The Best Emergency Cell Phone Plan
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What is the Best Emergency Cell Phone Plan?
One of the main reasons people purchase a cell phone is so that they can have one for emergency situations. Some people don’t need a full time cell phone. Here are some situations where you might need a cheap cell phone, one that you’re only going to use in an emergency:
- Maybe you just need a cell phone to stick in the glove compartment of your car in case it breaks down or you get stranded.
- Maybe you’re a senior who needs to carry a phone around for emergency situations.
- If you’re a parent, you might need a cheap cell phone to throw in your child’s backpack, in case they need a ride home from school or practice.
Unfortunately, most cell phone plans from the major providers are very expensive and require lengthy contracts. Who wants to pay $50 or more a month just to keep a phone in their glove box that they only use for emergencies?
Fortunately, prepaid cell phone plans are made for this situation. With prepaid plans you’re not locked into a long contract. The other benefit of prepaid phones is that many of the carriers offer really cheap plans with a small number of minutes (for example 60 or 100 minute phone cards). These minutes usually stay active for much longer than a month.
One other benefit of prepaid cell phone plans is that many companies offer low cost phones. You don’t need a fancy phone with a bunch of bells and whistles just for an emergency situation. All you need is a phone that will make calls and possibly text. Many prepaid cell phone providers offer basic, low cost phone models sometimes as cheap as $10.
The Ideal Emergency Cell Phone Plan
So the ideal emergency phone plan would:
1) offer the cheapest no-frills phone on the market and
2) offer an inexpensive service plan with a small number of minutes.
TracFone has a phone and a plan that fits both of those requirements.
TracFone sells the cheapest phone in the industry for $9.99. It really is a no-frills phone, but if you are looking for an emergency phone, one that you can just stick in the glove box of your car and forget about, then the bottom of the line TracFone is exactly what you are looking for.
The cheapest airtime card that you can purchase from TracFone is $20 which gives you 60 minutes of airtime. Sixty minutes of airtime may be a minuscule amount for the average cell phone user, but in an emergency situation it is certainly enough to call a tow truck and to resolve any roadside emergencies.
The minutes on most TracFone service plans last for 90 days. So, every three months you’ll have to refill your phone to keep it active. A years worth of cell phone service is only $80 ($80 for four 90 day airtime cards).
So here’s the math:
(1) TracFone Cell Phone = $9.99
(4) 90 day service cards = $80
—————————————
1 year + 1 phone = $89.99 Total
So check out TracFone’s prepaid plans for the best emergency cell phone in the country.
Website: Visit the TracFone website.
Photo Credit: daveynin
Filed under: Articles • The Best Plans
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Hi, my name is Bill. I recently switched over to a prepaid plan, but when I started researching plans on the internet, I quickly realized that most of the review sites were total spam. I put this site together to help folks find the best prepaid cell phone plans.
Great article on emergency phones. I just bought my mom a prepaid Tracfone for emergencies so that she can stick it in her glove compartment and forget about it. Tracfone is the cheapest and for about $80 a year she can have a phone in case she breaks down.
I have used Tracfone for years and was happy until they no longer offer service where I live. I am looking for a new service and definitely need it to work in my zip code. So, if Tracfone is your #1 choice what is similar and #2.
I’ve also used Tracfone for years and was happy until recently. I can no longer manage my account online. They seem to have lost all my info and don’t recognize me. Then they cut my service off twice before my time was up. Then they switched me over to a long distance number and I could no longer call my own home phone (no service) or my mother who lives down the street (no service). I’m also looking for your recommendation of a #2…
Thanks for the comment. If you are looking for an alternative to TracFone, a cheap emergency type phone that will be used very little, then check out PlatinumTel http://www.prepaidphonepro.com/the-cheapest-prepaid-cell-phone-plan/ PlatinumTel uses the Sprint network and it’s also very cheap. If you want more minutes, like 1000 minutes a month or an Unlimited plan, then check out Straight Talk. It’s what I personally use: http://www.prepaidphonepro.com/straight-talk/
Sounds like an ad for TracFone. What are options #2 and #3?
John, option #2: $40 a year cell phone service from PlatinumTel:
http://www.prepaidphonepro.com/the-cheapest-prepaid-cell-phone-plan/
I’ve been with Tracfone for over 10 years and was also happy up until recently. Enrolled in a family plan, which was just what we needed. However, when I tried to change my credit card in my account, it would not allow me to. Eventually the card expired, still couldn’t enter any other form of payment. Both phones were cut off, so I had to buy a card at Wal-mart to activate one of the phones. Then the texting wouldn’t work. Spent nearly 3 hours on the phone with customer service, 3 different people, still no text messaging. Second phone still won’t work because it won’t let me pay! Looking for another company that has its act together.
If you are unhappy with Tracfone, there are a couple of different options. If you are elooking for a cheap low minutes plan to use for emergencies, try Platinumtel. If you need a lot more minutes, look into Straight Talk. I’ve been using them for about 2 years now and I’ve happy with the service. You mentioned a family plan… Metro PCS has a family plan which is basically $5 off on each additional line. The problem with Metro is that their service is lacking outside of cities. Hope this helps.
My family currently has 3 prepaid Tracfone phones. However, we don’t use them very much and always have hundreds of minutes left over. But we still have to pay for more minutes every 90 days. We also don’t get the best service. They usually don’t work from our home. I would like to know what the best prepaid or pay as you go plan would be for someone who only uses a few minutes per month. Would Verizon or ATT be a better deal if you only pay for the days you use? Or would they be deactivated for inactivity? I’d like to not have to buy more minutes periodically when we have plenty. Thanks!