Please help a dumb s#!t with cell phones

[Ron Mexico]

I just spent a few years out of the country (Kazakstan) and know nothing about cell phones except for this: I am not willing to sign a two-year service agreement.

Upon returning to the U.S, I have learned a lot of new things - what a computer connection faster than 28K is like, what Windows 98 and subsequent releases are like (I still have Windows 95 on my laptop), and that you can get a cell phone plus a number in such a way that you add money to cover calls only when you want to, kind of like those prepaid credits cards people use on eBay.

My questions are many, and go a long way to bespeak the level of my ignorance:

1.) Can you use any sort of phone with these prepaid things?

2.) Does the prepaid part only cover outgoing calls? If not, how does your phone "know" it has money left?

3.) Are there places you can just walk in and walk out with a working number within the same hour, or is this a Bush background check thing?

4.) If it is possible to just walk in, buy a phone with minutes and walk out, are there certain plans you guys would recommend or speak out against?

5.) Is there a difference between the thing I think I'm describing and what people refer to as "disposable" cell phones? What I'm trying to do is get a permanent number with a good quality phone, not change numbers weekly, but I will not sign a f*cking service agreement with these fine print @$$holes who bombard my TV screen with ads.

6.) Off the subject, but what the hell happened to the American sitcom while I was gone? I leave "Wings" and "Seinfeld" only to come back to "Yes, Dear," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Listen Up" and "Less than Perfect?" Are there any funny sitcoms left?

7.) Is there any place on Earth that sells decent phones without saddling me with mail-in rebates? I refuse to forfeit my oroginal receipt just on the off chance that I'll actually get some of the markup refunded.

I'm sorry to hit you guys up with an info request so early into my DU "career," but I am in a position where I need to get a cell phone ASAP and wanted to get my question to a large and knowledgeable audience. To be honest, this was the first and only place I could think of.

Many thanks!

Ron Mexico

[7th_Sephiroth]

1. i dont know them all, but i will answer some

Prepaid phones are different than other cellphones, they have a chip in them that tracks how manny minutes you have left plus fees, and you pay for incoming and out going calls, plus a dollar to connect, thier really a scam, you can walk into a verizon store and walk out with a new phone under an hour.

"disposeale cell phones" are like a calling card, you have so manny minutes on them then thier worthless

There is still the simpsons, and family guy, all the good stuff now is animated, watch cartoon network tonight at about 10pm and you wll bust a gut laughing

what were you doing in Kazakstan, and why were you there for atleast 10 years?

[Ron Mexico]

8. I was overseas for 12 years overall, on and off, with

the last six in Kazakstan. I worked in a hotel in Almaty.

I appreciate the help.

[On the Road]

2. It Depends on How Many Minutes You'll Use

and how much extra you're willing to pay for usage on a prepaid phone. Those two-year contracts are MUCH better deals if you're a medium or heavy user, especially with free long-distance, free evenings, weekends, and in-network calling. If you're just a safety user, it may not make much diference.

As far as I know, most phone plans charge for incoming calls just like outgoing calls. So if you frequently call Idaho, say, you should choose a company who has Idaho as part of the footprint to avoid roaming, which is extremely expensive.

It's not hard to get a prepaid phone. It might be worth trying one to get used to it and see how many minutes you use. Even some convenience stores sell them. I don't have one, but any discount store (eg, Target) might not be a bad place to look. You could also search on the internet.

One of the important things is to get a phone which has good reception in the specific places you call from -- home, work, etc. You might want to ask coworkers, family, friends, or neighbors. Verizon has the biggest coverage area, but does not always have the best reception in specific places.

That's some of it, anyway. And take those rebate offers -- just ask them to print out two receipts. If you get used to using a cellphone, it's as permanent as having a landline, a PC, or a TV. The two years is not a big thing.

[Ron Mexico]

9. Thanks!

The two years could be a big thing in case I want to go back overseas, which in all honesty I do. I'd prefer to live here when we have a reasonable person in the Oval Office instead of a trigger-happy primate, and this political situation has led to things just not being so fun over here. Overseas everyone hates Bush, and if you are an American who does too you'll rarely pay for your own drinks. I'm looking for just about any overseas work I can find that keeps me with enough beers and toys to make me happy - it can be a fairly low salary if it's in a poor country - and don't want to sign a contract when I have no intention whatsoever of staying here for two years.

Plus, I'm only going to use the phone to have a number for my resume.

