Frugal Smartphone?

[Beaver...@live.com]

I am very happy using my Tracfone, adding minutes every few months, costing me an average of $8 a month. It doesn't bother me that I can't spend all my free time while I am mobile or at an event with my eyeballs glued to Facebook. If it's important enough to share with everyone, it can wait until I get home. I also like not having another bill I have to pay every single month.

However there are a few times where I really find myself at a disadvantage without one. A few months ago I had to leave for a long anticipated engagement. However I had tickets on Stubhub that I had been holding for SIX MONTHS for an event that evening that hadn't sold yet and would have needed regular price adjustments to stay competitive. It hurt to just walk away from that.

I also just signed up for a service that allows for $25 a month unlimited concerts. Unfortunately I have to check in at the event on my phone via the internet in order to claim a spot. Oops.

I like not having many monthly bills. I am making more money than I ever have in my life but I am content saving it, I don't feel obligated to spend more, especially since the additional income on top of my regular job is very inconsistent. Like anywhere from $100 to $3,000 a month with the potential for staggering losses.

So, MCFL, you have always provided me with guidance in the past that has proved invaluable in maintaining the frugal lifestyle on poverty wages. I am forever indebted to those of you who have helped me through the years. I am asking, perhaps one more time, what should I do here?

This has the opportunity to be the last great MCFL on topic thread, let's make it count!

[Bob F]

Get a used smartphone with verizon support, and sign up for page-plus service.
Just turn off data except when you need it. 2000minutes/1yr for $80, 100
minutes/4mo $10, minutes carry over if you don't let them expire, so you have to
keep track of renew date. Data available, texts $.05, data $.10/megabyte.

[21bla...@gmail.com]

check out Republic Wireless, from $5 a month

highly rated by Consumer Reports

[probably my next cell service]

marc

[Bruce Esquibel]

Not anymore.

They dropped all their plans and have some kind of $25 a month minimum (I
think), then you get refunded for unused time or something.

A friend of mine was using them, keyword, was.

-bruce
b...@ripco.com

[The Real Bev]

On 08/12/2015 12:17 PM, Bob F wrote:

> Get a used smartphone with verizon support, and sign up for page-plus service.
> Just turn off data except when you need it. 2000minutes/1yr for $80, 100
> minutes/4mo $10, minutes carry over if you don't let them expire, so you have to
> keep track of renew date. Data available, texts $.05, data $.10/megabyte.

Got a URL? I looked at the PP site and couldn't find anything even
close to that :-(


--
Cheers,
Bev
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Once you've provoked a few people into publicly swearing they are
going to hunt you down and kill you, the thrill wears off."
-Elric of Imrryr

[Bob F]

The Real Bev wrote:
> On 08/12/2015 12:17 PM, Bob F wrote:
>
>> Get a used smartphone with verizon support, and sign up for
>> page-plus service. Just turn off data except when you need it.
>> 2000minutes/1yr for $80, 100 minutes/4mo $10, minutes carry over if
>> you don't let them expire, so you have to keep track of renew date.
>> Data available, texts $.05, data $.10/megabyte.
>
> Got a URL? I looked at the PP site and couldn't find anything even
> close to that :-(

Pay-as-you-go plans
https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/

[RJH]

Is this one of the few things that we get cheaper in the UK? I pay
£10/month ($15) for the equivalent of their $30 plan. Not exactly a
reason to up sticks . . . ;-)

Mind, the home broadband effectively costs $50/month for a 100Mb service.


--
Cheers, Rob

[Dee]

Beaver...@live.com wrote in
news:4aefa47c-faa4-4ade...@googlegroups.com:

Tracfone now has BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone). Buy a used Verizon
post-paid smartphone on eBay (or even new, there is a seller with new
Moto G phones for $45 on eBay). Then switch your service to the new
phone (may require an ESN change and/or new SIM card, I'm not sure).

I'm on Page Plus now and have recommended them in the past, but they
are more expensive than Tracfone. I'll probably be switching to TF
in the next couple of months.

Dee

[tra...@optonline.net]

On Wednesday, August 12, 2015 at 12:13:40 PM UTC-4, Beaver...@live.com wrote:

Check out Ting. It's prepaid where you buy the amount of V, T, D that you need. Like most VMNOs, Ting rides on Sprint, so how well it would work depends on the Spring coverage in the area you're using it in.

