Greetings from Mexico where I live. I come to the USA a few weeks
every year. This summer, my wife and I will be travelling in the
States for 6 weeks.

We want our friends and family to be able to reach us during this
time.
What would be the better deal for us for a cell phone and payments.

We have good rates for making calls from phones. We would only need
the
cell phone for others to call us.

We come to the States a few weeks every year. What would be the system
that would be best priced for our limited use?

Thanks to you great Answers Researchers!!!
God bless you to know and do His will!

John Pendleton

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 13 May 2003 16:51 PDT

Would a "disposable" cell phone be of interest?

http://www.hop-on.com/

http://www.gillette.com/duracell/features/cyclone_factsheet.htm

http://www.dtcproducts.com/dtc/home.html

¡Hola!  Pinkfreud has a good idea there with disposable phones, but
they are very hard to find, and the disposable-phone companies aren't
very forthcoming about what their coverage areas are.

But here's something that's basically the same idea: Get a
reconditioned phone (because it's inexpensive) from TracFone, which
sells no-hassle prepaid accounts. One thing good about TracFone is
that they've been around a while, and their coverage area includes
most of the United States.  Prepaid accounts can be somewhat expensive
on a per-minute basis, but they're still probably the best deal for
limited use and for what you're seeking.  TracFone also has some
advantages because it has a national plan; some other prepaid plans
are limited to certain areas.

If you hurry, you can can a particularly good deal: a phone and 60
minutes of prepaid time for $25 if you order it by May 15.  Just go to
the site below and follow the links for buying a phone:

TracFone store
http://www.tracfone.com

You also shouldn't have problem finding a TracFone once you cross the
border. I've seen them in all sorts of stores.

If TracFone doesn't work out, do a Google search for other prepaid
plans. Just make sure you read the fine print carefully.

Google search for prepaid cell phones:
://www.google.com/search?q=prepaid+cell+phones&sourceid=opera&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

You might also check out the disposable phones, but it looks like
they're more a possibility than a reality:

TeleToss
http://teletoss.bizhosting.com/disposable_cellphones.html

Enjoy your trip!

Mvguy-ga




Search strategy:

I used the search terms "prepaid cell phones" and "disposable cell
phones" (without the quotes) on Google.  I also checked out the
TracFone site based on information I was aware of after a good friend
of mine did a comparison on prepaid accounts.  (I also use a prepaid
account from Verizon that costs me $15 a month for the little I use
it, which is much better than what we pay for my wife's and daughter's
non-prepaid phones.)

Great work! myguy-ga. Thanks for doing all the hard work and making my
shopping easy., I bought the Tracphone as it is the best deal for my
special needs.
Keep up the great work and service.
God bless you to know and do His will!
John   Adios.

The Tracphone is pretty good, although coverage may be spotty in
certain areas, especially near the border. Another thing to consider
is how much roaming you will need. This will cost twice as many units
on the Tracphone. The 30 minute package is $.60/minute. With roaming
at $1.20, it will add up fast.

Another option is a new service by AT&T. It has a plan starting at
$20.00 (not including phone) with 80 anytime minutes and unlimited
roaming. They can be found here:

http://www.attws.com/gophone/