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Post by bearmom on Aug 17, 2015 11:34:36 GMT
We have an exchange student coming to stay with us in the fall and she e-mailed dc last night saying she is going to need a pre-paid cell phone while in the States.
No one I know uses a pre-paid cell phone and we know nothing about them. Our family all uses Verizon. It would be preferable that she have an iPhone (my phone doesn't work at work, but I can get iMessages over wifi) but not necessary. We do have a few old iPhones laying around the house (we don't buy insurance, we keep our old phones in case something happens).
TIA!!
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TheOtherMeg
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,541
Jun 25, 2014 20:58:14 GMT
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Post by TheOtherMeg on Aug 17, 2015 12:30:01 GMT
My younger kids have TracFones. They're nice phones and do what they need right now. I will say that the apps are basic (camera, clock, alarm, notetaking, that sort of thing) and going online is a horrible experience because the browser is crap. However, that is sure fine with me and the kids only want to text and take pictures (and text them), and make the occasional phone call. They're young teen boys are don't care one bit about Facebook, Instagram, etc.
I bought the phones on Amazon a couple years ago for $60 (each). I chose a model that triples the minutes on the minutes/days cards I buy at the grocery store (when they give 4x gas points). So, a 60min/90day card, which costs $20, actually gives 180min/90days when I enter the code in the phone.
ETA The cards come in different denominations. You can get cards with more minutes and/or more days. If you have a triple-minute phone, only the minutes triple.
If your guest doesn't need to go online a lot, then I'd definitely look into something like a TracFone. I've been very happy with the service (other than going online). Perhaps they've improved the browser on the new phones. My kids don't even go online with the phones, so I have no idea if things are better. Or maybe it's more a factor of which model phone you choose. I have no idea!
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Post by Jockscrap on Aug 17, 2015 13:07:52 GMT
Not sure how things work in the States, but in your situation here, I would get a free Pay as you Go SIM card from the place that offers the best deal for data, calls and messages to suit the user, and put the SIM in one of your old iPhones. Vibre and What's App would be an alternative to iMessages to receive messages over wifi, if your guest ends up using a phone other than an iPhone.
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