[tra...@optonline.net]

And getting refunded for what you don't use is such a bad thing?
From what I see, you can get a plan with unlimited V/T, 500mb of
data for $17.50, and if you don't use all the data, they refund a
few bucks at the end of the month.

I think the bigger issue with Republic is that the voice call default
uses wifi and it only goes on the cellular network if wifi isn't
available. I've tried several VOIP services on my phone and they
have ranged from terrible to barely acceptable. Nothing like the
call quality and reliability from traditional cell companies. Maybe
Republic is better, but I don't want to be the one to figure it out.

[Bob F]

Both substantially less than the US. Similar for cable TV I suspect. I've heard
much of europe is similarly less. I don't have a cap on my internet though.

[Bob F]

Oops! No cap memtioned. That's twice as fast as my service.

[RJH]

No cap. I'd guess your telecomms people have stitched it all up and
created cartels. We have a strange legacy issue, in that our 'backbone'
provider (British Telecom) used to be state owned. Since privatisation
(mid-80s, Thatcher), government has regulated prices to an extent, but
that grip is being loosened. So we'll catch you up ;-)

On TV, we have 'Free to Air', which provides a pretty good service for
many, but a $200 licence fee is payable to the BBC. Quite a few (me
included) don't pay, because we use internet 'catch up' service like the
BBC iPlayer. So TV is effectively free, unless you want sports, movies
et - in which case it's over to Murdoch etc.

It's a funny do. Your food is a lot cheaper than ours, and property in
all but the prime areas is a factor of many less to buy/rent. Our direct
taxes are higher but then we get the health service. Etc :-)


--
Cheers, Rob

[The Real Bev]

Crap, I just didn't look far enough down the page. With the prepaid
'plans' do you buy unexpirable data in advance or just pay for it as you
use it?


--
Cheers, Bev
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Little Mary took her skis upon the snow to frisk.
Wasn't she a silly girl her little * ?

[Dennis]

I've been using Republic for about 8 months now (my kids have been on
it for about 1 year longer - they were my test cases). I have had no
problems with the call quality on wifi (at home, at work or at any of
the hotspots I've used), but maybe it varies with the quality of your
wifi signal. My only other experience with VOIP was with the GrooVeIP
app (via Google Voice) and the Republic quality is consistenly better
than that was.

My phone is on their $10/month plan (unlimited cell talk and text,
plus wifi talk, text and data when available). It works great for me,
but I am intrigued by their new scheme where I can buy some cell data
and then get refunded for what I don't use. Seems ideal for me as I
would only rarely use data when away from wifi.

My only complaint is that my daughter's $300 Moto-X phone died after
14 months - just outside of the one-year mfg warranty. Republic
support was very slow to respond and didn't offer me any special
consideration outside of the mfg's warranty. Maybe that is no
different than any other carrier would do - I don't know. (I was kind
of hoping for some special treatment since I was a Beta early
adopter.) So that kind of erased any savings I might have enjoyed from
using Republic vs. any other conventional carrier's plan.

Dennis (evil)
--
My output is down, my income is up, I take a short position on the long bond and
my revenue stream has its own cash flow. -George Carlin

[tra...@optonline.net]

IDK what, if anything, a regular carrier would do to help you out
with a phone that was out of warranty. I had a friend who had a
Motorola Razor with Verizon, he had been a customer for decades,
was currently on a ~$100 month plan and Verizon wouldn't do
anything for him. Finally, after standing there, arguing in front
of other customers, a supervisor finally gave him a number to call
at Moto and told him that they might swap it for $100. That's
what he ended up doing, so at least he got some help from someplace,
but it looks like V just tries to make you go away.

And in the case of Republic, with a $10 plan they are hardly
making anything to begin with, so they don't have margin to
work with.

[The Real Bev]

I got tired of looking around for plans -- all I saw was
PHONESPHONESPHONES and I already have one (Motorola Moto G #2, which is
a fine phone.

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Moto-2nd-generation-Unlocked/dp/B00MWI4HW0locked/dp/B00MWI4HW0

> It works great for me,
> but I am intrigued by their new scheme where I can buy some cell data
> and then get refunded for what I don't use. Seems ideal for me as I
> would only rarely use data when away from wifi.

