Pay-as-you-go mobile phones, or a cheap monthly rate (advice/info wanted)

[redbird]

For the last couple of years, I've had a Virgin Mobile prepaid phone. I use my mobile seldom enough that this makes sense for me: this way the minimum expense is $20/90 days, and I'm probably averaging about twice that.

The phone needs replacing (it's old, the 7 key doesn't work well, and one of the built-in function keys is also getting less and less sensitive). As far as I can tell, my options are to get another Virgin phone; switch to T-Mobile, in which case I'd still need to buy a new phone; or look for a relatively inexpensive contract, rather than one that will cost me lots of money for zillions of minutes I won't use.

The main problem with Virgin is that the Sprint network doesn't give me a good signal at home, and no matter how often I tell people to try the landline first, sometimes I miss calls because they don't. The secondary problem is that it's a US-only network, but T-Mobile would charge me fairly high for calls in Canada, so I I wouldn't use it much, if at all, while up there (which is only a couple of weeks a year anyhow).

T-Mobile claims decent signal strength to my apartment, though less once I get into Inwood Hill Park, but I have no idea of whether that's true. Since I'm between two ridges, one of them a city park, with a river and then a cliff to the north, I suspect nobody has really good signal here.

If you've had really good, or really bad (or really weird) experience with T-Mobile, or have opinions for or against the phones Sprint or T-Mobile is currently offering for prepaid, please pass them along. Ditto if you like your mobile phone company and they have a contract that seems to suit my needs.

Comments

[saoba.livejournal.com]

Many mobile providers give you a special rate or free calls for in-network calls. You might poll the folks you talk to most often and see if their carrier has such an offer.

We're on Verizon and overall quite happy with their coverage and rates. Himself's work place is presently using another carrier and will be switching at the end of their contract because medical engineers really need to not be dealing with dropped calls. I think the company is going to go with Verizon, in part because the Powers That Be have noticed tha Himself's Verizon phone gives him coverage that is far superior to the company they are currently using.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

I use T-Mobile, have for several years, and I've been very happy with them (although in Canada, the problem with them was that I couldn't access my voicemail...and that seems to have been an issue with Rogers, rather than T-Mobile). I don't know how their rates are for PAYG, though.

[voidampersand.livejournal.com]

I think both Virgin and T-Mobile use the AT&T/SBC/Cingular network. It is a GSM network which is the same technology used in Europe. Coverage used to be spotty but should be better now that it's one network instead of two. Sprint and Verizon have CDMA networks. Verizon has the best reputation for customer service.

If you are planning to travel to Europe or other parts of the world that have GSM networks, get a tri-band or quad-band GSM phone. Buy it unlocked if you can, or you can always pay a hacker to unlock it for you. That enables you to plug in a different SIM card so you can have a local phone number in another country and pay only local rates. This is a big convenience because you don't have to buy or rent another handset, so you're not only saving money, you still have your contacts in the phone.

It might be worth going with Verizon for the customer service. However, I have not used their pay-as-you-go plans, and it appears they involve daily or monthly charges even when you don't use the phone. You might be better off with a monthly plan with a low number of minutes.

I don't know of any reason to go with Sprint/Nextel.

[ckd]

T-Mobile uses their own GSM network, though I think they and Cingular might have some cross-network agreements to improve coverage.

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure you just have to call the operator and ask them to turn on international dialing to have the Virgin Mobile phone work in Canada. I have not done this to my own phone, yet, but that's what the operator told me I had to do.

[avram]

I’m using a T-Mobile pay-as-you-go plan, and I’m happy with it. My reception is good, but I have no idea what it’d be like in your area.

The minimum payment is $25/90 days, but after you’ve got $100 in the pot it goes down to $10/year.

[lizw.livejournal.com]

I used to have T-mobile before I switched to our corporate scheme, and I was very happy with their customer service. That was in the UK, of course.

[janetmk.livejournal.com]

I have a T-mobile prepaid phone--the basic Nokia that came with the package deal I bought that included 1000 minutes to be used within a year. I use my phone so rarely that I didn't use the 1000 minutes the first year. When I renewed it was possible to purchase 400 minutes to be used within a year. I think it cost $50. Unfortunately, the prepaid T-mobile service (unlike monthly contract service) can't be used in Canada. Bummer.

The other problem with the fixed prepaid plan is that the phone does not roam so it wasn't useful in some out-of-the-way places I visited while traveling in the U.S.

[catelynn.livejournal.com]

Mark and I use TMobile and have had no problem. Customer Service is usually helpful. You have 2 weeks return it and cancel service if it does not work as you want.

FROM MY PHONE