Here’s an interview with EmotionalZombie7997, a Yahoo! Answers expert on prepaid cell phones and plans.
I have sometimes ventured onto the Yahoo! Answers site to see if there are any questions about prepaid cell phones for me to answers. I would find the questions, but I would usually see that I had been beaten to the punch. Once I got over it, I realized that it would be great to get her insights and opinions on this site. I sent her an interview request, and she has graciously accepted.
I first started asking and answering questions in the relationships section of Yahoo Answers. But I found that people preferred answers that told them what they wanted to read. Which is not necessarily what they need to read.
I was not aware that there was a section about cell phone and cell phone plans until around 2 years ago. I was looking at the section for new questions asked and found a question about a cell phone that I knew the answer for. I went to the section about cell phone plans and found that people were not as knowledgeable about prepaid cell phone plans as I was. So I decided to start answering questions to help people use their prepaid phone and make them aware of the benefits of owning a prepaid cell phone.
I usually stick to answering questions about cell phones. But if I come across a question about televisions, Netflix, computers, video games, video game systems and relationships that I know the answer to, I will answer it.
The first cell phone I bought was a Nokia 252C from Tracfone. I currently use a Samsung R355C from Net10. But I have a Samsung R451C from Net10 and a Samsung R455C from Net10 that I switch between.
I use the Net10 $25 750 minutes or text messages airtime card. I generally use the majority of my minutes for talking. I will send and receive around 100 text messages and picture messages per month. The majority of the data that I use is for sending and receiving picture messages. I do use around 30 minutes per month to surf the web on my phone. Being that my phone screen is around 2 inches by 2 inches it makes it hard to read anything.
I usually only use around 500 minutes of the 750 minutes plan that I have. But the $25 750 minutes or text messages plan from Net10 is still the cheapest plan for me to use at this time.
Thank you for the compliment. I try to answer the questions as completely as I can. I currently do not do any writing outside of answering questions on Yahoo Answers. I never felt my writing was strong enough to use it for anything more than diary entries.
I personally have only ever used Tracfone, Net10 and Verizon for my providers. I prefer to use a Net10 phone that uses Verizon towers for service. In 12 years I have only had around 20 problems with dropped calls, calls that would not go through, text/picture messages that would not send or internet not connecting.
This is a great question. Choosing the best cell phone and cell phone plan depends on many factors.
If the phone is for a child I prefer Tracfone or Kajeet. I like Tracfone because you can find Tracfone cell phones almost everywhere. You can also put a set amount of minutes on the phone and when it is gone it is gone. This will teach a child how to be responsible for their phone usage.
I also like Kajeet for teens. You can get unlimited text messages with 60 minutes for $15 per month. The only reason I do not use this company myself and recommend it is because it is not available nationwide. It is a prepaid company that uses Sprint towers for service. Sprint is not available nationwide, so it is not an option for many people. The phones are also very expensive in my opinion.
If the phone is for an adult who will use under 40 minutes per month I suggest Tracfone with the pay as you go plans. You can get a Tracfone and a year of service for around $100.
If the phone is for an adult who needs 100 to 200 minutes per month I suggest a Net10 phone with a pay as you go plan.
If the phone is for an adult who needs over 100 minutes per month and up to 750 minutes per month I suggest Net10 with the $25 750 minutes or text messages monthly plan.
If the person needs unlimited minutes and unlimited text messages I prefer Net10 $50 unlimited plan. You could also use the Straight Talk $45 unlimited plan. I prefer to use Net10 over Straight Talk for a few reasons. I do not like to be limited on where I can buy my phones and airtime cards. I also know that Net10 phones can be found on sale at various retailers.
Wal-Mart is not in every town in the U.S. So if you do not have a Wal-Mart in your town and you have to drive to another town to get minutes, it does not save you any money to have Net10 over Straight Talk. When Net10 minutes can be bought at most retail stores including gas stations and grocery stores.
I think that the least important thing about a cell phone plan is the one thing that people fixate too much on, and that is the cell phone itself. Personally I prefer a basic qwerty keypad phone. If a person likes to send a lot of text messages I think that a qwerty keypad phone is a must. Personally I am not away from home enough to need a smart phone.
I think that I would give a Zombie a basic phone. Maybe even one of the 911 emergency phone that will only dial 911 when a button on the device is pushed, so that it would not be able to call anyone. Because I really don't want someone who is only interested in eating my brains having my phone number.