I just got http://www.virginmobileusa.com

You renew with them for $20 every 90 days, instead of the usual 60 with most companies. I only want the phone for emergencies, so it will be good for my purposes.

I had Verizon, and could never get a signal from my home, but can with this. Only problem for me, the dang phone is so tiny. Guess I'll get used to it.

 

I've had TracFone for over a year. Didn't have any complaints till recently. The reception is great, they don't have their own carrier so they hitch on to whatever signal is strongest in your area. Here, that's US Cellular. My boss has Verizon, and his signal sucks, but mine's clear. Cost is OK, it depends a lot on what plan you get and watching to take advantage of specials when you buy more minutes. The more minutes you buy at a time, the cheaper they are.

I had some problems with my old phone, speaker went bad and I could barely hear it, and one major issue was that if it rang while I was operating any equipment, I couldn't hear it ring. Time for a new phone. I talked to a customer service rep about the features of other phones. (BTW, it's a real undertaking to get a live person to talk to there) I told her my needs and she assured me that the Motorola C343 would fill my needs, having an extra-loud setting for outdoors. I also wanted to keep my current number when I switched, and she told me that should be no problem.

I got the new phone and activated it, talking live to a customer service rep just so I could tell her I wanted to be sure and keep my old number. When I was done activating it, she gave me my new number...hold on there, I said I wanted to keep my old number! Oops! Well, it's gone now, nothing to be done. Sorry 'bout that. (She didn't sound very sorry, not even after I complained to her supervisor).

Then I come to find out the phone has no outdoor setting after all and is only marginally louder than my old one, set on the loudest setting with the most annoying ring tone I could find. Sometimes I hear it ring while on the backhoe, most of the time not. So it seems those people will tell you anything to get you to buy a phone.

So, TracFone itself I like. Their customer service...bites!

 

We have two, an analog(i'll keep it until they shut off the network in 2007) and a Moto V60i. I have never had a problem anywhere in the country getting a signal or hearing a call. I have another work cell phone, and sometimes it randomily loses signal. Never once had the problem with the Tracfones.


Per minute it does cost a little more, but I never once used my whole plan when I had a contract phone, so the relative costs even out. Wally World usually has the lowest Tracfone cards prices, generally 2 to 4 dollars less than everywhere else.

 

I've had one for a couple of years. The phone is a Nokia 5100 series. I've used it in Atlanta and Dallas and have never had a problem with reception.

I rarely talk on the phone--I use at maximum of 30 minutes a month, with an average closer to 15 mintues. Needless to say, I've been accumulating minutes at a pretty decent rate!

As others have mentioned, if you don't talk on the phone that often or just need a phone or emergencies, I think it will fit the bill. Plus you're not tied into some contract.

 

i used to have a tracfone, but now i have cingular prepaid. the tracfone got the best signal of any phone i have seen, but i wanted a more hi-tech phone(color screen, mp3 ringtones, and all that other stuff.). of course now tracfone has those kind of phones.

tracfone is $0.50 per minute with the $20 card and $0.33 per minute with a $30 card. double that if you're roaming.
cingular is $0.25 per minute all time or $0.10 per minute with a $1 daily access fee only on days you use your phone with free mobile to mobile. cingular doesn't have roaming. in our walmarts, they now have these phones in boxes like tracfones.
i have heard verizon prepaid is $0.10 per minute.

 

i agree to that for the while i had my phone. Cingular's is a little messed up because of the merger with AT&T.

 

I have always used a tracfone, never had any complaints. Occasionally I will loose signal but thats not very often. Lately I've been talkin on it alot(girls) so I've burned alot of minutes. Love my MotoV60i, compact, light and has vibrate alert which is a great thing. Now I know when I get a call at work, driving or at a party.

 

I've tried the vibrate alert on mine, but that dang backhoe vibrates a whole lot more than that little phone can. I can't feel it unless I'm sitting still, engine off.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I apreciate it. I ordered the V60i and it should arrive wednesday or thursday.