The only data I seriously want to use when wifi is unavailable is google
maps. Osmand is kind of a nuisance to use if you just want to find a place.

> My only complaint is that my daughter's $300 Moto-X phone died after
> 14 months - just outside of the one-year mfg warranty. Republic
> support was very slow to respond and didn't offer me any special
> consideration outside of the mfg's warranty.

You mean you didn't buy it with a credit card that gives you an extra
year's warranty? Shame on you!

> Maybe that is no
> different than any other carrier would do - I don't know. (I was kind
> of hoping for some special treatment since I was a Beta early
> adopter.) So that kind of erased any savings I might have enjoyed from
> using Republic vs. any other conventional carrier's plan.
>
> Dennis (evil)
>


--

Cheers,
Bev
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"I read somewhere that 77 per cent of all the mentally ill live in
poverty. Actually, I'm more intrigued by the 23 per cent who are
apparently doing quite well for themselves." -- Emo Philips

[tra...@optonline.net]

Look at *prepaid plans*. All the carriers have them, they are the
lowest cost option and every one I've seen you can bring your own
phone, provided it's compatible.

[Dennis]

I guess what torqued me off most was that I am reasonably convinced
that it is a software problem (i.e., there may be a relatively simple,
user applicable fix available), but Republic support offered no
assistance or even much interest, just suggested that I toss a
year-old $300 phone and buy a new replacement at full price.

I'm no expert on Android phones, but I am an experienced systems
engineer and know my way around PC networking and hardware. And I have
done my share of customer technical support. If I find the time, I
still may futz around with it and see if I can get it back to normal
operation. What have I got to lose?


Dennis (evil)
--
I'm behind the eight ball, ahead of the curve, riding the wave,
dodging the bullet and pushing the envelope. -George Carlin

[Bob F]

The Real Bev wrote:
> On 08/12/2015 09:48 PM, Bob F wrote:
>> The Real Bev wrote:
>>> On 08/12/2015 12:17 PM, Bob F wrote:
>>>
>>>> Get a used smartphone with verizon support, and sign up for
>>>> page-plus service. Just turn off data except when you need it.
>>>> 2000minutes/1yr for $80, 100 minutes/4mo $10, minutes carry over if
>>>> you don't let them expire, so you have to keep track of renew date.
>>>> Data available, texts $.05, data $.10/megabyte.
>>>
>>> Got a URL? I looked at the PP site and couldn't find anything even
>>> close to that :-(
>>
>> Pay-as-you-go plans
>> https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/
>
> Crap, I just didn't look far enough down the page. With the prepaid
> 'plans' do you buy unexpirable data in advance or just pay for it as
> you use it?

You pay for it, then use it. I bought 2000 minutes a couple years ago, now add
$10 for another 100 minutes every 120 days. Still have lots of the 2000 left
carrying over.

[The Real Bev]

How do minutes = data? I'd use much more data than phone minutes.


--
Cheers, Bev
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again
incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.

[The Real Bev]

On 08/13/2015 03:03 PM, Dennis wrote:

> I guess what torqued me off most was that I am reasonably convinced
> that it is a software problem (i.e., there may be a relatively simple,
> user applicable fix available), but Republic support offered no
> assistance or even much interest, just suggested that I toss a
> year-old $300 phone and buy a new replacement at full price.
>
> I'm no expert on Android phones, but I am an experienced systems
> engineer and know my way around PC networking and hardware. And I have
> done my share of customer technical support. If I find the time, I
> still may futz around with it and see if I can get it back to normal
> operation. What have I got to lose?

I assume you did a factory reset... There may also be a paperclip-size
hole to do a reset in case the buttons don't work.

