if they won't sell me an iPhone, who will? I'm hesitant to buy one from eBay, as it's been a bit of a mixed bag for me. I'm not sure where else I'd start with "importing" a 3G iPhone into Australia - would I have to do some unlocking shenanigans to make one work? Would I have to pay through my nose to get one?

Best UK prepaid mobile service?

singingfish — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:01:44 -0800

My family is going to be in the UK for a month. What's the best prepaid mobile phone deal (we're bringing our own phones)? 3 is out as my wife's phone is not 3G, otherwise which is the best value?

Keitai no koto ga wakaranai!

doctorpiorno — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:07:18 -0800

Please help a fellow gaijin make sense of Softbank mobile phone plans. Well, seems like my stay in Japan is going to be longer than I had originally planned, so I'm getting ready to settle down a bit. As part of that process, I have decided to make the jump from my lousy, barely audible and expensive to run prepaid Softbank mobile to a proper contract phone. Which sounded like it shouldn't be too difficult until I actually tried. I've been trying to make sense of the system for two weeks and the tears still haven't stopped.

My requirements are as follows: I'd like to stay in Softbank, for convenience and because all my friends use it too. I'll be staying for less than two years, so I know they'll probably make me pay for the handset upfront. I'm OK with that, but I don't want to spend a fortune on a mobile phone unless I can easily unlock it for use in Europe.

I'm not terribly interested in an iPhone - too expensive, hard to find right now and potentially difficult to unlock when I go back. I would love to get myself a nice smartphone, but it seems like Softbank doesn't do unlocking even after you reach the end of your contract, and that kind of makes the purchase a lousy investment.

So, with all of the above in mind, I have a ton of questions:

- How easy is it to get out of a two-year contract with Softbank before it runs out, assuming you have already paid for your handset? Is there a penalty fee for early cancellation? Is it possible to put a contract "on hold" for a few months and resume it afterwards if you're temporarily leaving Japan but expect to come back soonish?

- Is there any way to unlock Japanese mobile phones, assuming I get a model that would actually work outside of Japan?

- Is it possible to purchase an unlocked multiband phone, such as a Nokia E71 from Expansys, and ask Softbank to provide service for it? Do they sell such things as SIM cards here, or something equivalent? If affirmative, would I be restricted to prepaid call and data rates or can I sign up for something like Softbank's White Plan?

- Failing that, is there any specific phone on Softbank that you'd recommend and which wouldn't be prohibitively expensive? I'm usually a capable gadget nerd, but Japanese specs sheets baffle me to no end. Right now, the 821sc seems to be both cheap and capable, but when compared to other models there just doesn't seem to be any correlation whatsoever between features and price.

- Am I missing out by staying on Softbank? Should I be paying more attention at what the other operators have on offer? It seems like Docomo and Au have made great progress in catering to the gaijin lately, so it's not looking as impossible to get a phone with them as it one was.

I know this is a ton of questions and some of them have been asked at some point in the past, but things move pretty fast in this country and my Japanese is nowhere near good enough to ask at an actual Softbank store. If my dear Hivemind can assist this prospective Japanese student in this time of need, I'd be eternally grateful.

Thanks in advance everyone!

"This phone is not accepting calls"

grablife365 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:46:43 -0800

My Nokia Net10 prepaid cell phone will not accept calls from certain people. Does anyone know how to fix this? I've had this Nokia Net10 1600 model phone for the last month and have not been able to get calls from certain people.

They get the message that says something like "this person (or phone) is not currently accepting calls."

The Nokia customer service people aren't helping. Says that it'll take at least a few days to figure out. Right now this is my only phone and I'm going to have to keep for at least another month.

Has anyone had this problem before and how did you fix it other than to upgrade?

Thanks.

Pre-paid phone in us

radsqd — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:48:36 -0800

Pre-paid phone in us Iam with verizon wireless and absolutely tired of paying $40/month for 450 minutes , no text when I rarely go above 200 minutes

Simply I want maybe 200 minutes with 200 txt included for less than $25/month. This is prolly better with a prepaid phone.
Give me your reviews on virgin mobile, at&t pay as you go service
does virgin charge for roaming?

Bonus: If the phone can be used as an mp3 player with a sd card slot

Is there a fair prepaid cell phone plan on the market?

tangyraspberry — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:50:28 -0800

Can anyone suggest a good prepaid cell phone plan? I find I need a cell phone only once every couple of weeks but don't want to get tied down to an annual contract.

Where can I get an anonymous pre-paid Credit Card in the UK?

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:43:04 -0800

Where in the UK can I get a pre-paid Credit Card or Mastercard/Visa-based Gift Card? I need to be able to use it online and I'd like to purchase it anonymously.

How do I port my prepaid number to a different carrier's plan while retaining my balance?

puloxor — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:22:35 -0800

How do I port my prepaid number to a different carrier's plan while retaining my balance? I'm currently using t-mobile prepaid, and would like to get onto a Sprint plan. I want to keep my existing number, and be able to sell my balance on the t-mobile account (~$80).

