I just got a cell phone! Anybody else use Virgin Mobile?

[supernova]

I just got a Virgin Mobile phone and am letting it charge.

I just activated it and set a tone to tell me I have a text message that I can start making calls. I hope somebody's working on the weekends. :crazy:

If you have Virgin Mobile, do you like it? I got this one because I like beling able to be top up cards, rather than pay a monthly bill.

[supernova]

1. Nobody's using Virgin?

:shrug:

I'm trying to figure out if it will let me sign on and then let me usa $20 card to add minutes, without giving them my credit card.

[hfojvt]

4. I used to

but I went out last weekend, got drunk, and lost it.

[supernova]

7. The girl who sold me this one

said the same thing.

[hopein08]

2. I use Virgin Mobile!

And I got it for the same reason as you did. I also like it a lot. The only drawback is that the type of phone I bought was almost $100 when I bought it, $67 a few months later when my sister bought the same kind, $25 a few months after that, and now I don't think they still sell the same type!!!

And you got it just in time because text messages used to be $.25 a piece but are going down to a nickel in early June, IIRC.

I've had my Virigin Mobile for about 2 years, so if you have any questions, let me know.

[supernova]

9. What kinds of other bells and whistles

do you have?

Do you d/l wallpapers and games and such? Do you do a lot of text messaging?

[hopein08]

21. Really just the basics...

as I said, it is about 2 years old and I unfortunately didn't think far enough ahead to even get a flip phone. So it's got Tetris, Doodling, and Brick Attack in terms of games. I also have basic screen savers and access to the Virgin Mobile extras...like ringtones, news/entertainment updates, things like that.

Now I'll tell you something that I really should have noticed. I signed up for updates for the news and ringtones (when they get new ones...about once a week), which was all just fine until it dawned on me that the updates (especially the ringtones) weren't really worth it and they cost $.33 for every update. I don't know if that will be going down to $.05 too or not. But I was kind of ticked at myself!

I don't do a lot of text messaging, but I may do more when the price goes down!

Personally, I don't do a lot of time on the phone so I've managed to build up a tidy amount of minutes (or dollars in Virgin Mobile terms) by buying the lower priced cards when I need them or every 90 days, usually the latter.

I don't know about your area, but I'm in NW PA and my local Wal-Mart sells the cards for about a dollar less than their value, which is nice. (i.e. I can get a $20 card for about $19)

[NJ Democrats]

3. No. I have Verizon

[graywarrior]

5. You shoulda read CELL first.

[supernova]

6. lol!

[Ava]

8. sorry. i use cingular

[Oeditpus Rex]

10. I've been wondering about this too

I gotta dump Cingular. They stopped their pay-as-you-talk plan and now the bottom line is $30/month, plus talk time. Since I have a cell phone only for emergencies, that blows goats. :grr:

So I've been wondering — Virgin? T-Mobile? Others? :shrug:

[supernova]

11. I looked at T-Mobile

but their phones were generally more expensive. This one was only $29.
You have to buy $20 talk time every 90 days to keep it active. I figure I can do that, at least.

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. I'm not that concerned about the phone

since that's a one-time expense.

What concerns me most is coverage, especially with providers like Virgin and T-Mobile, which cover only urban areas and the main routes between them. I don't go off the well-trodden path very often, but that scope of coverage makes me wonder if it's good in all those areas. I'd rather spend $30 every 90 days and not have dead zones than $20 and get stuck someplace where there's poor or no coverage, even though it's on a major thorofare.

I'd also like an e-mail reminder to re-up every 90 days or whatever, and the ability to do that online. But I may be asking too much.

[supernova]

13. Virgin does that

They give you several ways to pay:

You can choose a set amount of minutes for which the bill you every month, you can choose to get auto-loaded when your account reaches a certain min amount. Or you can add more minutes anytime with a top up card. You can do that from your phone or your PC.

Right now, I'm seeing how it goes, so I'm sticking with the cards. If I find I talk a lot, I'll set up auto pay.

[supernova]

15. You can go to their Web sites

plug in your zip code and it will tell you whether or not they cover your area.

I just found out T Moble pay as you go does work here.

http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/prepaid.aspx

http://www.virginmobileusa.com

[Ava]

18. T-Mobile is better for large cities

the don't pick up in a lot of places.

[tigereye]

14. yes it really hasn't been a problem

There are some areas where it doesn't seem to work, namely more rural areas I have traveled through. I like that I control what I want to pay, rather than a contract.

[supernova]

16. I'm in a rural area

but there's a tower about 1/2 mile down the road, just stuck in the woods by itself. :P Not so rural anymore. :D

[tigereye]

17. I got one for my SIL so she could make some calls

when my MIL was in the hospital. Unfortunately there is a big hill right behind her house that blocks the signal. Oops.

[Crazy Dave]

19. If I were to recommend pre-paid I'd say Tracphone

I've used Tracphone for over two years after paying $40 (Alltel) a month for a phone I never use. I load the minutes up online for as little as $20 and since I never use them, I add an extra month or two for $5 a month.

It stays in my glove box and turned off, for emergencies only. Taken out every two weeks or so to check the charge on it.

[ploppy]

20. I use Virgin Mobile

I really like it. I like the web site support, the customer service is great, and the coverage is always good for me. I don't use it much at all but when I want to use it it always works, it never echos, it doesn't drop calls - and I have used them all.

[hippiechick]

22. I love it .... I only pay for what I use ...

... only turn it on when I'm traveling ... no committment other than tossing $20 on it every 90 days.

:hi:

[Catchawave]

23. I have nTelos....it only works

when I'm struck by lightning :)