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How do these no-contract $20 phones work? You buy the phone then you buy minutes? How much are small amounts of minutes such as 3 hours of time?
TWO LOW COST EXAMPLES
If you buy an LG Volt configured for Sprint network at Best Buy (usually $40) you can sign up for Ring plus. The LG Volt is an inexpensive Android phone.
The Pepper plan requires you to register a credit card and put $5 on your account. You register your phone online with the serial number (ESN, MEID) unique to the phone. But you pay NOTHING per month unless you go over. They give you 4:10 minutes of talk time per month, and 500 Texts along with a minimal 10 MB LTE/3G of Data (basically enough to check e-mail every so often). WiFi calling is available but it subtracts from your talk time. However, you can install Google Voice and Google Hangouts and get another phone number which will give you unlimited wifi talk and texts. Your credit card will be charged 2¢ Overage (per minute per text).
The downsize is you must listen to music when you make a call while you wait for someone to pick up. It's really not that bad, but they are hoping you will purchase these songs. A more serious problem is that sometimes their is a delay in the voice conversations, and you "talk over the other person". But if you only need emergency communications and minimal texting you might only pay $45 for years.
If you don't like the SPRINT network or you have bad SPRINT coverage, then SELECTEL has a good low cost plan for $75 for up to one year. You get 2000 minutes and 2000 texts which vanish after 365 days. So if you use up your minutes after 11 months that works out to about $7 a month for 3 hours per month.
Samsung flip phone from walmart $22 includes sim card and charger. Service is T-Mobile. $3 a month for 30 minutes. Each additional minute 10 cents. So 3 hours a month would cost $18 But you need to have $18 in your account. Each minute used is deducted.
AT&T
Unlimited Talk and Text $30 a month Data: Smartphone customers can use Wi-Fi, where available, for Data Usage, or purchase $5 per 100MB data package.
This is the one I had for years.
10ȼ per minute Talk. 20ȼ per message Text. Data is automatically enabled at a pay-per-use rate of 1ȼ per 5KB.
Looks like Samsung flip phone for $22 + $3 a month looks like the lowest cost option.
The Optimus Fuel for $19.84 is a 3G Android smartphone can be paid for online and delivered free to your nearest Walmart. I recommend this more than a flipphone because you can always use it as a mini tablet if you no longer want it as a phone. You can watch Netflix on it from wifi.
Although the box says it should only be used for net10wireless, it can be activated under any Tracfone division. Page Plus Cellular ( PPC ) is a division of Tracfone.
PPC cheapest PAYGO plan is $10 + taxes and fees for 120 days, but is good for only 20 minutes or 40 texts per month. If that's not enough time, $80 buys 2000 MINUTES ($0.04 per minute or $0.05 per text) and is good for 365 days. I would suggest you start an account with a $10 card to get a phone number and see how many minutes you use. If you are burning your minutes too fast you can purchase an $80 card . http://www.americanwirelessonline.co...rd-plan-top-up
You can load google voice/hangouts on the phone so you can make wifi calls. But it will be a separate number from you PPC. There will be two different apps on the phone, one for Google Hangouts and one for PPC.
To the best of my knowledge, that is the cheapest outlay per year you can get for a mobile phone (but not the cheapest per minute).
Last edited by PacoMartin; 09-24-2015 at 03:59 PM..
i pay att 30 bucks a month for unlimited talk and tex no internet conn i even had att block the internet so i don't used it and get nailed for it. you can buy the phones at wal mart target mostly any store or you can go into an att store one that's company owned and buy any phone you desire there so if you want an iPhone they will help you out and put it on a go phone account. and go phones do offer unlimited data also if you wanted to spring for the internet. the catch is that after you used your high speed data allowance is they throttle you back. i just need a phone to make and receive calls i have a separate mifi divice for my interwebs since id'e rather surf on the laptop than my phone. i belive that att holds your number for a year if you don't pay for it just make a payment before the year is up and you should be good to go or you can just donate it or throw it out. pre pay is money up front so no credit check and no sec dept and you'll need to pay full retail of the phone of your choice. and my plan includes all taxes and fee's also. and att also offers 2 dollar a day deals you only pat 2 dollars on the days that you use it and its unlimited talk and text
The Optimus Fuel for $19.84 is a 3G Android smartphone can be paid for online and delivered free to your nearest Walmart. I recommend this more than a flipphone because you can always use it as a mini tablet if you no longer want it as a phone. .
I expect to burn about 3 minutes per month if even that. I will check out the Optimus.
I expect to burn about 3 minutes per month if even that. I will check out the Optimus.
I've noticed the ones they stock in my store are usually priced at $30 or $40. You have to order them online to get the $20 price. That comment is based on a sample of only one Walmart, so it may not be true in general.
If you stop using the Optimus Fuel as a phone, there are a lot of good uses for a $20 tablet. They function as remotes or to run Google Chromecast. You can monitor household equipment or use them to get the weather. They make great alarm clocks. It's helpful to have cheaper tablets so you are not always relying on an expensive piece of equipment to do pedestrian tasks.
Flip phones just become trash when you stop using them as a phone.
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