OT: help if anyone still uses a cheap flip phone

[sherry7899]

I read on the Walmart description that it does not come with a SIM card. (sigh).
We have never used TMobile before, so we don't have one we can transfer into it. Luckily there is a T-Mobile store in the same shopping center, and they sell them and said they could put it in for me and activate it.

Sherry

[wishiwasinhawaii]

I haven't read through all the posts in this thread so sorry if this has already been posted, but before I got a smart phone I used Consumer Cellular. I was always very pleased with their service and coverage.

[horsemom2]

Originally Posted by monterey vidiot

I've had a tracfone for years. They recently replaced my old Nokia, due to the bandwith issue, (for free!) with a flip phone. I buy airtime, usually every 3 months; no monthly fees.

ditto for my husband. Tracfone with AT&T replaced his 2G flip phone with a 3G for free and he is very happy with it. I have a feature phone and never activated a cheap smart phone for myself because the feature phone is great.

We have a load of minutes accumulated so every 13 months, I get us each a 30 minute card online and supersize to add a year of service for $60 each.

Barb S

[Betty Boop]

I have Verizon pre-paid. I got the phone years ago from Alltel before they were bought out. Glad to hear others are still using flip phones.

[ardnas]

I have an AT&T flip phone from Best Buy (they still carry an unlocked one). It was like $29 and pay as you go/monthly, but I do the $25 every 3 months option since minutes roll over as long as the phone is activated. I have a bazillion minutes since I only use the phone for emergencies or once in a blue moon and keep it activated. It has text, internet, camera, etc. I just don't use it since I have a large tablet for everything else, so this works out well for me. Very slim, fits nice in purse or pocket and coverage so far has been great, I've had if for 5 or 6 yrs.

[mtnmom]

Originally Posted by ardnas

I have an AT&T flip phone from Best Buy (they still carry an unlocked one). It was like $29 and pay as you go/monthly, but I do the $25 every 3 months option since minutes roll over as long as the phone is activated. I have a bazillion minutes since I only use the phone for emergencies or once in a blue moon and keep it activated. It has text, internet, camera, etc. I just don't use it since I have a large tablet for everything else, so this works out well for me. Very slim, fits nice in purse or pocket and coverage so far has been great, I've had if for 5 or 6 yrs.

Well, because of this thread, I've had to get a new phone plan.

Like Ardnas, I had the AT&T GoPhone plan, loading $25 worth of minutes every 90 days. I've had it for mmm.. 15 years! I only use the phone to call out, or if meeting someone at a public location. It was happily doing automatic reloads and today while reading this thread, I thought to see how many roll-over minutes I had.

Last I looked, it was over $450. Today, I couldn't log on to my account. My phone number is my log-in name.

Uh-oh.

At the beginning of the year, my bank sent me a new chip credit card. It was the same number as the old, but had a new expiration date. I THOUGHT I had changed it in my AT&T account. But apparently not.

Those minutes are gone (not that I would ever use them). And my phone number rings to someone else.

Oops.

I checked out the T-Mobile pay-as-you-go plan for $3 a month and that is fine by me. But it doesn't play well with my old phone. New one ordered.

Sorry I have no advice for the OP, but thank you all for this thread!

[sherry7899]

Diane- I am sorry you lost so much money. I hope we both like the new plan.

[Paula]

DH has a Smartphone but I'm still using a Samsung Gusto flip phone. It's a prepay phone and I put $9.00 a month on it which is more than I need. I have a Verizon plan.

[Taramisu]

I had a Samsung flip phone for years, from 2006-2013 I believe. I really liked it a lot, I still kept the phone as a back up just in case I were to lose or break my current phone. Sounds kind of dumb but I wanted to hang on to it. I have it stuck in a little box with my old pager, remember those?

I did upgrade to a smartphone back in 2013, and have texting now which I didn't have for my flip phone, I will say that it comes in extremely handy and I wouldn't want to be without even though I am not a constant texter. I will say I hardly make phone calls anymore now that I can text instead. My phone is an LG, not a deluxe phone but a nice one and frankly all I really need. I hope to have it for many years just like my old flip phone.

Since getting a cell phone back in 1998, I have only had 4 phones, either I took really good care of them or liked them long enough to keep them. I tend to keep a phone for at least 4 years, the exception was the flip phone of course, really liked how compact it was.

To add, I have been with TMobile the whole time I have had a cell phone, back then they were Aerial Communications, then VoiceStream, now they have been TMobile for quite a few years. I have always had good luck with their customer services but I haven't had major issues, actually I haven't hardly had to call them for anything over the years. I had a really basic plan that I started with in 1998, 100 phone minutes a month and that was it, was around $20/month. Occasionally I went over but it was pretty rare. I could receive texts but couldn't send any. When I upgraded to my current phone that plan was no longer available so I just went with unlimited call and text. I have very limited data though, rarely use internet with my phone, and if I do I try and use a WiFi somewhere. But again very rare. Calling and texting are enough for me.

Just occurred to me that I have had a cell phone for 18 years, that's hard to believe!

[mtnmom]

I'm amazed and happy there are so many of us who just want a cell phone (maybe texting) and not data! I've found my people!

Yesterday, DS23 called me and I told him about my cell-phone saga and that I'd be getting a new number. He then asks me to leave my cell on all the time (for his convenience!). Cells don't work well at home. If you want, look up Chemeketa Park, CA in Googlemaps and look at the satellite view. It's a neighborhood of 170 homes..... and 20 times as many redwoods (I have 32 redwoods on my property).

So my cell would only be good when I'm on errands, which means I'd most likely be driving and not able to answer the cell. Yeesh, kids!

Nope, I have it for MY convenience. It's so I can call AAA if I blow a tire. Or if I'm getting work done on my car, I can walk around the neighborhood and they can call me to say my car is ready. If I'm meeting friends someplace, we'll exchange cell numbers in case one of us can't find the other or is late. Dear Son, if you want to reach me, call my landline and leave a message if I don't answer!

/rant