John -
Yeah, I agree, Cingular sucks - we were paying fifty-some bucks a month for 2 phones which were rarely used. We're not the type to walk around or drive with a cell phone stuck to our faces
, we just used it when we needed to get in touch or for emergency use and the monthly fee seemed like it just wasn't cost effective.
My brother-in-law in the Midwest told me he and his wife found the same thing with their cellular service and he went out and bought one of those pay as you go Virgin phones at Wallyworld.
I was skeptical, but picked one up to take with us when we drove out to PA to meet my wife's sister halfway on Rt. 80 and pick up our new pup just before New Years . I was actually pretty impressed with it - we drove 900 miles in a day round trip and we never lost the signal which was strong all the way even in the mountains. I've yet to lose the signal and have a call dropped.
The phone I have is a Kyocera Rave K-7, paid 59 or so bucks for it at Wallyworld and got a 25.00 phone card for it. I forget what the per minute charge is, but I've still got 22 bucks on it (they give ya $10 free to start with) - I can't recommend it too highly, it's a helluva deal. I call home almost every day too for 5 or so minutes to see what's happening at the ranch, so the usage fee is pretty modest.
No contract, no roaming charges, you only buy what you need. Ya do everything on line, and you can either buy the cards at a retail store or do it online via a CC.
I think it's pretty damn tough to beat and might work pretty well for you and the better half - it sure has for us.
Threaded Mode