Sprint vs. Virgin Mobile -- What's more economical?
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Author
Message
K_Dail Posts: 1
Phone Model: Nokia 3585i
Service Provider: Sprint
Wed Jan 04, 2006 12:54 pm
I've been a Sprint customer since 2001 and my plan includes 3,000 minutes for $35/month. I know that sounds like an awesome deal, and it would be; if I actually used my cell phone and talked more than 80-120 minutes/month. So basically I'm paying $35/month for (at most) 2 hours of talk time. That doesn't seem to be a great deal anymore. I was looking into Virgin Mobile, since their phones are cheaper and they have "Pay as you go" options. If anyone is using Virgin Mobile, please give me your opinion....I'm so tired of wasting my money on minutes I never use. Thank you
Krystal
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elmo01 Posts: 2342
Phone Model: Samsung SPH-M510
Service Provider: Bell Canada
Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:01 pm
K_Dail wrote:
I've been a Sprint customer since 2001 and my plan includes 3,000 minutes for $35/month. I know that sounds like an awesome deal, and it would be; if I actually used my cell phone and talked more than 80-120 minutes/month. So basically I'm paying $35/month for (at most) 2 hours of talk time. That doesn't seem to be a great deal anymore. I was looking into Virgin Mobile, since their phones are cheaper and they have "Pay as you go" options. If anyone is using Virgin Mobile, please give me your opinion....I'm so tired of wasting my money on minutes I never use. Thank you
Krystal
from the virgin website...
Pay 25¢/minute the first 10 minutes of the day.
Pay just 10¢/minute the rest of the day.
Top-Up to add airtime. (Top-Up $20 every 90 days to keep your service working even if you have a balance.)
Fits your style if you...
Use the phone a few days a week.
Use less than 300 minutes each month.
Avoid commitments altogether.
as far as I can see at the sprint site they dont offer pre paid service...
other pre paid plans ... cingular pay as you go 25.00 has a 90 day lifespan...
check them out... the cost of the phone could be a deciding factor
Kat-5 Survivor Posts: 6
Phone Model: Razor
Service Provider: T-Mobile
Fri Jan 06, 2006 7:22 pm
Why limit to just two, don't they have more service providers in the area?
elmo01 Posts: 2342
Phone Model: Samsung SPH-M510
Service Provider: Bell Canada
Sat Jan 07, 2006 8:18 am
Kat-5 Survivor wrote:
Why limit to just two, don't they have more service providers in the area?
I'm behind a firewall... those were the only 2 I could get to...
tybird Posts: 2
Phone Model: Mot C155
Service Provider: tracfone
Sat Jan 14, 2006 10:32 am
Check with tracfone that how i have i think thats a better deal.
one thing i like to know is if you have an unlock phone will it work with tracfone?
Ty
tybird Posts: 2
Phone Model: Mot C155
Service Provider: tracfone
Sat Jan 14, 2006 10:38 am
P.s the start at $20 online you can get them anywhere.
The card i have now Double Minute Prepaid Plan
doubles your future minutes & 300 units for $ 129 every card you buy after is Double Minute. Is great sevice no drop calls like cingular.
tracfone.com
phonehome Posts: 1
Sun Jan 15, 2006 3:37 am
Did Cingular change their options? It may be regional. In Indiana, Virgin easily has the best pay as you go deal. 20 bucks or so goes for at least 90 days. With cingular you have to renew every 30.
With Virgin, 90 bucks will lock your number in for a whole year no matter how many minutes you use.
Sprint also has a new plan that has 200 minutes for about 30 bucks a month. I'm leaning towards that when my Cingular plan expires..
The Guy's Guy Posts: 1
Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:54 am
I recommend Tracfone if you're not using a lot minutes talking on the cell every month. If you do then I'd have to say that Net10 is the way to go.
The break-even point seems to be somewhere around 100 to 150 minutes per month, which is 1200 to 1800 minutes per year. TracFone now has a card for $139.99 that gives you 800 minutes, one year of service, and double-minutes on all future airtime cards you add to the phone. A standard one-year, 400 minute card cost $99.99. So it would cost you $139.99 the first year and $99.99 in future years to get 800 minutes per year. Spend another $80 to buy two 200 minute cards, which would each get doubled to give you a total of 800 extra minutes. You've now spent a total of $180 (in the second yearand beyond) to get 2000 minutes and over a year of service.
With Net10 you would pay $200 to get 2000 minutes and a year of service, or you could spend $180 to get 1800 minutes and a year of service.
My advice would be that if you're planning on using your phone for about 100 minutes per month or less, then go with Tracfone because it will be cheaper it the long run. If you think you'll use more than 100 minutes per month, then go with Net10 because it will be just as cheap and it's simpler and more straightforward.
That doesn't seem to be a great deal anymore. I was looking into Virgin Mobile, since their phones are cheaper and they have "Pay as you go" options. If anyone is using Virgin Mobile, please give me your opinion....I'm so tired of wasting my money on minutes I never use. Thank you 