[Bob F]

The Real Bev wrote:
> On 08/13/2015 03:29 PM, Bob F wrote:
>> The Real Bev wrote:
>>> On 08/12/2015 09:48 PM, Bob F wrote:
>>>> The Real Bev wrote:
>>>>> On 08/12/2015 12:17 PM, Bob F wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Get a used smartphone with verizon support, and sign up for
>>>>>> page-plus service. Just turn off data except when you need it.
>>>>>> 2000minutes/1yr for $80, 100 minutes/4mo $10, minutes carry over
>>>>>> if you don't let them expire, so you have to keep track of renew
>>>>>> date. Data available, texts $.05, data $.10/megabyte.
>>>>>
>>>>> Got a URL? I looked at the PP site and couldn't find anything
>>>>> even close to that :-(
>>>>
>>>> Pay-as-you-go plans
>>>> https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/
>>>
>>> Crap, I just didn't look far enough down the page. With the prepaid
>>> 'plans' do you buy unexpirable data in advance or just pay for it as
>>> you use it?
>>
>> You pay for it, then use it. I bought 2000 minutes a couple years
>> ago, now add $10 for another 100 minutes every 120 days. Still have
>> lots of the 2000 left carrying over.
>
> How do minutes = data? I'd use much more data than phone minutes.

As I said previously "Data available, texts $.05, data $.10/megabyte".

I haven't tried the data at all yet. That $.10 adds up to $100/gigabyte, so skip
the videos.

[The Real Bev]

On 08/14/2015 10:37 AM, Bob F wrote:
> The Real Bev wrote:
>> On 08/13/2015 03:29 PM, Bob F wrote:
>>> The Real Bev wrote:
>>>> On 08/12/2015 09:48 PM, Bob F wrote:
>>>>> The Real Bev wrote:
>>>>>> On 08/12/2015 12:17 PM, Bob F wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Get a used smartphone with verizon support, and sign up for
>>>>>>> page-plus service. Just turn off data except when you need it.
>>>>>>> 2000minutes/1yr for $80, 100 minutes/4mo $10, minutes carry over
>>>>>>> if you don't let them expire, so you have to keep track of renew
>>>>>>> date. Data available, texts $.05, data $.10/megabyte.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Got a URL? I looked at the PP site and couldn't find anything
>>>>>> even close to that :-(
>>>>>
>>>>> Pay-as-you-go plans
>>>>> https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/
>>>>
>>>> Crap, I just didn't look far enough down the page. With the prepaid
>>>> 'plans' do you buy unexpirable data in advance or just pay for it as
>>>> you use it?
>>>
>>> You pay for it, then use it. I bought 2000 minutes a couple years
>>> ago, now add $10 for another 100 minutes every 120 days. Still have
>>> lots of the 2000 left carrying over.
>>
>> How do minutes = data? I'd use much more data than phone minutes.
>
> As I said previously "Data available, texts $.05, data $.10/megabyte".

I know, I was just wondering how it works. I didn't see anything about
adding data to the cheapest plan...

OK, I found this in the FAQ:

"Does Page Plus have an unlimited or add-on data plan?
While we are continuously evaluating our plans and the needs of our
customers, we do not currently offer an unlimited data plan or an add-on
data option. However, we do offer monthly plans with more than enough
data for the average user."

Which sould seem to mean that the pay-as-you-go "plans" don't offer data.

> I haven't tried the data at all yet. That $.10 adds up to $100/gigabyte, so skip
> the videos.

Pretty much google maps. If T-Mobile kills my $10/year plan I'd be
interested in their $10/120 days plan.

--
Cheers,
Bev
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Why do men's hearts beat faster, their knees get weak, their throats
become dry and they think irrationally when a woman wears leather clothing?
Because she smells like a new truck.

[Bob F]

They are pretty clear about the data. "Unlimited" monthly plans offer 3 or 5 GB
at high speed, then slow down to 64kbps for the rest of the month. Pay as you go
plans offer data at $.10/megabyte. (Click on "more info" within the pay as you
go plan chart)

>
>> I haven't tried the data at all yet. That $.10 adds up to
>> $100/gigabyte, so skip the videos.
>
> Pretty much google maps. If T-Mobile kills my $10/year plan I'd be
> interested in their $10/120 days plan.

You might need a different phone.

[Dennis]

On Thu, 13 Aug 2015 23:16:40 -0700, The Real Bev
<bashl...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 08/13/2015 03:03 PM, Dennis wrote:
>
>> I guess what torqued me off most was that I am reasonably convinced
>> that it is a software problem (i.e., there may be a relatively simple,
>> user applicable fix available), but Republic support offered no
>> assistance or even much interest, just suggested that I toss a
>> year-old $300 phone and buy a new replacement at full price.
>>
>> I'm no expert on Android phones, but I am an experienced systems
>> engineer and know my way around PC networking and hardware. And I have
>> done my share of customer technical support. If I find the time, I
>> still may futz around with it and see if I can get it back to normal
>> operation. What have I got to lose?
>
>I assume you did a factory reset... There may also be a paperclip-size
>hole to do a reset in case the buttons don't work.