[crispini]

3. Welcome home!

I don't know any of the answers to your questions, but I just wanted to welcome you back.

And, as someone who spent five years living in Southeast Asia, rest assured that the US will seem less weird after six months or so. I'll never forget the first time after I got home and I went into a supermarket. I was completely paralyzed with indecision. Damn, we have like 500 brands of toothpaste, for pete's sake!

[Ron Mexico]

10. Thanks, I'm almost glad to be here!

I remember the first time I came back from an extended overseas hiatus, and I couldn't even grasp the concept of being asked if
I wanted paper or plastic bags. Now I can't even find anything because there's too much choice, so I definitely understand.

The day I got back (this time), my friends picked me up and stopped at a grocery store so that I could pick up a few essentials. Among them, I wanted a decongestant that WOULD make you drowsy, and it took me forever to find it because of the 68,931 different kinds of non-drowsy medicines available.

[LynneSin]

4. I'm sure George W. Bush can get Secret Service to help with his cell phone

:eyes:

[purr]

5. hope i help..

1.) No. Most carriers offer certain phones for their prepaid service..

2.) It covers both, it uses the carriers service so it knows how many minutes you used. It also will keep track of it on your phone.

3.) Yes. I used to sell the prepaid phones.. Most people would come in and buy them, then activate them at their house. Very easy process to do. If I activated them, it only took about 5-10 minutes. No background or credit check.

4.) It depends on your area.. I sold virgin mobile, tracfone, and verizon. Verizon if I remember correctly, charges 99 cents per day PLUS your airtime. Tracfone you bought your time in units.. so if you wanted 200 minutes, you;d buy a 200 minute card. Virgin mobile, was you buy a $20 card every month and I forget how many minutes you get that way.

5.) Make sure when you get the phone, you keep adding minutes to what the carrier says. If Verizon says you need to put $30 on your card every 2 months, then dont lapse more than 30 days past your 2 months or they will shut your phone off and you'll need a new number. They all do this but the time frame is different.

6.) Wait until you see the reality shows :)

7.) I dont know the current promos, but most places will give you a duplicate receipt to send in for your rebate.

[Ron Mexico]

11. All of these companies you mention, are they

all readily available nationwide? Sorry for the stupid question, but Verizon is the only one I've heard of, and only because James Earl Jones apparently is doing commercials for them. I'm familiar with AT&T, MCI and Sprint (assuming all three still exist), but not stuff like Tracphone.

I've seen buts and pieces of these reality shows and can't believe anyone watches them. How many are there?

I must really be out of touch, because the people I'm staying with laughed their asses off when I asked who "Paris and Nicole" were. We didn't exactly get People magazine while I was over there, and the International Herald Tribune didn't go into depth on these two girls.

[purr]

13. I do believe so..

I'm in the Pittsburgh, Pa area and they're all available here. Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint network, so thats going to be more or less nationwide. Now, down South there maybe different carriers but will use anothers network if you travel North. I forget whos towers Tracfone uses. At&t I know has their own prepaid but I dont know the name of it.

There are reality shows EVERYWHERE. Cant get away from them!

[Ron Mexico]

15. Off subject, but

is there any indication that these reality shows are a passing fad? I was told that Survivor was the first one, and a bunch have popped up since - are they by any chance becoming less popular, or are we stuck with this stuff?

[purr]

16. We are STUCK!!

I dont see an end to them.. uggh..

:(

[Ron Mexico]

17. Heaven help us.

I'm not religious (and if I were, I would have stopped being so right around March of 2003), but I'm told there have been at least fifty of them.

[purr]

6. Also

If you dont plan on using this phone that much, then yes, a prepaid is the way to go... I used to pitch that to little old ladies that came in for a phone to keep in their car for an emergency. If you use more than $30 of minutes in a month, go with a contract phone. They do offer 1 year agreements, but the phone is more and the activation charge is more as well.

[Ron Mexico]

12. Thanks

I just want a phone number for emergencies and to have one to put on a resume, that's all.

[indigo]

7. to get you started,

1) You usually have to choose between a selection of models, depending on the carrier. One of the better prepaid carriers is Virgin Mobile (they use the Sprint network), but you only have a handful of phones to choose from. Also, the actual phone device is usually more expensive when you choose a pay-as-you-go plan vs. contract.

2) Carrier will keep track of minutes (incoming/outgoing).

