Smart phone with dumb phone plan?

[SilveradoBojangles]

Do any of you have a smart phone where you only pay for texts/minutes (not data)? If so, what combo of device/carrier do you use?

I'm looking for a phone for my husband. He's been without one for 8 months, and while its mostly fine there have been a few key moments (though very few) where I've needed to get a hold of him, so I would like him to have a phone. He doesn't want a smart phone because he doesn't want to be a smart phone person, but hated his last dumb phone because it was difficult to use. So, my solution is to get him an inexpensive smart phone (preferably an old iphone or android phone), and buy prepaid minutes to put on it. Then it will be easy to use, he can listed to pod casts on it, and it will ring when I need him. But my carrier (Page plus) only lets you put prepaid minutes on a 3G phone, not a 4G LTE one. I've looked into republic wireless, but it seems they won't let me bring in a used phone (it seems silly to buy a new one when he doesn't care at all about the phone). So what do you guys use?

[elaine amj]

There are a lot of MVNOs out there - it all depends on your usage needs.

I am Canadian and needed a plan with some phone, text, and data for the times we travel in the US. And yet, I didn't want to pay a min of $100 a year to keep the line active when I really only use about $10-$30 in a year. We just got a Truphone SIM and now pay 9 cents a min/9 cents a text and 9 cents a MB of data. it's a little more expensive per use than most plans out there - but for true minimal usage, it is awesome. I have spent maybe a couple of bucks (maybe less?) so far since I got the plan in the spring. I expect to use a little more when we spend a week in Austin in December. But if I want to be less indulgent, I could use my phone mostly on wifi and probably get away with spending 50 cents over the week (just for quick, more "urgent" like situations).

I also have smartphones for my kids at home that we keep to use on wifi only. I installed VOIP apps so I can call/text but that only works when they have a wifi signal.

I just got an old iPhone 4 for my kids for $25 off kijiji. The home button doesn't work most of the time (so we just installed the digital home button) and the back of the phone is completely smashed (can't even tell since it is inside a case). It does everything it needs to do and was a killer deal.

[ohana]

I have a Republic Wireless $10/month plan;  unlimited talk and text; smartphone features only over wireless.  Might be just the thing for your DH.

[Daley]

Do any of you have a smart phone where you only pay for texts/minutes (not data)? If so, what combo of device/carrier do you use?

There is an entire guide on this subject and more.

If you insist on a smartphone, mobile data can be turned off. Any MVNO in the guide linked isn't going to care how advanced your device you own is and dictate to you your spending based on it like regular carriers. They'll just bill you for what you use.

Also ignore the Republic Wireless recommendations, there's far better for the money.

[partgypsy]

Do any of you have a smart phone where you only pay for texts/minutes (not data)? If so, what combo of device/carrier do you use?

There is an entire guide on this subject and more.

If you insist on a smartphone, mobile data can be turned off. Any MVNO in the guide linked isn't going to care how advanced your device you own is and dictate to you your spending based on it like regular carriers. They'll just bill you for what you use.

Also ignore the Republic Wireless recommendations, there's far better for the money.

IP Daley I want to say Thanks! I used your guide to sign up my daughter and shortly myself for phone service at Ptel. Previously I was paying $33 a month for 1500 minutes and texts a month, no data, and signed up daughter for unlimited minutes and text,  250 mb of data for $20. I signed myself up for the $25 a month plan that has data, and there is also a 20% off coupon on the internet that can be applied to both signing up for the plan and buying a phone.
Depending on how little he uses the phone, you may want to sign him up a pay as you go plan, where you only pay for what you use (best for emergencies or low data users). If he wants to listen/stream podcasts you will have to get a data plan, and that may use a bit of data. Sorry. 


I think you should have him look at phones to see what HE likes. If he doesn't like it, he won't use it. My daughter is familiar with tablets so I got her a Motorola G. I like my slider phone so I got one of the few smart phones with a slider keyboard. Samsung relay I believe.

[shuffler]

Yep.  I'm in-range of wifi most of my life, so dropping the data plan hasn't been very hard.
I use Airvoice Wireless for $10/mo.

[SilveradoBojangles]

Do any of you have a smart phone where you only pay for texts/minutes (not data)? If so, what combo of device/carrier do you use?

