Cell phones

[Kacey]

Some of you may remember that last spring I was trying to decide if I should buy a PDA or bite the bullet and buy a cell phone that would do the same thing. I finally decided to keep my cell and PDA functions separate and bought a PDA. However, part of my decision was based on my cell plan, which is an old government rate plan ($0.21/minute, no max, no min, no overage, no minimum fee) - which left me with a cell phone bill averaging about $10-15/month.

A couple of weeks ago, however, I got a letter from Cingular stating that that cell phone plan, which is based on an older technology, is being discontinued no later than February 2008 - and in the meantime, Cingular will be instituting a $4.99/month fee on top of the usage charge... which means I have to decide if I really need a cell phone, and if so, what features - on the phone itself, the calling plan, and so on - should should I have. On the one hand, I just bought a Palm... so I don't really want to spend another $300 on a phone that does the same things; on the other hand, it appears to be nearly impossible to get a phone that just, well, makes calls - and then there's the cost of service, as well.

Here are the options I'm considering:

- buy a base level phone with a pay as you go plan, which is (effectively) what I have now

- buy a better phone and a calling plan that provides a certain number of free minutes/long distance per month - but keep my landline

- buy a better phone and a calling plan that provides enough free minutes/long distance to get rid of my landline - either entirely, or dropping most or all of the services. The biggest problem with this one is that my father has moved to Israel, and I have an international calling plan on my current landline that I'm not sure I can beat elsewhere - and even Qwest admitted that, for my needs, I have the best plan they can give me.

Advice and experiences (especially from those who have dropped their landline completely, as that would then provide the money to pay for monthly cell service) would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Carol]

Some of you may remember that last spring I was trying to decide if I should buy a PDA or bite the bullet and buy a cell phone that would do the same thing. I finally decided to keep my cell and PDA functions separate and bought a PDA. However, part of my decision was based on my cell plan, which is an old government rate plan ($0.21/minute, no max, no min, no overage, no minimum fee) - which left me with a cell phone bill averaging about $10-15/month.

A couple of weeks ago, however, I got a letter from Cingular stating that that cell phone plan, which is based on an older technology, is being discontinued no later than February 2008 - and in the meantime, Cingular will be instituting a $4.99/month fee on top of the usage charge... which means I have to decide if I really need a cell phone, and if so, what features - on the phone itself, the calling plan, and so on - should should I have. On the one hand, I just bought a Palm... so I don't really want to spend another $300 on a phone that does the same things; on the other hand, it appears to be nearly impossible to get a phone that just, well, makes calls - and then there's the cost of service, as well.

Here are the options I'm considering:

- buy a base level phone with a pay as you go plan, which is (effectively) what I have now

- buy a better phone and a calling plan that provides a certain number of free minutes/long distance per month - but keep my landline

- buy a better phone and a calling plan that provides enough free minutes/long distance to get rid of my landline - either entirely, or dropping most or all of the services. The biggest problem with this one is that my father has moved to Israel, and I have an international calling plan on my current landline that I'm not sure I can beat elsewhere - and even Qwest admitted that, for my needs, I have the best plan they can give me.

Advice and experiences (especially from those who have dropped their landline completely, as that would then provide the money to pay for monthly cell service) would be greatly appreciated.

This is what I did:

I got rid of my landline 4 years ago in lieu of just having a cell. My reasons for doing so were...

I didn't need a landline for anything that my cell wasn't doing. (Cell reception was clear, I didn't need a phone jack for dial-up, etc.)

Cell phones offer more privacy. Landline phones can be trace to a specific address if the number is available through directory assistance. If the number is not published, land lines can still be associated with a town, or even a neighborhood. Example: 978-777-xxxx is Danvers, Massachusetts. Land lines also disclose where a person is. If someone calls me at my home number and I pick up...chances are really good that I'm at home. If someone calls me on my cell, I could be anywhere.