Yeah, tried that - no joy. The issue was that wifi would not turn on.
However, wifi would turn on if booted in Safe Mode (i.e. only bare
minimum SW loaded) - thus my belief that the wifi hardware is OK, but
there is a software problem. Factory reset removed any non-factory
apps that might be causing the problem, but it still persisted. And
that's where I left it until I get motivated to do more futzing. In
the meantime, I bought a new (less expensive) phone for my daughter to
use while away at college.

Dennis (evil)
--
I'm a hands-on, footloose, knee-jerk head case. -George Carlin

[Dennis]

On Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:18:36 -0700, The Real Bev
<bashl...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Pretty much google maps. If T-Mobile kills my $10/year plan I'd be
>interested in their $10/120 days plan.

Are you aware that you can download google maps of the area of
interest (via wifi) and then use them offline? Works if you can plan
ahead. Not so useful if you get lost or want to find an address
unexpectedly.

Dennis (evil)
--
What government gives, it must first take away.

[The Real Bev]

On 08/14/2015 01:20 PM, Dennis wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:18:36 -0700, The Real Bev
> <bashl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Pretty much google maps. If T-Mobile kills my $10/year plan I'd be
>>interested in their $10/120 days plan.
>
> Are you aware that you can download google maps of the area of
> interest (via wifi) and then use them offline? Works if you can plan
> ahead. Not so useful if you get lost or want to find an address
> unexpectedly.

Yeah :-( Without specifying the area it just saves an inadequately
small area centered on your location when you opened it with wifi.

I had copilot for a while (you can load the BIG maps onto the external
card -- I have instructions). I can't remember why I deleted it...
Maybe it's easier for just finding stuff.

--
Cheers, Bev
======================================================
Guns kill people like spoons make Rosie O'Donnell fat.

[The Real Bev]

I saw the $10 PIN thing before, but it wasn't exactly clear what was
meant. So if I go for the $10/120 day plan, part of that $10 can be
used for data at 10 cents/MB? Or do I have to buy a separate $10 PIN
just for data?

>>> I haven't tried the data at all yet. That $.10 adds up to
>>> $100/gigabyte, so skip the videos.
>>
>> Pretty much google maps. If T-Mobile kills my $10/year plan I'd be
>> interested in their $10/120 days plan.
>
> You might need a different phone.

3G.

I'm really ticked. I bought the Motorola Moto G Rev 2 with 8 GB of
memory for $180 less BestBuy's 6% less $40 worth of Best Buy points, and
now the 16GB version is available from Amazon for $150. I would have
bought the 16GB version in a snap -- I really like the phone. Comes
with Kitkat instantly upgradeable to lollipop.

Mine can use only one SIM. Some can use two. The ones at Amazon don't
say. It also has a slot for an external sdcard (essential). There's a
website that gives much more detailed specs, but I can't remember what
it is :-) You'd think it would be the manufacturer's site, but it's not.

[Dee]

The Real Bev <bashl...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:mqmb36$t8h$1...@dont-email.me:

> I saw the $10 PIN thing before, but it wasn't exactly clear what
> was meant. So if I go for the $10/120 day plan, part of that $10
> can be used for data at 10 cents/MB? Or do I have to buy a
> separate $10 PIN just for data?

Yes, the standard plan, which really isn't a plan but Pay-as-you-go,
includes data. I have been using this for many years.

You load a card ($10/$25/$50/$80) on your account, and that money is
available to be used for voice/texts/data. There is an expiration
date, but if you load more money any unused balance rolls over.

So if you load a $10 card, then voice is billed at 10c/min, and the
balance expires in 120 days.

If you load a $25 card, voice is 6c/min, and expiration the same as
above.

The $50 card gets you 5c/min, 120 days.

For all of these cards texts are billed at 5c/ea, and data at 10c/meg.

The $80 card is available only through dealers, with voice at 4c/min
and expiration date of 1 year.

Dee

[The Real Bev]

Sounds like a good replacement for the t-mobile plan I have if it
disappears. Thanks for the clarification.