pay as you go / no plan / type phones.. who's best?

[Soundguy]

I need to get a phone for my grandmother, she migth use 8-10m a month on the cell phone, no texting and no data.. she is probably looking for something like the classic 'jitterbug' / flip phone.

I have my mother in law on my own plan, and can't economically add any more people to my plan.

My only experience with no plan phone setups is straight talk, which we have our wifi internet at work thru.. but don't know about their phones.

what's out there now.. I know the players change often.

what's a good cheap buy basic phone and limited monthly plan.

I remember a while back no plan flips were 20$ and you could get 5-10$ cards per month for low use and there was a 1 time 25-35$ activation. anyone still offering this?

thanks

 

[oldnslo]

Consumer Cellular has worked for me rarely use more than 5 - 10 minutes/month. around $18 taxes and all

 

[Streetcar]

I had the basic phone fron Virgin mobile for my mom. It worked fine for her traveling locations.
You need to check the coverage for the carrier at moms location.
A friend has the plan from Walmart . He has great reception . The in laws have terrible reception with same plan but different phone at their house, a couple of miles away.
At work I have Verizon and T mobile. Verizon has great coverage but high cost. T mobile has many small pockets of poor coverage but lower cost.

 

[dave1949]

We use a simple Verizon cell phone that gets "reloaded". They have $20, $30, $50 cards but the cheapest way I've found is to buy $100 worth online at Verizon and that provides 12 months of service. If it is just for occasional calls and to have in emergencies and traveling, the minutes allowance is plenty sufficient.

We don't have cell service at home and this seems to be a reasonable way to have a travel phone in the car in case of trouble or just needing to talk with someone while on the road.

I think Verizon has phone and coverage deals.

 

[roadhunter]

^^^. Look into the Verizon plans. You only get charged if you use the phone. Costs around a dollar or 2 to use the phone for a day.

 

[EarPlug]

You might look into the What Is Lifeline? - Lifeline Support Program - USAC.org commonly known as the ObamaPhoma.

 

[Soundguy]

Verizon has good service in my mom's area. So straight talk is an option. I have at&t and get ok coverage too, so virgin is also a possibility.

I'll hit the lo a store and check plans. A 12m plan for 100$ would be ideal.

 

[nybirdman]

We have had Tracfone for seven or eight years.They use Verizon towers so coverage is good.$100/year.

 

[Soundguy]

thanks guys, given me stuff to look at.

 

[TCJatko]

We have had Tracfone for seven or eight years.They use Verizon towers so coverage is good.$100/year.

This. ^^^^^Cost is $100 per year, service is fairly decent, minutes carry over, and you can buy coverage one year at a time. My latest phone was $4.99 at Rite Aid.