I found cell phones to be more convenient

I got around the international issue by using pinless prepaid service...which is like a calling card only a lot easier to deal with. The way it works is, I set up an account with the prepaid company on their web page, and charge a certain amount...15 or 20 bucks to activate the account. I chose to keep the card on file to automatically recharge the account, but that is not mandatory. In the setup screen, I can add up to 5 different phone numbers that the service can recognize, as well as my own pin for the service.

To access the service, I dial an 800 number. If I dial from my cell, it recognizes the number and asks me what number I want to call and doesn't ask me to punch in a pin number or password, it just asks me to dial the number I want to call.

This entire process can be programmed in to a cell phone's speed dial with about 3 pauses. I have a longtime friend in Canada. I press on their directory listing on my phone and the cell dials 1-888-CHEAP-CALLS-ppp-416-999-9999 and connects me just as if I was calling "normally."

The rates for the prepaid service are VERY low, the lowest that I've seen.

I can PM you (or anyone else) with the name of the prepaid service company if you like.

 

[Kacey]

Thanks, Carol, you were one of the people I was hoping was going to answer this one.

Until last spring, when I switched from DSL to cable internet (I got tired of intermittent DSL problems while waiting for the carrier I had at the time to get access to the local cable system) I kept my landline because I needed an active phone jack.

I would be very appreciative if you would PM me the website and related information.

Do you have any suggestions for service providers (I currently have Cingular, but I'm not picky if I can transport the number) or particular phones?

 

[Drac]

I think I was the last LEO in my department to get a cell...I shopped around for the cheapest plan that included a phone...I didn't need all the bells and whistles, just a basic phone...My 2 cents...

 

[Kacey]

I think I was the last LEO in my department to get a cell...I shopped around for the cheapest plan that included a phone...I didn't need all the bells and whistles, just a basic phone...My 2 cents...

That's actually something I'm thinking about, unless I dump my landline... I haven't quite decided yet. Thanks.

 

[Drac]

That's actually something I'm thinking about, unless I dump my landline... I haven't quite decided yet. Thanks.

I advise ladies that live alone to NEVER give up their landline...In case of an emergency a 911 call from you residental phone will summon help even if you can't speak...Also in the case of harrassing phone call.. The house phone can be set up tp "trap' calls and the bad person prosectued..In a few years when the GPS trackers are installed in police cruisers maybe I'll change my mind....Forgive my tangent....

 

[Sigung86]

I advise ladies that live alone to NEVER give up their landline...In case of an emergency a 911 call from you residental phone will summon help even if you can't speak...Also in the case of harrassing phone call.. The house phone can be set up tp "trap' calls and the bad person prosectued..In a few years when the GPS trackers are installed in police cruisers maybe I'll change my mind....Forgive my tangent....

Good idea Drac... Hadn't thought of that. We went all cellular at my house but kept the land line because we've had it for umpty squat years, and everyone knows it. Just one more little reassurance that we made the right decision.
:ultracool

 

[Drac]

Good idea Drac... Hadn't thought of that. We went all cellular at my house but kept the land line because we've had it for umpty squat years, and everyone knows it. Just one more little reassurance that we made the right decision.
:ultracool

Thanks..

 

[Grenadier]

I ended up going with Trac Fone (a prepaid phone service), since there are always all sorts of deals on prepaid minutes, and if I ever want a better phone, I can simply wait until they have a special going.

Just to give you an idea of what pops up once in a while:

http://www.xpbargains.com/index.php/search__keywords?keywords=tracfone

You can also hunt around all the other bargain sites to find even more coupons, such as extra minutes, etc.

In the end, my cell phone probably costs me about 10-15 bucks a month to operate.



On another note:

It's never a bad idea to keep the land line active, even if you strip down all options to the bare bones.

First of all, you'll have that backup, in case if your local cell phone tower gets knocked out of commission. While that's unlikely, it's better to be have that safety net and not use it, than to not have it and need it.

Second, if people do want to call your land line, and you don't want to miss any calls, you can certainly pay a small fee, and have all calls forwarded to one of your cell phones. Call forwarding isn't expensive at all.