There is an entire guide on this subject and more.

If you insist on a smartphone, mobile data can be turned off. Any MVNO in the guide linked isn't going to care how advanced your device you own is and dictate to you your spending based on it like regular carriers. They'll just bill you for what you use.

Also ignore the Republic Wireless recommendations, there's far better for the money.

Thanks - I'll check it out!

[SilveradoBojangles]

Yep.  I'm in-range of wifi most of my life, so dropping the data plan hasn't been very hard.
I use Airvoice Wireless for $10/mo.

Can I ask what kind of phone you use?

I'm asking because the service I wanted to go with (Page plus) has restrictions on the type of phone. If you have a 4G phone you have to buy a data plan, but I only want pre-paid minutes.

[Daley]

I'm asking because the service I wanted to go with (Page plus) has restrictions on the type of phone. If you have a 4G phone you have to buy a data plan, but I only want pre-paid minutes.

Don't go with Page Plus, it's owned by America Movil now - same folks behind Tracfone, NET10, StraightTalk, etc. These carrier brands are not in my guide for a reason.

If you need Verizon coverage, use Selectel instead (they have a 2000 talk/text/year package for LTE at $100/month) or possibly Puppy Wireless, but understand that using a Verizon LTE device means paying more money on a Verizon MVNO overall for the same service. That said, most people who think they need Verizon coverage don't actually need Verizon coverage, and even if you kinda do, frequently AT&T coverage will work just as well. Don't shop for networks based on the phone you want, shop for phones best suited to the network that will serve you best in your area.

Now, if we're instead talking about wanting to take a pre-existing LTE phone off of Verizon, it's entirely possible you might be able to take the phone to an AT&T or T-Mobile MVNO anyway. Verizon's LTE handsets have to be left carrier unlocked from the factory due to the FCC spectrum auction requirements. If the handset supports 3G HSPA/UMTS on the 850 and 1900MHz bands, and AT&T or T-Mobile coverage is solid in your area, you can take the phone to Airvoice, Puretalk USA, P'tel, H2O Wireless, Consumer Cellular, Ting GSM, Red Pocket, Liberty Wireless, Truphone...

[Brilliantine]

I'm using an iphone 5 on the $10/month Airvoice plan. The phone was originally purchased at an ATT store and used with an ATT plan, and then unlocked.

[SilveradoBojangles]

I.P. Daley:
I currently use Page Plus and have had no problems with them - can I ask why you say not to use them? For me they have been a cheap and effective way to meet my needs. I had att before, and calls dropped constantly. Because I use my phone for work I need reliable service, and I get much better coverage where I live on verizon's network.

For my husband's phone I don't care about network/coverage - he just needs one for emergencies. I'm just trying to find a phone he won't hate (so iOS or android operating system), preferably <$100, and ideally one that I can put a year's worth of minutes on and not have to think about again until next christmas. I'm working my way through your very helpful guide (for your records, it seems BYO wireless doesn't exist any more) but if you have a specific recommendation I'm all ears. Thanks!

[Daley]

I currently use Page Plus and have had no problems with them - can I ask why you say not to use them? For me they have been a cheap and effective way to meet my needs.

Primarily because of the quality of customer support. Page Plus used to be in the guide before the buyout, and I even left it in place with a word of caution after they were bought out and had a backdoor rate increase by tacking taxes on after the package prices (this is not normal practice in the American MVNO industry), but I finally removed them after America Movil closed down the domestic support call center and sacked everyone at the beginning of this year. One only needs to deal with them directly a couple times with an actual billing or technical issue to understand why I dropped them in a heartbeat after this point.

Dealing with Carlos Slim's MVNO properties can be a nightmare, and the internet is strewn with the wreckage of customer complaints for all their various brands stretching back over a decade to attest to that. I even speak from personal experience being a former Tracfone/NET10 customer, and I wouldn't even recommend them to my enemies. In fact, the guide actually exists in part because of my terrible experiences and the abuses encountered dealing with them. I wrote it to show others that everyone can save money without actually sacrificing customer service or supporting abusive corporations and business practices.

