Options for short-terms cell phone service?

[Robyncz]

We have an exchange student (a friend of our family) coming to stay with us for the next 6 months. We need to make sure she has a cell phone for safety reasons, but through my existing provider, my only option seems to be a 2 year contract.

What are the options for someone who needs cell phone service for a short term? There has to be something! Is pre-pay our only choice?

Her mother, from Germany, wanted to buy her a phone over there and said she should be able to put some kind of card in it (it sounded like sims card, I think) that functions sort of like a pre-pay. But when I said I didn't think that was an option over here, she sounded like she thought I was nuts and I didn't know what I was talking about--which is quite possible.

Can anyone enlighten me? I swear I'm not an idiot. I'm guessing our cell phone systems are simply built differently.

So what *are* my options?

[sneezles]

I do know that you can rent cell phones but the rates are out rageous, $3-$5/day for the phone plus anywhere from $.50-$1.50 per minute per call (incoming and outgoing). At those rates I would think it would be cheaper to add a phone or at least use a pre-paid.

[Beth]

We got a Cingular Go Phone when my son needed a phone while he was in DC for a 10-day program. We have maintained it since then, but the original pan was just for the summer.

Cingular has 4 or 5 different GO plans. We did the pay as you go where you pay $1 per day on the days you actually use the phone and 10 cents a minute for calls, but calls to other Cingular phones are free (no cost at all on the days you don't use it). It also allows him to call my cell phone without a charge and the money from each time period rolls over if you add money by the end of the time period ($25 for 90 days). That has worked out just about right for his use. The other pay as you go plan lets you pay a straight 25 cents a minute. You can add money to these plans online, by calling in or by buying a card in denominations like a gift card. Target and ou grocery store both have them and that's what I've done. You call an 800 number, eneter the info and the money is added to the account.

Then they also have 4 plans where you buy a certain number of minutes per month like a regular contract, but there's no contract. You pay with a credit card or whatever and have to cancel when you want it to end. No minimum 2 years or anything, but we didn't need that much time -- especially when he could call me with unlimited calls and just pay $1 per day.

[funnybone]

We have both T-Mobile and Cingular pay as you go plans and have been happy with both. The best part is there is no contract or activation fee associated with them.

Cingular has a few plans as Beth mentioned, but we have the 25 cents per minute plan since when my son calls, it's only a short minute call and costs less in the long run. I add the minutes online with my credit card.

I prefer T-Mobile since after you have spent $100, all the refills are good for a year, no matter waht amount you add to it. I have only paid $25 for my phone this year since I don't use it much, my minutes roll over.

You can buy these phones at Target too.

[Beth]

Cingular has $100 cards that are good for a year too. The phones start at $19.99 or $29.99 -- depending on what they are offering at the time (we've been looking - DS 2 is lobbying heavily for a phone for Christmas). Seems the best deals are online, but never hurts to check the stores too.

[funnybone]

Cingular has $100 cards that are good for a year too. The phones start at $19.99 or $29.99 -- depending on what they are offering at the time (we've been looking - DS 2 is lobbying heavily for a phone for Christmas). Seems the best deals are online, but never hurts to check the stores too.

What I meant was that after the initial $100 and year, you can put only $25 and keep it going for a year on T-Mobile. With Cingular, you have to keep putting $100 on it. Both providers give us good reception though.

[sparrowgrass]

I have a Tracfone that I purchased at WalMart--you can get them pretty much anywhere. Great reception, which is saying a lot for this part of the country.

I have the bottom of the line phone--19.95--and pay about $10 a month for more minutes than I need. (I am not a high school student, and rarely use the phone, so that may not be a realistic number.)

http://tracfone.com/home_page.jsp?b=i&flash=YES&p=W

[zwieback]

Her mother, from Germany, wanted to buy her a phone over there and said she should be able to put some kind of card in it (it sounded like sims card, I think) that functions sort of like a pre-pay. But when I said I didn't think that was an option over here, she sounded like she thought I was nuts and I didn't know what I was talking about--which is quite possible.



You can get a cell phone here and have it unlocked so that you can use it overseas, so I don't know why the same couldn't be done in Germany.

[badunnin]

Robyn - the SIM card she is talking about does exist here in the States, but they work a bit differently. In Germany you can have a number with prepaid minutes but no phone. I had one, and when I wanted to call out, just slid my card into someone else's phone. Here I have a SIM card that is attached to my plan - I can slide it into another Cingular phone and use my minutes (in case my battery dies or whatever).

Tell her that we have SIM cards - they are just prepays. ;)

FWIW, cell phones are A LOT cheaper over there.

[Robyncz]

Bethany,
So, if she gets a phone over there, can I sign her up for a SIMS-based prepay plan over here that she can use with her German phone?

Please say yes! And then tell me how!

Thanks!
Robyn

[badunnin]

Bethany,
So, if she gets a phone over there, can I sign her up for a SIMS-based prepay plan over here that she can use with her German phone?

Please say yes! And then tell me how!

Thanks!
Robyn

I don't think so. We sell our prepays as phones, they sell theirs as just cards (well, they sell them with phones, too). I don't think you can just buy a SIM card over here. Let me do some checking around....

Ok, I looked at T-Mobile. They seemed most likely to me to have a system similar to ze Juhrman one, as they are a German company. They only offer prepay packages.

[badunnin]

Info on SIM cards...

What is a SIM?

Subscriber Identity Module (SIM): A smart card containing the telephone number of the customer, encoded network identification details such as: Call Forwarding, Caller ID, etc., the PIN, and other user data such as the phone book. T-Mobile customers can move their SIM card from any T-Mobile branded phone to any other T-Mobile branded phone without the need to contact Customer Service to activate the new phone. Your rate plan and phone number will follow your SIM to the new phone.

It actually sounds like if she has a T-Mobile phone in Germany it might work here? I'd contact T-Mobile to find out if you can get just a card.

[wallycat]

I just posted on another thread about buying a new cell phone.
We have Tracfone and have never had a problem with it.
The new plans deduct the same amount of minutes for local, long distance, international, etc. They're prepaid and if you buy for 1 year, you don't lose the minutes if you add more (should you decide to keep the phone).
You can buy for 2 months, 3 , etc... and I believe it is 10cents a unit or some such thing.
We only ever need a phone when we travel so I hate to pay monthly fees for a phone that rarely gets turned on.

[badunnin]

Robyn - I'd definitely contact T-Mobile before having her buy a phone. I knew that the phones were different, but didn't know how. This (http://www.german-way.com/handy.html) "explains" it.

I'm not sure if this is promising or not....

[Robyncz]

Bethany,
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

From the link you posted and other links I followed from that site, it sounds to me like a SIM-ready phone purchased in the U.S. is likely to be "locked" so that it can only be used with a specific provider. However, if I'm understanding correctly, a SIM-ready phone purchased in Germany can be used with any provider that uses SIM cards. So, theoretically, she should be able to bring a German phone here and buy prepaid minutes from a SIM provider like T-Mobile or Cingular that she can use in her phone.

I'm going to call T-Mobile and Cingular tomorrow and see what I can find out.

You have been a great source of information. Again, I thank you!

[badunnin]

Bitte sehr! Meld dich spaeter mit dem, was du gefunden hast?

Hoffe, alles klappt!

[Robyncz]

Hab' gerade mit Cingular gesprochen. Sie koennen (und werden) die SIM Karte auswechseln. Und damit kann die Jenny (unsere Studentin) ein month-to-month Plan haben.

Total einfach!

Wer wuesste?????

Nochmal vielen Dank!

Robyn