How can I get a cheap cell phone to only use in the car for emergencies?

Question

I have never had a cell phone and don't need one except I want to have one in the car for emergencies. If I get a prepaid one, how do I pay if I use it? I don't want to pay unless I have to call 911 in the car. How does this work?

Answer 1

Prepaid phones start at 30 bucks easy. Even if you don't have service with the phone it can always call 9-11, that's the law. So if you really just want this for emergencies buy a 30 dollar pre paid phone and keep it with a car charger in your car so you can turn it on and call 9-11. You'll never pay a dime after you pay for the phone.
If you decide to add minutes to your prepaid phones and make calls outside of 9-11 then you have to choose a service provider and use one of their phones. If you get a cingular phone it's on the cingular network ect. You can add minutes in a number of ways but the easiest is to go to your local Radio Shack and buy minutes. You can pay cash or charge that way. You can buy a card to add minutes starting at 15 bucks a month for 25 cents a minute worth of minutes but they run out at the end of the month. You can buy bigger cards that won't run out at the end of the month and they have other plans besides just paying 25 cents a minute, but if you spend much more then 15 a month you might as well get a regular phone and screw the pre pay mess.
If your credit is good neough you can get a Sprint phone for 29.99 a month and get unlimited nights and weekends starting at 7pm. They have phones that are free if you sign up for a two year commitment. That's usually the cheapest way to go if you don't mind the commitment.

Answer 2

If you truly only want a phone for emergencies, i.e. 911 calls only, you can take any cell phone and you don't even have to activate it. Even non-active phones can dial 911 at no charge for the call nor a monthly fee. With people getting free phones every year or two now, I'd just see if I could aquire someone's old Verizon phone with a cigarette lighter adapter and keep it in the glove box at all times. Check your local Freecycle group for local freebies. http://www.freecycle.org
I see cell phones on there for free every other day it seems. Also, some unactivated phones will let you make collect or credit card calls, at a premium price, of course.

For prepaid phones, you buy airtime in advance, usually on a phone card at a store, but these "cards" can be virtual as well and a pin code be sent to you online. Once you add the airtime to your account, there is typically a timeframe in which you must use the amount up. The usual is 30-90 days depending on the carrier. T-Mobile has a $100 card which lasts a year. This is a good idea if you want to make the occaisional 1 or 2 minute call per week or so and not just be limited to 911 and collect calls. Also, if you purchase another prepaid airtime card and add it before your last one expires, the minutes add onto each other extending your expiration to that of the latest airtime card.

In summary, for 911 only, you can get yourself going for free forever if you keep your eyes peeled for someone getting rid of their old phone. If you want the convenience of being able to make or receive the occaisional phone call, you can get away with a little over $8/mo ($100 per year, prepaid) which gets you 1,000 minutes to use for 1 year on T-Mobile To Go, plus the phone costs $30 +/- depending on the current deal. Either way, make sure you get a cigarette lighter adapter to make sure you have power for your phone in case of emergency.

Answer 3

It depends on what telephone subscriber-line provider you are using!?
Get a prepaid phone, charge it with credit right before it expires, keep it for emergencies, after a while of now use, you'll have enough balance to chat up.. Think of it as a "communication" inventment.. = No emergencies, more airtime to talk with :)

Some Prepaid services allow u to exchange credit with connectivity length.. like 4 cents = 1 extra day and vica-versa.. but still All depends on your location and service provider..

Answer 4

Best thing for you is to get a TracFone. You buy the phone for $20-$30 bucks. It comes with 10 min. free. Buy $30 worth of "minutes" and it gives you 120 units. A "minute" is actually longer than 60 sec. There is no plan, no annual charge, no re-activation fee, no nothing. You take control on how you use your phone, and you can call anywhere. It's worth it for a one-time fee. AND, there's no nighttime daytime calling, "Call after 7 pm and it's free" whatever, whatever, whatever....

Answer 5

Go with prepaid. Net 10 is the best Value. a $30 card gives you 300 minutes and lasts for 3 months

Answer 6

Buy a pre-pay which does not have a minimum "top up" interval. then put credit on it once and leave it in the glovebox, COMPLETE WITH car charger and/or an emergency charger back (Alkaline batteries) The cellphone battery WILL go flat even if switched off after a month or two - esepecially if warm.