[robartsd]

I.P. Daley:
I currently use Page Plus and have had no problems with them - can I ask why you say not to use them? For me they have been a cheap and effective way to meet my needs. I had att before, and calls dropped constantly. Because I use my phone for work I need reliable service, and I get much better coverage where I live on verizon's network.

Page Plus was removed from recommendation in "the guide" because it was purchased by America Movil which has a track record for poor customer service. They don't seem at all interested in investing in the Page Plus brand - likely purchased to access the contracts with Verizon using their other brands. That said, I'm still happily using my device on Page Plus and will continue to do so until I purchase a replacement device (the hassle of moving my existing device to Selectel is not worth it to me unless I can save money or I experience problems with Page Plus).

For my husband's phone I don't care about network/coverage - he just needs one for emergencies. I'm just trying to find a phone he won't hate (so iOS or android operating system), preferably <$100, and ideally one that I can put a year's worth of minutes on and not have to think about again until next christmas. I'm working my way through your very helpful guide (for your records, it seems BYO wireless doesn't exist any more) but if you have a specific recommendation I'm all ears. Thanks!

We moved my wife's line onto PTel to save $10 per month ($20/month unlimited vs. Talk-n-Text 1200 for $30/month). Her device needed replacing, so we were happy to buy a device for the target network. We picked up a Landvo L200 for about $80. The voice quality is not all that great (poor quality for other end on speaker) and the internal storage was partitioned in a way that was not the most useful (only about 2GB available for apps, 4GB available for media - it's easy to have media on a microSD card, some apps can only be installed in the 2GB partition).

How much does your husband use the phone? How much will he use data?

Personally I use the phone so little that my $80 top up from Page Plus lasts over a year. For some reason Page Plus has given me an extra 1.5 to 2 months on each of my the two $80 top ups I've loaded. I started using Page Plus over 26 months ago, have nearly $40 and just over a month left. I've already purchased a $10 card which I will load to add 4 more months to my expiration date before considering switching carriers. I might choose PTel's $100 PayGo plan if I decide to get a smartphone, but choose to limit data usage on it.

[robartsd]

I even left it in place with a word of caution after they were bought out and had a backdoor rate increase by tacking taxes on after the package prices (this is not normal practice in the American MVNO industry)

I have yet to experience this rate increase, but have never purchased plans directly from Page Plus. I've always purchased Page Plus service (and refills for PTel) through prepaidonline.com.

[SilveradoBojangles]

robartsd:
Thanks for sharing. I have had no problems with Page Plus either, and there seem to be far fewer Verizon MVNOs.

My husband hasn't had a phone for months, he just steals mine when he needs it. But I'm tired of fielding texts from his friends/family, and it would be nice if he had something that rings when I need him. He will use no data (he is almost always near some wifi, he has a free data plan that came with his ipad), but I expect that he'll download some podcasts for when he goes on runs, etc. So I'm thinking just some pre-paid minutes, and I know he'll use very few of them.

I found a used ATT moto G phone for $75 that looks good, and my current thought is to buy that and put $10 worth of minutes from H2O on it, which will last 90 days.

[raymond]

I have been using a sony smartphone with a voice/text plan for a few years now. It works well enough for my use.

I would recommend an Android phone, they are easier to work with for offline stuff (using it as a mass storage, adding an sd card, installing apps from a private repository ... ).

One nice perk of using a smartphone like that is the battery life. When I got mine I uninstalled, disabled, every apps and services I didn't need, that is to say nearly everything. Switched off 3G, bluetooth. Result : 2 to 14 days of battery life.

I also installed OsmAnd for offline maps and navigation. This set up is not perfect but is cheap and effective.

[jexy103]

My husband and I returned home to the US for two weeks while stationed overseas. We bought T-mobile activation kits for $0.99 ($4.99 at Best Buy, price-matched down to $0.99 from T-mobile's website), and then signed up for their $3/mo plan. It only includes 30 minutes or 30 texts, but it's enough for the minimal phone communication we'll need while home. If your husband doesn't use the phone much, this could work for him. They had other more inclusive plans as well.

One unfortunate part is that the website allows a minimum charge of $10 to fund your account. Not a problem if you plan to use it monthly, but we only needed one month at $3. If anyone has successfully received a refund on a forced overpayment to T-mobile, let me know. 😉