I've read online that people have successfully ported their prepaid number to a paid plan, but I'm not sure if it can be done across different carriers.

As for keeping my balance, would this plan work? New monthly plan takes my existing number, and my prepaid sim gets a new number. I would then sell the sim card on ebay? From what I've read, when you port your number, it seems like the carrier closes your old account automatically (which kills this plan).

Anybody have any experience/advice on doing this? I'm not even sure how they verify I own a prepaid number, since my contact information is not tied to the prepaid account.

Simple prepaid cell phone

KRS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:25:35 -0800

Best simple, prepaid cell phone I need a cell phone about once a week, and don't want to pay the $40/mo. subscription fee. I don't need (and prefer NOT to have) email, internet, camera, games, etc. Give me the phone, the whole phone and nothing but the phone.

Which one gives the best reception? Is there one on which the prepaid minutes never expire?

Prepaid MP3-capable cellphone

aerotive — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:53:38 -0800

Looking for recommendations for a prepaid cellular service that has a cellphone that can play mp3s. I have Virgin prepaid at the moment, but they only have one phone that can play MP3s and from what I've read it's terrible.

The phones available in stores around here are basic phones plus a few camera phones. I could not find one prepaid phone that could play mp3s. Verizone, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint are all available where I live and I'm open to any prepaid service running on their or other networks.

A big bonus would be a phone that doesn't require specialized software to transfer and manage files/works with linux.

Getting on the cellphone bandwagon (at last).

Gordion Knott — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:09:21 -0800

I live on a quiet, forested country lane with no cellphone service. If I purchase a prepaid "burner" cellphone from T-Mobile, will I be able to use it and add minutes to it as needed? Or am I screwed? My neighborhood is officially a dead zone, and opposition from overzealous environmentalists is destined to keep it that way.

Inspired by posts like this one, I decided to buy a prepaid cellphone from T-Mobile and $100 "Gold Rewards" card to use when I'm driving or visiting nearby cities. But when I called up T-Mobile, I was told that the phones can only be shipped to residences in "live" zones. Corporate policy.

My question is this: If I get the prepaid cellphone and $100 card at a Target located in a "live" zone, will I be able to activate it from the store? And, will I be able to buy new reward cards from Target as needed? Or will activation of the phone result in revealing my address and zip to T-Mobile, and getting the cold shoulder like I did when I attempted my purchase on the phone?

Bonus question: Can the phone, in its locked state, be used in countries outside of the US?

Please, just a few minutes more?

platinum — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:51:07 -0800

I have cellular service through T-Mobile and have used up all my minutes this month, but there are still a few days before the month rolls over and I need to be able to make some calls for work purposes. What's the most frugal way to make calls without racking up $.35 per minute overage charges for the next few days? In addition to my regular T-mobile phone, I've got an old t-mobile phone with no SIM card and a computer at my disposal and am willing to buy a prepaid card or some other such thing if that's what you recommend!

Should I bring my iPhone to SE Asia, or go prepaid (and other international phone questions)?

colecovizion — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:23:36 -0800

Should I bring my iPhone to SE Asia, or go prepaid (and other international phone questions)? I travel more than 5 times a year to SE Asia. I'm about to get an iPhone, so the antenna compatibility should be there. International fees can be quite expensive, so my questions are more about pricing.

First some usage stats:

* I travel mostly to Singapore and Malaysia (Penang)
* I travel on occasion to Thailand and the Philippines
* I wouldn't do a lot of calling/texting. Less than 200 minutes /month
* I'm not very familiar with the prepaid plans in SE Asia

Now, the questions:
* Can I get a SIM card for my iPhone out in Asia with prepaid minutes?
* Typically, how competitive the international rates on prepaid minutes? Ideally, I'd like to get one Singapore number that I can use in Malaysia/Philippines/Thailand.
* Would it be cheaper to get a prepaid account in the countries I visit most?
* Typically, when do the prepaid accounts expire? 6 months?

Thanks!

Smartphone on a prepaid plan, is it possible?

vegetableagony — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:07:50 -0800

Seeing the answers to previous questions has made me want to get a smartphone so that I don't have to carry both a PDA and a cellphone. The problem: I have T mobile's prepaid plan. How do I find a phone with good organization features that is compatible with my plan? None of the phone's Tmobile is selling seem to fit what I want which is the ability to set up a calendar on it with recurring events and programmable alarms to alert me, and preferably a to do list. A lot of phones seem to have these features included as an after thought (my current phone included), but they are very poorly implemented.

All of the smart phone's I've seen recommended to other people seem to fit what I'd like, but I don't know which if any of them would be compatible with my prepaid plan. I don't care about internet, email, or access to T mobile's t-zones.

All I want is a decent PDA that can make calls and send text messages using my current prepaid plan. Looking to spend under $200.