3) Convenience stores (like 7-11) at one time sold pre-paid phones w/ a 'starter' card (like $20) that you can activate immediately. I usually saw ATTWS phones. Since ATTWS is now Cingular, I assume that the convenience stores have Cingular (or some other carrier that they're pushing these days). However, I'd guess that like everything else in a convenience store, you're probably paying a bit more for the device, etc.

Otherwise, if you get a phone/plan from Virgin Mobile or another carrier, you usually get it as quickly as it takes FedEx to get to your door.

Bush background check: actually, there is less checking when you go the pre-paid route as compared to contract. Often, no credit check is involved (Verizon, etc, last time I saw their ads for prepaid).

4) I've often heard Virgin Mobile recommended in terms of value (despite the fact that there's no contract, all prepaid plans require that you purchase/use x minutes/month or x minutes/90 days -- and you don't get a credit for unused minutes). Generally speaking, you can expect to pay quite a bit by minute if you use the phone a lot.

5) I don't know what a disposable cell phone is. Pay-as-you-go plans are the 'no contract' plans. They are disposable in the sense that if you no longer want to use it, you are done -- no commitment.

To use VM as an example -- you are required to spend $20/90days. You start burning up your $20 payment when you use the phone. See:

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/new2vm/how.do

for how the metered rate works. If your usage is low, then your monthly payment is essentially $6.67 and you can quit anytime.

There are other prepaid plans -- you'll have to sit down and project your anticipated usage vs the metered rates and the mandatory amt you must use over time to see which plan actually works for you. Then you have to look at quality issues -- what network is being used, etc.

6) OK, I've been in the country. I happened to watch a completely unfunny sitcom on CBS about a package delivery guy and his wife. I thought -- "oh, this thing will get cancelled in no time." I was shocked to see multiple seasons already on DVD at Amazon. I really don't understand what's happened either -- and I've been here.

7) the rebate thing is usually associated w/ phones that you activate w/ a service contract. Yes, it sucks, and in fact, I am waiting for a rebate on my phone which is now overdue. I'm not holding my breath.

With prepaid/no contract arrangements, you usually don't get any rebates and pay a few bucks for the phone. The exception is when a reseller offers a rebate but you have to be careful -- the fine terms of the reseller agreement usually have some draconian terms written in. In other words, the wireless reseller is acting as an agent between you and the service you plan to use. The incentive to enter this complicated arrangement, instead of signing up direct is usually a rebate. However, you have to check the terms and conditions carefully with both the service provider (carrier) *and* the reseller.

[Ron Mexico]

14. Wow, thanks for all of this.

I printed out your post and the results of the VM link, and I really appreciate all of this. I swear, I feel like I'm just out of some time warp. People use their phones to take pictures and send e-mail, and I'm seeing all of this for the first time.

I'd ask about the package delivery guy show, but I'd be running the risk of you being nice enough to answer it ;) . I did notice, though, at least four or five shows where there's a dorky looking moron married to a hot babe - is this one of these shows? :)

[indigo]

19. That's how I felt when I went w/o tv for several years of grad school

and now I have 'free' cable and can see all the current shows.

I believe CBS is responsible for all of the dork-hot babe combo shows, and yes, this is one of them. The other strange thing is that if you're old enough to remember the 80's brat pack types (Molly Ringwald, etc), then you'll see that all of these sitcoms are populated with brat packers : Jon Cryer, Charlie Sheen, Jamie Gertz (one of the hot babes w/ a dork) etc.

With respect to the phones -- Bunny mentions a phone for $50. I think VM has a clearance phone for $40. I think you should be shooting for this range ($0-$50) for a phone in combination w/ pay-as-you go that works for you rate-wise on a reliable network.

If you go for a one-year contract, be aware that you will pay an additional $10 or so in all kinds of taxes/fees on top of the monthly rate quoted per plan, i.e., $39.99/month = $50, etc.

[Bunny]

18. There's a lot of great info on this thread, but as an aside,

you CAN get a one-year contract on a cell phone. Most companies don't advertise this, you have to ask, and you WILL pay extra for it. But it can be done.

I've had a regular wireless and a prepaid wireless, service and quality are about the same with either. Since your only going to be an occasional user, I'd get a Tracfone. You can pick up a nice little phone for $50, and buy your minutes at a dollar a pop. Just be sure to renew your airtime card within the time frame, or you could lose the use of your number. If you're going to be using it for resumes, you'll want to be sure to keep the same number!