With three teenagers and one preteen in our house, there's a whole lot of talking going on...but not necessarily on the cell phone. To save money, I encourage the use of our land line phone whenever possible, especially for local calls.
However, two of our children have a driver's license. Living in a rural area as we do, the roads tend to be a little trickier, and trips to anywhere take a little longer. Equipping our three oldest children and my husband with a cell phone is a safety measure. I know they can reach me if they need too. And what's more, I can call them.
A traditional cell phone plan for the four of them, however, was not in our budget. Instead we found a pre-paid plan that really works for us. I stress to the kids that the phone is primarily for emergencies. As long as they keep a couple of minutes on it for that purpose, I'm okay. Excess minutes, or minutes they pay for themselves, can be used texting or chatting with friends.
Here's how it works for us...
We chose Tracfone as our prepaid service. I researched our choice carefully a couple of years ago before we purchased our first phone from them. Not only was it the best fit economically for our needs, but it provided the best coverage in our area--something that really mattered to me since the purpose for getting a cell phone to begin with was to be ever available in case of an emergency.
People are still surprised at the coverage our Tracfones get. Often, when folks with a higher priced monthly service are getting "two bars", we're standing right beside them getting full service, and in remote areas where "no one gets service," we usually do.
The reason for this is that Tracfone doesn't actually own any cell phone towers. Instead, the company leases air time from a number of carriers, giving it the largest digital coverage area in the U.S.
Tracfone frequently offers a "bundle" that includes one reconditioned phone, (I've purchased several, and they're always nice phones) and two 60 minute cards for just under $20.00. Each card gives the user 90 days of service. If you activate your phone online, you get an extra 20 minutes of time and 60 days of service. In addition, Tracfone offers frequent bonus minutes of 20 to 60 minutes (occasionally more) on each card. Tracfone often sends these codes to its users via snail mail or e-mail. Extra codes can easily be found by doing a search online. I almost always get at least an extra 60 bonus minutes with each card.
In addition, new users who register their e-mail address with Tracfone will get another 20 minutes when they use their second card.
So, for $20, I usually get the following:
1 phone (most now are single rate phones with no roaming, and free in-coming text messages.)
280 anytime minutes
240 days, or about 8 months of service
If you do the math, you'll find this equates to $2.50 per month. I've decided that the peace of mind it gives me knowing that my kids have a phone at their disposal in case of an emergency is worth $2.50 per month--it's actually worth a lot more, but since our budget is very limited, Tracfone works especially well for us. My kids enjoy using up any minutes not reserved for emergencies, and they also like the fact that they can receive an unlimited amount of text messages free, as long as they have service time remaining. (Depending on the type of Tracfone, sending text messages usually costs .3 units.)
Tracfone is not for all users, but our family thinks it's wonderful when reserved primarily for emergency use. If you like to talk a lot, but still want to limit your cell phone spending, you might want to search out other prepaid plans available in your area. There are many to choose from these days, increasing the odds that you'll find one that meets your needs and still saves you money.
However, two of our children have a driver's license. Living in a rural area as we do, the roads tend to be a little trickier, and trips to anywhere take a little longer. Equipping our three oldest children and my husband with a cell phone is a safety measure. I know they can reach me if they need too. And what's more, I can call them.
A traditional cell phone plan for the four of them, however, was not in our budget. Instead we found a pre-paid plan that really works for us. I stress to the kids that the phone is primarily for emergencies. As long as they keep a couple of minutes on it for that purpose, I'm okay. Excess minutes, or minutes they pay for themselves, can be used texting or chatting with friends.
Here's how it works for us...
We chose Tracfone as our prepaid service. I researched our choice carefully a couple of years ago before we purchased our first phone from them. Not only was it the best fit economically for our needs, but it provided the best coverage in our area--something that really mattered to me since the purpose for getting a cell phone to begin with was to be ever available in case of an emergency.
People are still surprised at the coverage our Tracfones get. Often, when folks with a higher priced monthly service are getting "two bars", we're standing right beside them getting full service, and in remote areas where "no one gets service," we usually do.
The reason for this is that Tracfone doesn't actually own any cell phone towers. Instead, the company leases air time from a number of carriers, giving it the largest digital coverage area in the U.S.
Tracfone frequently offers a "bundle" that includes one reconditioned phone, (I've purchased several, and they're always nice phones) and two 60 minute cards for just under $20.00. Each card gives the user 90 days of service. If you activate your phone online, you get an extra 20 minutes of time and 60 days of service. In addition, Tracfone offers frequent bonus minutes of 20 to 60 minutes (occasionally more) on each card. Tracfone often sends these codes to its users via snail mail or e-mail. Extra codes can easily be found by doing a search online. I almost always get at least an extra 60 bonus minutes with each card.
In addition, new users who register their e-mail address with Tracfone will get another 20 minutes when they use their second card.
So, for $20, I usually get the following:
1 phone (most now are single rate phones with no roaming, and free in-coming text messages.)
280 anytime minutes
240 days, or about 8 months of service
If you do the math, you'll find this equates to $2.50 per month. I've decided that the peace of mind it gives me knowing that my kids have a phone at their disposal in case of an emergency is worth $2.50 per month--it's actually worth a lot more, but since our budget is very limited, Tracfone works especially well for us. My kids enjoy using up any minutes not reserved for emergencies, and they also like the fact that they can receive an unlimited amount of text messages free, as long as they have service time remaining. (Depending on the type of Tracfone, sending text messages usually costs .3 units.)
Tracfone is not for all users, but our family thinks it's wonderful when reserved primarily for emergency use. If you like to talk a lot, but still want to limit your cell phone spending, you might want to search out other prepaid plans available in your area. There are many to choose from these days, increasing the odds that you'll find one that meets your needs and still saves you money.
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